Wiggins v. Smith

Wiggins v. Smith
Supreme Court of the United States
Argued March 24, 2003
Decided June 26, 2003
Full case nameKevin Wiggins, Petitioner v. Sewall Smith, Warden, et al.
Citations539 U.S. 510 (more)
123 S. Ct. 2527; 156 L. Ed. 2d 471; 2003 U.S. LEXIS 5014
ArgumentOral argument
Case history
PriorPetition for writ of habeas corpus granted, Wiggins v. Corcoran, 164 F. Supp. 2d 538 (D. Md. 2001); reversed, 288 F.3d 629 (4th Cir. 2002); cert. granted, 537 U.S. 1027 (2002).
Holding
The performance of Wiggins' attorneys at sentencing violated his Sixth Amendment right to effective assistance of counsel.
Court membership
Chief Justice
William Rehnquist
Associate Justices
John P. Stevens · Sandra Day O'Connor
Antonin Scalia · Anthony Kennedy
David Souter · Clarence Thomas
Ruth Bader Ginsburg · Stephen Breyer
Case opinions
MajorityO'Connor, joined by Rehnquist, Stevens, Kennedy, Souter, Ginsburg, Breyer
DissentScalia, joined by Thomas

Wiggins v. Smith, 539 U.S. 510 (2003), is a case in which the United States Supreme Court spelled out standards for "effectiveness" in the constitutional right to legal counsel guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment.[1] Previously the court had determined that the Sixth Amendment included the right to "effective assistance" of legal counsel, but it did not specify what constitutes "effective", thus leaving the standards for effectiveness vague. In Wiggins v. Smith, the court set forth the American Bar Association Guidelines for the Appointment and Performance of Defense Counsel in Death Penalty Cases Guideline 11.8.6.(1989), as a specific guideline by which to measure effectiveness and competence of legal counsel.[1]

In Strickland v. Washington,[2] the Supreme Court set forth the factors the defendant must establish to demonstrate that counsel was ineffective. First, it must be shown that counsel's performance fell below an objective standard of reasonable competence, and second, if counsel had not been competent, that the trial outcome would likely have been different had the counsel been competent.[3]

  1. ^ a b Wiggins v. Smith, 539 U.S. 510 (2003). Public domain This article incorporates public domain material from this U.S government document.
  2. ^ Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668 (1984).
  3. ^ "Transcript of oral arguments - Wiggins v. Smith" (PDF). Retrieved October 11, 2007.