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Robert Bales v. United States

Paid petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, No. 18-0055/AR · judgment February 15, 2018


Certiorari denied · June 25, 2018
Pre-decision estimate: 2% cert probability

Before the decision, well below the 4.1% base rate, with no standout signals pointing toward a grant.

Question presented

Whether the Court of Appeals erred when it held that in a capital case, a prosecutor does not have to disclose exculpatory medical evidence in the government’s possession relating to the accused’s state-of-mind to commit 16 homicides where the United States ordered the accused to take mefloquine, a drug known by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Military to cause long-lasting adverse psychiatric effects, including symptoms of psychosis that may occur years after use. Whether the Court of Appeals erred when it held that in a capital case, a prosecutor does not have to disclose mitigating impeachment evidence in the government’s possession that Afghan sentencing witnesses flown into the United States left their fingerprints on bombs and improvised explosive devices, especially where the prosecution held the Afghan witnesses out to the jury as innocent “farmers.”

Counsel of record

For petitioner
John N. Maher
Maher Legal Services PC

For respondent
Noel John Francisco
Jones Day

Case

Conference history
Distributed for 1 conference

Proceedings

  1. Jun 25 2018
    Petition DENIED.
  2. Jun 05 2018
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 6/21/2018.
  3. May 29 2018
    Waiver of right of respondent United, States to respond filed.
  4. May 16 2018
    Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due June 22, 2018)