Opinion ID: 151087
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Federal Section 2254 Petition

Text: On March 30, 2004, Hall filed a petition for habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2254 in federal district court. Hall's petition claimed that (1) his confession was involuntary and in violation of Miranda, and (2) he received ineffective trial counsel. [37] As for his ineffective trial counsel claim, Hall argued that Smedley (1) was not experienced enough to handle Hall's case, (2) did not request funding for an expert or investigator, (3) did not interview anyone with BellSouth regarding the records of outgoing calls, (4) did not present character witnesses, (5) failed to call Pamela Armstrong, Sunkeissa Cantrell, and Gloria McElroy as alibi witnesses, and (6) presented no evidence of Hall's mental status, specifically Taffett's opinions that Hall lacked the intellectual ability to mastermind or orchestrate any type of crime. The magistrate judge's report recommended denial of the § 2254 petition as to both Hall's ineffective counsel claim and his involuntary confession claim because the Alabama Supreme Court's decision affirming the trial court judgment was not contrary to or an unreasonable application of federal law, nor was it an unreasonable determination of the facts. Overruling Hall's objections, the district court adopted the magistrate judge's report and denied Hall's § 2254 petition. The district court granted Hall a certificate of appealability (COA) on (1) his involuntary confession claim and (2) his ineffective trial counsel claim.