White v. Plappert

Issue: (1) Whether a state-court decision is “contrary to” federal law where its reasoning and outcome contradict the Supreme Court’s materially indistinguishable precedents, but the state court correctly cites the governing legal standard in passing; (2) whether, when a state court’s stated reasoning reveals that its decision is contrary to or unreasonably applies federal law, federal habeas courts can deny relief by hypothesizing alternative justifications for the state court’s decision; and (3) whether, under 28 U.S.C. 2243, federal habeas courts may deny relief where the petitioner has established that his conviction or sentence is unconstitutional and that he is entitled to relief under 28 U.S.C. 2254(d)(1).