Abstract
Prisoners face many barriers when petitioning for federal habeas corpus relief, especially when asserting ineffective assistance of trial counsel claims. The Supreme Court’s decision in Trevino v. Thaler attempted to lower these barriers by carving out a narrow exception to the procedural default rule. Although a step in the right direction, this narrow exception fell short of meaningful habeas corpus reform. This Comment argues that although the Supreme Court’s decision in Trevino appears to guarantee habeas corpus petitioners the ability to raise ineffective assistance of trial counsel claims in federal court, it is unlikely to provide prisoners meaningful opportunities to assert these claims.
Recommended Citation
Cristina Law,
Trevino v. Thaler: Falling Short of Meaningful Federal Habeas Corpus Reform,
105
J. Crim. L. & Criminology
(2015).
https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/jclc/vol105/iss2/6