No. 19-6477October Term 2019Decided Nov 4, 2019
Rhines v. Young
A South Dakota death-row prisoner asked a federal court to order prison officials to let psychiatric and neuropsychological experts meet with him so they could help prepare his clemency application under 18 U.S.C.
Case status
- Current stage
- Decided
- Latest event
- Decision released Nov 4, 2019
- What it's about
A South Dakota death-row prisoner asked a federal court to order prison officials to let psychiatric and neuropsychological experts meet with him so they could help prepare his clemency application under 18 U.S.C. § 3599. The case asks whether federal courts must provide that kind of assistance for indigent prisoners facing execution and whether the lower court wrongly treated his request as moot or unexhausted.
Question presented
Must indigent death-sentenced state prisoners exhaust state remedies before a federal court may authorize access to expert services under 18 U.S.C. § 3599(f)?
- Case path
United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit / Decision released Nov 4, 2019
- Area
Decided Supreme Court case
Timing
Decided November 4, 2019
The Court released its decision on November 4, 2019 without hearing oral argument.
Documents
Related cases
Grounding
- Grounding
- Primary-source trail available.
- Note
- Plain-English explainer. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
- Checked
- Jul 25, 2026
- Method
- Methodology