No. 20-940October Term 2020Decided Apr 26, 2021
Alaska v. Wright
This case asked whether Sean Wright could use a federal habeas petition to challenge his old Alaska sex-abuse convictions after he had fully finished serving that state sentence, based on the fact that those convictions later led to federal sex-offender-registration consequences.
Case status
- Current stage
- Decided
- Latest event
- Decision released Apr 26, 2021
- What it's about
This case asked whether Sean Wright could use a federal habeas petition to challenge his old Alaska sex-abuse convictions after he had fully finished serving that state sentence, based on the fact that those convictions later led to federal sex-offender-registration consequences. The Supreme Court held that he could not, because he was no longer "in custody pursuant to the judgment of a State court" once the Alaska sentence had expired.
Question presented
When an offender has fully served the sentence imposed pursuant to a state conviction, does a federal habeas court have jurisdiction to consider a § 2254 challenge to that conviction merely because it served as a predicate for an independent federal conviction under which the offender is now in custody?
- Case path
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit / Decision released Apr 26, 2021
- Area
Criminal Procedure
Timing
Decided April 26, 2021
The Court released its decision on April 26, 2021 without hearing oral argument.
Documents
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Grounding
- Grounding
- Primary-source trail available.
- Note
- Plain-English explainer. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
- Checked
- Jul 25, 2026
- Method
- Methodology