Clark v. Sweeney · ¶2
Held: The Fourth Circuit transgressed the party-presentation principle by granting relief on a claim that Sweeney never asserted and that the State never had a chance to address. “In our adversarial system of adjudication, we follow the principle of party presentation.” United States v. Sineneng-Smith, 590 U. S. 371, 375. The parties “ `frame the issues for decision,' ” while the court serves as “ `neutral arbiter of matters the parties present.' ” Ibid. (quoting Greenlaw v. United States, 554 U. S. 237, 243). The Fourth Circuit's “radical transformation” of Sweeney's simple ineffective-assistance claim “departed so drastically from the principle of party presentation as to constitute an abuse of discretion.” Sineneng-Smith, 590 U. S., at 380, 375. On remand, the Fourth Circuit should analyze the ineffective-assistance claim that Sweeney asserted. See Dunn v. Reeves, 594 U. S. 731, 739…Read in context ›
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