United States of America v. Ephren Taylor, II

Atlanta, Georgia criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant petitioning for a writ of habeas corpus.



When it comes to federal habeas petitions, finality matters.

Without it, applications for habeas relief can quickly become un-

wieldy. To promote finality, the Antiterrorism and Effective Death

Penalty Act of 1996 ("AEDPA”), 28 U.S.C. §§ 2244(b) and 2255(h),

provides strict gatekeeping requirements for "second or succes-

sive” habeas filings. Exactly when these gatekeeping requirements

kick in is the subject of this appeal, which involves between fifteen

and twenty separate pro se motions and filings across two courts

and three appeals. The lamentable procedural complications here

illustrate just how important these gatekeeping requirements are

for the orderly adjudication of postconviction claims in federal

court.

As e

Denied.



Affirmed