Alaska v. Wright

Summary

The Supreme Court held that a petitioner confined for a federal conviction, even when that conviction relies on a prior state conviction as a predicate, is not "in custody pursuant to the judgment of a State court" for purposes of 28 U.S.C. §2254(a). Accordingly, Wright’s habeas petition should have been brought under §2255, not §2254, and the Court vacated the Ninth Circuit’s judgment and remanded for further proceedings.