Ever since then the Federal courts have been open to claims that a state conviction was obtained unconstitutionally.
Federal judges do not enjoy looking into state convictions.
This one guts Federal habeas corpus, a process for testing the constitutionality of state criminal convictions.
Eligible aliens agree to waive appeal rights associated with their state conviction(s) and must have final removal orders.
He said he also thought that his client had "no chance" of successfully appealing the state conviction.
He appealed both of his state convictions which was affirmed on March 27, 2003.
Following the state conviction, federal charges against Al-Turki were dropped.
In May 1996, her state conviction was overturned, and her appeal bond was set at $200,000.
It was the first state conviction to be reversed mainly due to prejudicial publicity.
It was the first time the court had used the Eighth Amendment to overturn a state criminal conviction.