A little more critical commentary on Jones v. Hendrix
I am hopeful, though not particularly optimistic, that the Supreme Court’s recent disappointing ruling regarding federal collateral review in Jones v. Hendrix (basics here) will generate attention in various quarters and perhaps even prompt a congressional response. As discussed in prior posts, Jones may leave many hundreds of legally innocent federal prisoners stuck serving erroneous prison term without a pathway for court review, and I certainly want to believe the potential erroneous incarceration of many legally innocent persons in federal prison would not escape serious scrutiny. But the technicalities of the Jones ruling, as well as debates as to who does and does not qualify as legally innocent (as well as other possible means for relief), likely will muffle the attention these matter receive.
That all said, I have be pleased to see recently a bit more critical commentary of Jones (in addition to what was previous noted here on the day of the opinion):
From The Hill, “Supreme Court injustice: ‘legal innocence’ is not enough“
From NNPA, “Supreme Court ruling limits challenges to unlawful convictions for innocent federal prisoners“
From Reuters, “US Supreme Court shows indifference to wrongful convictions“
Prior related posts: