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
- Opinion analysis: How habeas courts should assess harmless error in a procedural Batson challenge (Steve Vladeck, June 18, 2015)
- A "view" from the Courtroom: A bonus day for opinions (Mark Walsh, 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 9, 2014)
| Date | Proceedings and Orders |
|---|---|
| 05/27/2014 | Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due June 30, 2014) |
| 06/18/2014 | Order extending time to file response to petition to and including July 30, 2014. |
| 07/21/2014 | Order further extending time to file response to petition to and including August 13, 2014. |
| 08/13/2014 | Brief of respondent Hector Ayala in opposition filed. |
| 08/26/2014 | Reply of petitioner Kevin Chappell, Warden filed. |
| 08/27/2014 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of September 29, 2014. |
| 10/06/2014 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of October 10, 2014. |
| 10/14/2014 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of October 17, 2014. |
| 10/20/2014 | 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)." |
| 10/30/2014 | The time to file the joint appendix and petitioner's brief on the merits is extended to and including December 11, 2014. |
| 10/30/2014 | The time to file respondent's brief on the merits is extended to and including January 20, 2015. |
| 12/09/2014 | Joint appendix filed. (Statement of costs filed) |
| 12/09/2014 | Brief of petitioner Kevin Chappell, Warden filed. |
| 12/22/2014 | SET FOR ARGUMENT ON Tuesday, March 3, 2015 |
| 12/22/2014 | Record requested from U.S.C.A. 9th Circuit. |
| 12/22/2014 | Record from U.S.C.A. 9th Circuit is electronic and located on PACER. |
| 01/07/2015 | CIRCULATED. |
| 01/09/2015 | Record received from U.S.D.C. Southern District of California, (12 Boxes, one box of the record is SEALED) |
| 01/20/2015 | Brief of respondent Hector Ayala filed. (Distributed) |
| 02/12/2015 | Letter from counsel for the petitioner regarding change in party name. |
| 02/18/2015 | Reply of petitioner Ron Davis, Acting Warden filed. (Distributed) |
| 03/03/2015 | Argued. For petitioner: Robin Urbanski, California Deputy Attorney General, San Diego, Cal. For respondent: Anthony J. Dain, San Diego, Cal. |
| 06/18/2015 | 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. |
| 07/13/2015 | Petition for Rehearing filed. |
| 07/16/2015 | DISTRIBUTED. |
| 08/10/2015 | Rehearing DENIED. |
| 08/10/2015 | JUDGMENT ISSUED. |
| 08/11/2015 | Records from the 9th Circuit and from U.S.D.C. Southern District of California has been returned. |