Smith v. Chandler

Summary

The Supreme Court of Georgia affirmed the habeas court’s grant of relief, holding that the admission of Habeas Exhibit 10 did not constitute plain error and that Chandler’s appellate counsel was ineffective under the Strickland/Cartwright standards. The Court reasoned that the exhibit was admitted for a limited purpose unrelated to its truth, and that counsel’s failure to impeach the victim’s prior inconsistent statements was deficient and prejudicial. The decision rests on established standards for plain error review and ineffective assistance of counsel.