Sixth Circuit Restricts Habeas Rights, Opening Split With Fourth

Federal prisoners can’t file a second habeas corpus petition to get around procedural limits on their appellate rights, unless the U.S. Supreme Court itself announces a new rule of constitutional law after the first one, a divided Sixth Circuit ruled Jan. 9.

The decision came in the case of Ramon Hueso, who was sentenced to 20 years in a Kentucky prison after his 2009 drug trafficking conviction by an Alaska federal jury. The prison term was doubled under federal sentencing laws, from 10 years, based on two prior state court drug convictions for which he served 40 days.

Hueso’s criminal ...