Maggio, Warden v. Williams (464 U.S. 46)
U.S. Supreme Court · decided November 7, 1983 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Citation
- 464 U.S. 46 · 104 S. Ct. 311
- Decided
- November 7, 1983
- Term
- October Term 1983
- Vote
- 6–3
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Disposition
- Vacated
- Outcome
- Petitioning party won
- Ideological direction
- Conservative
Opinion excerpt
Per Curiam. On October 23, 1983, less than two days before Williams’ scheduled execution, the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit stayed the execution “pending final action of the Supreme Court.” Because we agree with applicant that the stay was improvidently imposed, we grant his motion to vacate the stay and to allow the State to reschedule Williams’ execution. H-I Williams was sentenced to death for killing a security guard while robbing a grocery store in Baton Rouge, La. His conviction and sentence were affirmed by the Louisiana Supreme Court. State v. Williams, 383 So. 2d 369 (1980). After we denied Williams’ petition for certiorari, 449 U. S. 1103 (1981), and his request for rehearing, 450 U. S. 971 (1981), he unsuccessfully sought a writ of habeas corpus in the Louisiana state courts. He then filed his first petition for habeas corpus in the District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana, presenting the same 13 issues that had proved unavailing in the state courts. The District Court held no hearing, but issued a written opinion denying Williams’ petition. See Williams v. Blackburn, 649 F. 2d 1019, 1021-1026 (CA5 1981) (incorporating District Court’s decision). The District Court’s judgment was affirmed by a panel of the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, ibid., but an order was entered directing that the appeal be reheard en banc. On rehearing, the en…
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