Coleman v. Thompson

501 U.S. 722 (1991)

From our private database of 46,500+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Coleman v. Thompson

United States Supreme Court
501 U.S. 722 (1991)

  • Written by Robert Cane, JD
Play video

Facts

Roger Coleman (defendant) was sentenced to death after being convicted of rape and capital murder. After the direct review process was final, Coleman filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in state circuit court. The petition raised many federal constitutional claims. The state circuit court entered judgment against Coleman on all claims. Coleman filed a notice of appeal with the state circuit court 33 days after the entry of judgment. He also filed a petition for appeal with the Virginia Supreme Court. The state moved to dismiss the appeal because it was filed more than 30 days after the final judgment in the state circuit court. The Virginia Supreme Court granted the state’s motion to dismiss and dismissed Coleman’s petition. The United States Supreme Court denied certiorari. Coleman filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in federal district court, which contained seven claims that had been raised for the first time in his state habeas petition in addition to four claims that had been raised on direct appeal. The district court addressed the merits of all 11 claims, ruling against Coleman on all 11 and denying his petition. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed the district court judgment, holding that Coleman had defaulted on all seven claims that were presented for the first time in the state habeas proceeding. The United States Supreme Court granted certiorari.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (O’Connor, J.)

Dissent (Blackmun, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 832,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,500 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,500 briefs - keyed to 994 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership