Opinion ID: 552361
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Clemons

Text: 3 Hill asserts that Clemons is fully applicable to his case and requires us to affirm his petition for a writ of habeas corpus. The Attorney General of the State of Mississippi argues that the precedent of this Circuit forecloses the application of Clemons to this case. The Attorney General is correct. 4 Panels of the Fifth Circuit twice have ruled that the Supreme Court's decision in Clemons constitutes a new rule of law under Teague v. Lane, 489 U.S. 288, 109 S.Ct. 1060, 103 L.Ed.2d 334 (1989), and thus is not available to a habeas petitioner whose conviction is final prior to this decision. Stringer v. Jackson, 909 F.2d 111 (5th Cir.1990); Smith v. Black, 904 F.2d 950 (5th Cir.1990). Hill's conviction was final on November 7, 1984 when a petition for a writ of certiorari regarding his conviction and sentence was denied by the Supreme Court. Hill v. Mississippi, 464 U.S. 977, 104 S.Ct. 414, 78 L.Ed.2d 352 (1983). The Court announced its decision in Clemons over five years after Hill's conviction became final. Clemons is not applicable in this case.