Wilson v. Corcoran, No. 10-91

Grant of Capital Habeas Petition Reversed

In Wilson v. Corcoran, No. 10-91, the Court vacated the court of appeals' grant of defendant's request for habeas relief from his capital murder conviction where federal courts may not issue writs of habeas corpus to state prisoners whose confinement does not violate federal law, and here, the court of appeals granted the writ to defendant without finding such a violation.

As the court wrote:  "In 1997, respondent Joseph Corcoran shot and killed four men, including his brother and his sister's fiance. An Indiana jury found him guilty of four counts of murder, found the statutory aggravating circumstance of multiple murders, and unanimously recommended capital punishment. The trial judge agreed and sentenced respondent to death."

Related Resources

• Read the Supreme Court's Decision in Wilson v. Corcoran, No. 10-91