Holland v. Florida

Holding: A state prisoner who has exhausted her state court appeals has one year within which to petition a federal court for a writ of habeas corpus. The Court held that under certain extraordinary circumstances, a court may relax that deadline. Those circumstances may arise from an attorney's misconduct, even if the attorney did not act dishonestly or in bad faith.

Judgment: Reversed and remanded, 7-2, in an opinion by Justice Stephen Breyer on June 14, 2010. Justice Alito concurred in part and in the judgment, and Justice Scalia dissented, joined in part by Justice Thomas.

SCOTUSblog Coverage

• Court gives hope to death-row inmates (Maka Hutson - Guest)
• When should equitable tolling be available in death penalty cases? (Anna Christensen)
• Attorney negligence and death penalty habeas petitions (Anna Christensen)

Briefs and Documents

Merits Briefs

• Brief for petitioner Albert Holland
• Brief for Respondent State of Florida
• Reply Brief for Petitioner Albert Holland

Amicus Briefs

• Brief for the American Civil Liberties Union and the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida in Support of Petitioner
• Brief for Legal Ethics Professors and Practitioners and the Stein Center for Law and Ethics in Support of Petitioner
• Brief for Eleven Legal Historians in Support of Petitioner
• Brief for the States of Texas, Alabama, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming in Support of Respondent

Certiorari-stage documents

• Opinion below (11th Circuit)
• Petition for certiorari
• Brief in opposition