Stephon Cepeda Marsh v. Virginia

Whether a state trial court violates a defendant’s Sixth and Fourteenth Amendment rights to present a complete defense when it excludes evidence showing a complainant’s motive to fabricate—specifically, evidence of a prior pregnancy and an ongoing intimate relationship between the parties— on grounds of speculation or prejudice, despite its direct relevance to credibility and consent.

Whether trial counsel’s failure to investigate and introduce exculpatory digital evidence, failure to challenge inconsistent testimony, and failure to seek appropriate jury instructions on mitigating factors constitute ineffective assistance of counsel under Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668 (1984).

Whether permitting the alleged victim to remain in the courtroom throughout trial—despite visible emotional reactions and contact with jurors—violates a defendant’s right to a fair and impartial trial under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Whether systemic racial bias and sentencing disparities that result in significantly harsher punishments for Black defendants, such as Petitioner, violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.