Opinion · Supreme Court of the United States

Loftus v. Illinois

Loftus v. Ill., 334 U.S. 804 (1948)

Type
Opinion
Court
Supreme Court of the United States
Jurisdiction
Federal
Date
1948-06-14
Topic
general

Per Curiam. By way of an original writ of error in the Supreme Court of Illinois, petitioner challenged the validity of four convictions in a circuit court of that State. The Illinois Supreme Court affirmed the, judgments, 395 Ill. 479, 70 N. E. 2d 573. We brought the case here, 333 U.

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Headnotes

  1. Federal Courts & Jurisdiction — Adequate and Independent State Ground Where a state court may have rested its judgment on an adequate independent state ground rather than on a federal constitutional claim, and the record and state law leave the basis of the judgment uncertain, the Supreme Court will not resolve the federal question unless it appears that decision of the federal claim was necessary to the judgment rendered; if the judgment rests on a non-federal ground, the writ must be dismissed. 334 U.S. at 805–806
  2. Federal Courts & Jurisdiction — State Procedure for Raising Federal Claims A State may determine, as a matter of its own procedure, that a federal right must be vindicated by habeas corpus rather than by writ of error; where a petitioner seeks to raise even a valid federal claim through a state remedy the State does not make available, the resulting judgment rests on a non-federal ground, calling for dismissal of the Supreme Court's writ. 334 U.S. at 805–806
  3. Federal Courts & Jurisdiction — Disposition of Uncertain Record When it cannot be determined without ambiguity whether a state supreme court rested its judgment on an adequate independent state ground or whether decision of a federal constitutional claim was necessary to the judgment, the cause should be continued for an appropriate period to enable the Court to be advised on that question rather than resolved on the merits. 334 U.S. at 806
LOFTUSv. ILLINOIS,334 U.S. 804(1948)
68 S.Ct. 1212
LOFTUSv. ILLINOIS.
CERTIORARI TO THE SUPREME COURT OF ILLINOIS.
No. 59.
Argued April 26, 1948.
Decided June 14, 1948.
In the circumstances of this case, the cause is continued for an appropriate period to enable this Court to be advised without ambiguity whether the state supreme court intended to rest its judgment herein on an adequate independent state ground or whether decision of the claim of denial of federal constitutional right was necessary to the judgment rendered. Pp. 804-806.
Petitioner, by an original writ of error in the state supreme
court, challenged the validity of four judgments of conviction in
a circuit court of the State. The state supreme court affirmed
the judgments.395 Ill. 479,70 N.E.2d 573. This Court granted
certiorari.333 U.S. 831.Cause continued, pp. 805-806.
Henry H. Fowlerargued the cause and filed a brief for petitioner.William C. Wines, Assistant Attorney General of Illinois, argued the cause for respondent. With him on the brief wasGeorge F. Barrett, Attorney General.
PER CURIAM.
By way of an original writ of error in the Supreme Court of Illinois, petitioner challenged the validity of four convictions in a circuit court of that State. The Illinois Supreme Court affirmed the judgments,395 Ill. 479,70 N.E.2d 573. We brought the case here,333 U.S. 831, because of a serious claim that petitioner was denied the assistance of counsel under circumstances which constitute a disregard of the safeguards to which he was entitled under the Due Process Clause of theFourteenthAmendment.

The Illinois Supreme Court disposed of this claim on the basis of the requirements of Illinois law. If the IllinoisPage 805decision was an adjudication of the rights to which the petitioner was entitled under the Due Process Clause, we would be constrained to hold that he had brought himself within our governing decisions. In his oral argument here, however, the Attorney General of the State insisted that the circumstances on which petitioner relies in claiming denial of a right under the United States Constitution were not properly before the Supreme Court of Illinois on the Illinois writ of error, but must be pursued in Illinois byhabeas corpus. The Attorney General relies for his view of the local law upon two recent opinions of the Illinois Supreme Court,Peoplev.Wilson,399 Ill. 437,78 N.E.2d 514, andPeoplev.Shoffner,400 Ill. 174,79 N.E.2d 200. Both these opinions certainly recognize that the right to counsel of indigent accused may, under relevant circumstances. be part of the due process which theFourteenthAmendment guarantees.

If, as a matter of local procedure, Illinois chooses to allow a federal right, such as the present record presents, to be vindicated byhabeas corpusin its Illinois scope, but does not make available the Illinois writ of error, that is for Illinois to say and not for us to deny.

Even though our reading of the record and of Illinois law might give us a different understanding, we have had too great difficulty in ascertaining what is the appropriate Illinois procedure for raising claims of infringement of federal rights to reject the Attorney General's submission regarding Illinois procedural law. See,e.g., Marinov.Ragen,332 U.S. 561. If the Attorney General is correct and petitioner sought to raise even a valid federal claim by way of an unavailable Illinois remedy, we have of course a judgment that rests on a non-federal ground, calling for dismissal of our writ. In this state of uncertainty, we follow our precedent inHerbv.Pitcairn,324 U.S. 117. See alsoPhylev.Duffy,334 U.S. 431.

Accordingly, we shall continue this cause for an appropriate period to enable us to be advised without ambiguityPage 806whether the Illinois Supreme Court intended to rest the judgment herein on an adequate independent state ground or whether decision of the claim under theFourteenthAmendment was necessary to the judgment rendered.

MR. JUSTICE BLACK and MR. JUSTICE DOUGLAS are of the opinion that the judgment should be reversed.