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No. 20-940October Term 2020Decided Apr 26, 2021

Docket 20-940October Term 2020 (2020–2021)

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
Case Accepted
Arguments
Decision ReleasedApr 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.

Grounding

Grounding
Primary-source trail available.
Note
Plain-English explainer. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
Checked
Jul 25, 2026
Primary materials5