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Charles Ray Crawford v. Mississippi
Paid petition · Supreme Court of Mississippi, No. 2024-DR-01386-SCT · judgment September 12, 2025
Before the decision, roughly the 4.1% base rate. The model weighted this up for a petition filed soon after the judgment below and counsel who has filed here before, and down for a state or local-government respondent.
Question presented
In McCoy v. Louisiana, 584 U.S. 414 (2018), this Court held that the Sixth Amendment guarantees the defendant the right to personally decide whether to permit counsel to concede guilt before the jury, and that the trial court’s allowance of such a confession over the defendant’s objection constitutes structural error. At petitioner’s capital trial, defense counsel conceded petitioner’s guilt before the jury over petitioner’s repeated objections to the trial court. The question presented is whether, under the retroactivity framework established in Teague v. Lane, 489 U.S. 288 (1989), McCoy announced a new rule that does not apply retroactively to convictions that became final before McCoy was decided.
Counsel of record
For petitioner
Donald B. Verrilli Jr.
Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP
For respondent
LaDonna Curtis Holland
Mississippi Attorney General's Office
Argument & decision
Decided October 15, 2025.
Proceedings
- Oct 15 2025Application (25A378) referred to the Court.
- Oct 15 2025Petition DENIED. Justice Sotomayor, joined by Justice Kagan and Justice Jackson dissent. (Detached Opinion)
- Oct 15 2025Application (25A378) for stay of execution of sentence of death presented to Justice Alito and by him referred to the Court is denied. The petition for a writ of certiorari is denied. Justice Sotomayor, joined by Justice Kagan and Justice Jackson dissent. (Detached Opinion)
- Oct 14 2025Reply of petitioner Charles Ray Crawford filed.
- Oct 09 2025Brief of respondent Mississippi in opposition filed.
- Oct 01 2025Petition for a writ of certiorari filed.
- Oct 01 2025Application (25A378) for a stay of execution of sentence of death, submitted to Justice Alito.