Supreme Court to Hear Texas Prisoner’s Appeal Alleging Attorney Incompetence

The Fifth Circuit would not allow new evidence to be added to the record but allowed the defendant to proceed with his ineffective assistance claim.

The U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Dec. 2, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

The Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal from a prisoner in Texas who claims that new evidence wasn’t submitted at trial by his lawyer, whom he alleges showed up drunk to court.

The Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees a criminal defendant the right to effective assistance of counsel.