Supreme Court of the United States
Thornell v. Jones
May 30, 2024602 U.S. 154
Summary
The Supreme Court reversed the Ninth Circuit’s grant of habeas relief, holding that the circuit misapplied the Strickland prejudice standard and that the new mitigating evidence presented at the federal evidentiary hearing was insufficient to show a reasonable probability of a different sentencing outcome. The Court affirmed the district court’s denial of relief and remanded for further proceedings consistent with its opinion.
Holding
- Did the Ninth Circuit correctly apply the Strickland prejudice standard to Jones’s ineffective‑assistance claim?. No. The Ninth Circuit misapplied Strickland by failing to require a reasonable probability that, absent counsel’s errors, the balance of aggravating and mitigating circumstances would not warrant death.
- Does the new mitigating evidence presented at the federal evidentiary hearing establish a reasonable probability that Jones would not have received a death sentence?. No. The new evidence was either previously considered, uncorroborated, or failed to show a causal link to the murders, and therefore does not demonstrate the required reasonable probability of a different result.
- Is the Ninth Circuit’s procedural rule prohibiting assessment of the relative strength of expert testimony valid under Strickland?. No. The rule is unsound because evaluating whether expert evidence would have created a reasonable probability of a different result necessarily requires assessing the strength of that evidence.
Docket 22-982
Cited authorities
- Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13
- Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13
- 28 U.S.C. § 2254