Michael A. Knowles, Warden v. Alexandre Mirzayance
The court held that habeas relief may only be granted if the state court decision unreasonably applied the ineffective-assistance-of-counsel standard established by Strickland v. Washington.
556 U.S. 111 · No. 07-1315 · 2008 term · Roberts Court
Decided Mar 24, 2009 · argued Jan 13, 2009
Civil rights · Indigents: inadequate representation by counsel
Majority opinion: Clarence Thomas
The voteMajority
9–09 in the majority, 0 in dissent
No dissent (9–0)
Reversed and remanded. Michael A. Knowles, Warden won.
What this ruling means
Reversed and remanded: the Supreme Court overturned the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit and sent the case back to that court for further proceedings that follow the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Michael A. Knowles, Warden was the petitioner, the side that asked the Supreme Court to review the case. “Won” means the Court gave that side the result it asked for.
From the Supreme Court Database. A justice who agreed with the result but not the reasoning counts in the majority.
Summary
The opening of the case’s Wikipedia article: what the case was about and what the Court held.
Knowles v. Mirzayance, 556 U.S. 111 (2009), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the court held that habeas relief may only be granted if the state court decision unreasonably applied the ineffective-assistance-of-counsel standard established by Strickland v. Washington. Moreover, no federal court has clearly endorsed applying a looser standard where the defense attorney ought to have done something because the defendant had "nothing to lose" was sufficient to find ineffective assistance.
Data notes
The text is Wikipedia’s (CC BY-SA 4.0), matched to the case by its citation, docket number or name and year, and is not checked against the opinion. The site keeps the article’s opening section, ending on its last full sentence. The one-sentence summary under the title is the Decisions list’s: Wikipedia’s own ruling sentence, or, tagged “AI-written”, one Claude wrote from this opening.
How the justices voted
Each justice who took part, placed by their Martin–Quinn ideology score for the 2008 term. Filled: the 9 in the majority. Hollow: the 0 in dissent. Colour is the party of the president who appointed them.
Majority(9)
Clarence ThomasWrote the majority opinion
John StevensJoined the majority
Ruth GinsburgJoined the majority
David SouterJoined the majority
Stephen BreyerJoined the majority
Anthony KennedyJoined the majority
John RobertsJoined the majority
Samuel AlitoJoined the majority
Antonin ScaliaJoined the majority
Dissent(0)
- None.
Data notes
Each justice’s vote and what they wrote are from the justice-centered file of the Supreme Court Database. “Wrote a concurrence” means the justice sided with the majority and wrote separately; a justice who dissented in part is counted on the side they took overall. A justice who wrote nothing is listed as joining their side.
Positions are each justice’s Martin–Quinn score for the case’s term, the same scores as the Ideology page: negative is more liberal, positive more conservative. A score sums up a justice’s votes across the whole term, so it says where they usually sit, not why they voted as they did here. The median line is the Court’s median justice that term.
The parties
Who brought the case to the Court, who answered it, and how it got there.
- Petitioner
- Michael A. Knowles, WardenState (California)
- Respondent
- Alexandre MirzayancePrisoner, inmate of penal institution
- Reached the Court by
- Certiorari (the Court chose to hear it)
Data notes
The names are the two sides of the case’s title. The description under each is the Supreme Court Database’s category for that party, in its own wording. The petitioner is the side that asked the Supreme Court to review the decision below. “Why it was taken” appears only when the majority opinion says lower courts disagreed or were unsure about the question; reasons that would fit any case (“to resolve the question presented”, “an important question”) are left out.
The law at issue
The law the Court was asked to apply, and the kind of power it used to decide.
- Provision
- 28 U.S.C. § 2241-2255 (habeas corpus)
- Kind of law
- Federal Statute
- Decided by
- Federal common law; Statutory construction
Data notes
The Supreme Court Database codes the main constitutional provision, statute or court rule each case turned on, and the basis of the decision: judicial review of a federal or state law, interpreting a statute, supervising the lower courts, and so on. A case can rest on more than one. “Overruled” counts only where the majority opinion says so.
Timeline
What happened at the Court and how the case got there, newest first.
- Mar 24, 2009DecidedDecided · Decided 9–0: reversed and remanded. Michael A. Knowles, Warden won.
- Jan 13, 2009ArguedArgued · Oral argument before the Court.
- Not datedTaken upTaken up · The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case (certiorari).
- Not datedCourt belowCourt below · Decided by the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit: affirmed.
- Not datedBeganBegan · The case began in the California Eastern U.S. District Court.
Data notes
From the Supreme Court Database: the court the case began in, the court whose decision the Supreme Court reviewed and what that court did, how the case came to the Court, and the dates of argument and decision. The database does not date the steps in the lower courts. Court names are the database’s.
Other decisions on the same issue
14 other argued cases since 1946 on indigents: inadequate representation by counsel, newest first.
- Weaver v. Massachusetts137 S. Ct. 1899Jun 22, 2017 · 137 S. Ct. 1899Civil rights7–27–2 band
- Carlos Trevino, Petitioner v. Rick Thaler, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division569 U.S. 413May 28, 2013 · 569 U.S. 413Civil rights5–45–4 band
- Missouri, Petitioner v. Galin E. Frye566 U.S. 134Mar 21, 2012 · 566 U.S. 134Civil rights5–45–4 band
- Blaine Lafler, Petitioner v. Anthony Cooper566 U.S. 156Mar 21, 2012 · 566 U.S. 156Civil rights5–45–4 band
- Luis Mariano Martinez, Petitioner v. Charles L. Ryan, Director, Arizona Department of Corrections566 U.S. 1Mar 20, 2012 · 566 U.S. 1Civil rights7–27–2 band
- James Walker, Warden, et al., Petitioners v. Charles W. Martin562 U.S. 307Feb 23, 2011 · 562 U.S. 307Civil rights9–0Unanimous band
- Jeff Premo, Superintendent, Oregon State Penitentiary, Petitioner v. Randy Joseph Moore562 U.S. 115Jan 19, 2011 · 562 U.S. 115Civil rights8–0Unanimous band
- Albert Holland v. Florida560 U.S. 631Jun 14, 2010 · 560 U.S. 631Civil rights7–27–2 band
- Penson, Steven A. v. Ohio488 U.S. 75Nov 29, 1988 · 488 U.S. 75Civil rights8–18–1 band
- McCoy v. Court of Appeals of Wisconsin, District 1486 U.S. 429Jun 6, 1988 · 486 U.S. 429Civil rights5–36–3 band
- Strickland, Superintendent, Florida State Prison, et al. v. WashingtonLandmark · Other rights regarding counsel466 U.S. 668May 14, 1984 · 466 U.S. 668Civil rightsLandmark · Other rights regarding counsel8–18–1 band
- Wood et al. v. Georgia450 U.S. 261Mar 4, 1981 · 450 U.S. 261Civil rights6–36–3 band
- Holloway et al. v. Arkansas435 U.S. 475Apr 3, 1978 · 435 U.S. 475Civil rights6–36–3 band
- Johnson v. Avery, Commissioner of Correction, et al.393 U.S. 483Feb 24, 1969 · 393 U.S. 483Civil rights7–27–2 band
Data notes
Every other orally argued case with a clear vote, from the 1946 term on, that the Supreme Court Database files under the same issue as this one. The database gives each case one issue from a list of about 270 (abortion, search and seizure of vehicles, the death penalty, and so on), whatever law it turned on.
Official record
Read the full opinion on Justia, the argument audio on Oyez and Wikipedia. Case data from the Supreme Court Database, Version 2026 Release 01, through the 2025 term.