Wellons v. Hall

Summary

The Court vacated and remanded the Eleventh Circuit’s judgment denying discovery and an evidentiary hearing in a capital habeas case, finding a reasonable probability the lower court relied on a procedural error corrected in Cone v. Bell. The Court noted serious questions about the trial’s fairness due to unreported jury-judge contacts. Dissenting justices argued the GVR was improper because the lower court ruled independently on the merits.