WASHINGTON, March 2 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-1 Tuesday state prisoners have to spell out their civil rights claims when taking them to court.
Justice Stephen Breyer said state courts can't be expected to read something into a petition, brief or court paper to discover a federal claim.
The ruling came in the case of Michael Reese, who appealed his kidnapping and sodomy convictions through the Oregon courts. After his failed state appeal, a federal appeals court eventually ruled that the Oregon Supreme Court should have read a lower-court opinion and discovered Reese's federal claim of ineffective counsel, even though his petition to the state high court didn't contain it.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruling reversed the federal appeals court.
Justice John Paul Stevens dissented, citing Supreme Court precedent that omitted issues are often the gateway "to an intelligent resolution."
