Lopez v. Smith (2014)
- Docket
- 13-946
- Decided
- 2014-01-01
Summary
Question: Did the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit properly apply its own precedent in determining that Smith's habeas petition should be granted? Conclusion: No. In a per curiam decision, the Supreme Court held that the appellate court improperly used its own precedent to create a more specific rule than the one that Supreme Court precedent actually created. A federal court may only grant habeas relief if the state court's decision was contrary to established federal law as determined by the Supreme Court. Because the Supreme Court did not have a clearly established rule on this issue, the appellate court impermissibly relied on its own precedent to conclude that the federal law was clearly established.