Davis v. Ayala
| Docket No. | Op. Below | Argument | Opinion | Vote | Author | Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13-1428 | 9th Cir. | Mar 3, 2015 | Jun 18, 2015 | 5-4 | Alito | OT 2014 |
Holding: Any federal constitutional error that may have occurred by excluding the attorney for a defendant in a capital murder trial from part of the Batson hearing was harmless.
Judgment: Reversed and remanded, 5-4, in an opinion by Justice Alito on June 18, 2015. Justice Kennedy and Justice Thomas filed concurring opinions. Justice Sotomayor filed a dissenting opinion, in which Justices Ginsburg, Breyer, and Kagan joined.
SCOTUSblog Coverage
- A “view” from the Courtroom: A bonus day for opinions (Mark Walsh, June 18, 2015)
- Opinion analysis: How habeas courts should assess harmless error in a procedural Batson challenge (Steve Vladeck, June 18, 2015)
- Argument analysis: AEDPA deference, Brecht deference, and a Lackey tangent in a California capital case (Steve Vladeck, March 3, 2015)
- Argument preview: A Ninth Circuit capital habeas case with a complicated doctrinal twist (Steve Vladeck, February 27, 2015)
- Privacy of hotel guest lists at issue (Lyle Denniston, October 20, 2014)
- Petition of the day (Maureen Johnston, September 8, 2014)
| Date | Proceedings and Orders |
|---|---|
| May 27 2014 | Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due June 30, 2014) |
| Jun 18 2014 | Order extending time to file response to petition to and including July 30, 2014. |
| Jul 21 2014 | Order further extending time to file response to petition to and including August 13, 2014. |
| Aug 13 2014 | Brief of respondent Hector Ayala in opposition filed. |
| Aug 26 2014 | Reply of petitioner Kevin Chappell, Warden filed. |
| Aug 27 2014 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of September 29, 2014. |
| Oct 6 2014 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of October 10, 2014. |
| Oct 14 2014 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of October 17, 2014. |
| Oct 20 2014 | Petition GRANTED In addition to the question presented by the petition, the parties are directed to brief and argue the following question: "Whether the court of appeals properly applied the standard articulated in Brecht v. Abrahamson, 507 U. S. 619 (1993)." |
| Oct 30 2014 | The time to file the joint appendix and petitioner's brief on the merits is extended to and including December 11, 2014. |
| Oct 30 2014 | The time to file respondent's brief on the merits is extended to and including January 20, 2015. |
| Dec 9 2014 | Joint appendix filed. (Statement of costs filed) |
| Dec 9 2014 | Brief of petitioner Kevin Chappell, Warden filed. |
| Dec 22 2014 | SET FOR ARGUMENT ON Tuesday, March 3, 2015 |
| Dec 22 2014 | Record requested from U.S.C.A. 9th Circuit. |
| Dec 22 2014 | Record from U.S.C.A. 9th Circuit is electronic and located on PACER. |
| Jan 7 2015 | CIRCULATED. |
| Jan 9 2015 | Record received from U.S.D.C. Southern District of California, (12 Boxes, one box of the record is SEALED) |
| Jan 20 2015 | Brief of respondent Hector Ayala filed. (Distributed) |
| Feb 12 2015 | Letter from counsel for the petitioner regarding change in party name. |
| Feb 18 2015 | Reply of petitioner Ron Davis, Acting Warden filed. (Distributed) |
| Mar 3 2015 | Argued. For petitioner: Robin Urbanski, California Deputy Attorney General, San Diego, Cal. For respondent: Anthony J. Dain, San Diego, Cal. |
| Jun 18 2015 | Judgment REVERSED and case REMANDED. Alito, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which Roberts, C. J., and Scalia, Kennedy, and Thomas, JJ., joined. Kennedy, J., and Thomas, J., filed concurring opinions. Sotomayor, J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which Ginsburg, Breyer, and Kagan, JJ., joined. |
| Jul 13 2015 | Petition for Rehearing filed. |
| Jul 16 2015 | DISTRIBUTED. |
| Aug 10 2015 | Rehearing DENIED. |
| Aug 10 2015 | JUDGMENT ISSUED. |
| Aug 11 2015 | Records from the 9th Circuit and from U.S.D.C. Southern District of California has been returned. |
