United States Fourth Circuit

Defendant's conviction for murder is affirmed over his challenges that 1) his trial counsel rendered ineffective assistance, and 2) the North Carolina Supreme Court erred by concluding that the use of peremptory challenges to strike prospective African American jurors was proper.

Appellate Information

• Argued 06/02/2004
• Decided 09/24/2004
• Published 09/24/2004

Judges

• Before MICHAEL, TRAXLER, and GREGORY, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Fourth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• ARGUED:  Milton Gordon Widenhouse, Jr., Rudolf, Widenhouse & Fialko, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, for Appellant.  Edwin William Welch, Special Deputy Attorney General, North Carolina Department of Justice, Raleigh, North Carolina, for Appellee.   ON BRIEF:  Matthew Stiegler, Center for Death Penalty Litigation, Durham, North Carolina, for Appellant.