Burgess v. Hall

Summary

The Supreme Court of Georgia affirmed the denial of habeas relief because Burgess failed to show that appellate counsel was ineffective in omitting claims concerning additional impeachment of his co-defendant. The court held that any deficiency by trial counsel caused no prejudice because the co-defendant had already been extensively impeached and the additional evidence would have had only marginal value. The court likewise rejected the related Brady-based ineffective-assistance claim because disclosure would not have created a reasonable probability of a different trial outcome.