High Court to Hear State’s Procedural Complaint in Murder Cases

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal from Arizona officials seeking reversal of two habeas corpus wins for defendants in murder cases.

By granting review on Monday, the court can elaborate on the rules for challenging state convictions in federal court, as officials argue the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ran afoul of habeas law and high court precedent.

At issue is the interplay between the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act—the strict 1996 law that poses hurdles to federal relief from state court rulings—and the Supreme Court’s 2012 ruling in Martinez v. Ryan. ...