Williams v. Guzman — 9th Cir. (Oct 19, 2026)
The Ninth Circuit hears the state's appeal in a case involving Alan Williams. Williams was convicted in a shooting case where the gunman's identity was disputed. He says his lawyer failed to investigate two witnesses who would have said he was not the shooter. One of them was a victim of the shooting. A federal judge heard the witnesses and ruled that the omission could have changed the verdict. The state seeks reversal, emphasizing the other evidence against Williams and the deference owed to the state court's rejection of his claim. Two standards shape the argument. Under Strickland, ineffective assistance generally requires both deficient representation and a reasonable probability of a different result, not certainty. Under AEDPA, the federal habeas law, disagreement with a state court is not enough. For the legal issue argued here, its application of Supreme Court law must be objectively unreasonable, beyond fair-minded disagreement. The lawyers also distinguish the evidence before the state court from testimony gathered years later in federal court. De novo means reviewing an issue afresh, rather than deferring to an earlier decision.
Williams v. Guzman (No. 26-1329) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, argued October 19, 2026.
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