Wright v. West

Summary

The Court unanimously reversed and remanded, with no single opinion commanding five votes. Justice Thomas, joined by Chief Justice Rehnquist and Justice Scalia, concluded that the evidence satisfied Jackson v. Virginia even under de novo review: West's possession of recently stolen goods and his confused, uncorroborated explanations permitted a rational jury to find him guilty of grand larceny beyond a reasonable doubt. The plurality declined to decide whether federal habeas courts should defer to state-court resolutions of mixed constitutional questions and left the newly discovered evidence claim for further proceedings. Justice White concurred in the judgment because the evidence satisfied Jackson. Justice O'Connor, joined by Justices Blackmun and Stevens, agreed on evidentiary sufficiency but disputed the plurality's account of habeas history and defended independent review of mixed questions. Justice Kennedy likewise found the evidence sufficient and explained that Teague's retroactivity doctrine does not displace de novo review. Justice Souter would resolve the case solely under Teague because the relief West sought required a new rule, although he also agreed that the evidence was sufficient.