McKaskle Director, Texas Department of Corrections v. Conrado Vela

How later courts describe this case

• Justice O'Connor, joined by Chief Justice Burger and Justice Rehnquist, dissenting from denial of certiorari
• defense attorney’s failure to make proper objections to testimony and the prosecutors’ argument revealed ignorance of the law and constitutes deficient performance
• defense attorney’s failure to make the proper objections to testimony and the prosecutors’ argument revealed ignorance of the law and constitutes deficient performance
• pre-Strickland decision in which we held that defense counsel who failed to specifically object, ask for a curative instruction, or preserve for appeal error as to prejudicial testimony, did not render reasonably effective assistance of counsel
• district court's denial of habeas corpus relief reversed