Anyone who knows anything about death penalty cases knows that allegations of ineffective assistance of counsel (IAC) will figure significantly in an appeal. It’s given that no matter how hard they work they’ll be accused of incompetence.
Today, the Supreme Court summarily reversed a Sixth Circuit case in which the circuit court found IAC. Here is a link to the court’s order in Bobby v. Van Hook. It is of interest because the court was critical of the circuit courts reliance on the ABA Guidelines for the Appointment and Performance of Defense Counsel in Death Penalty Cases. Here are the Guidelines.
