Opinion ID: 3043524
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Smith’s Certificate of Appealability

Text: In 2014, this Court granted Smith a certificate of appealability as to these three issues: 1. Whether the Alabama state courts’ procedural ruling—that in his Rule 32 post-conviction pleadings as to his mental retardation claim, Smith failed to comply with the specificity pleading requirements in Rule 32.6(b) of the Alabama Rules of Criminal Procedure—was contrary to or an unreasonable application of Atkins v. Virginia, 536 U.S. 304 (2002)? 2. Whether the Alabama state courts’ merits determination—that Smith did not show significant deficits in adaptive behavior manifested before age 18—is an unreasonable determination of the facts or an unreasonable application of Atkins? 3. Whether the Alabama state courts’ merits determination—that Smith did not show subaverage intellectual functioning—is an unreasonable determination of the facts or an unreasonable application of Atkins?14 14 With the benefit of the parties’ briefs, oral argument, and our examination of the record, it has become clear that the first issue is also properly a question of whether the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals’ procedural ruling is an unreasonable determination of the facts or an unreasonable application of Atkins. Accordingly, we sua sponte expand the certificate of appealability (“COA”) to address whether the Alabama appellate court’s decision, including its Rule 32.6(b) ruling, was based on an unreasonable determination of the facts under 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d)(2). See Dell v. United States, 710 F.3d 1267, 1272 (11th Cir. 2013), cert. denied, 134 S. Ct. 1508 (2014) (noting this Court has “expanded a COA sua sponte on exceptional occasions, even after oral argument”); see also 11th Cir. R. 27-1(g) (“A ruling on a motion or other interlocutory matter, whether entered by a single judge or a panel, is not binding upon the panel to which the appeal is assigned on the merits, and the merits panel may alter, amend, or vacate it.”). 24 Case: 14-10721 Date Filed: 08/03/2015 Page: 25 of 39