Defense lawyer effectiveness
Kwok Cheung Chow v. United States
In brief
- Where it stands
- Petition Pending
Awaiting an order on the petition
- What it’s about
- Kwok Cheung Chow asks the Supreme Court to review the Ninth Circuit’s decision that his lawyers gave him adequate help in a racketeering-and-murder case.
- What's at stake
- Chow's challenge to his lawyers' work remains unresolved; the Supreme Court has not decided whether it will review the issue.
Summary: written with AI from the case record.
What it's about
He says counsel used an inexperienced lawyer and failed to interview or call defense witnesses, challenge government witnesses’ credibility, seek more time after three murder charges were added, contest unrelated charges, and present promised evidence.
Chow says three murder charges were added days before trial and his lawyers did not seek more time. He also says they failed to interview or call defense witnesses.
Chow asks whether the Ninth Circuit's decision conflicts with Supreme Court decisions about the help trial lawyers must provide.
Question presented
Whether the Court of Appeals decided an important federal question in a way that conflicts with relevant decisions of this Court when it decided that trial counsel were effective in having a totally inexperienced counsel prepare a complicated RICO conspiracy murder case for trial; in not impeaching government witnesses; in not interviewing essential defense witnesses; in not calling vital witnesses to testify; in not agreeing to a continuance when three murders were added to the charges days before trial; in not moving to exclude murder charges having nothing to do with the defendant; and in promising to present key evidence in the opening statement and then not producing the evidence at trial.
What happens next
The Court must decide whether to hear the case. Oral argument has not been scheduled.
Documents
Docket activity
New analysis added
AI analysis generated: Case Briefing
Case data updated: summary, question_presented, generation_metadata
Case data updated: question_presented, extraction_metadata
Brief added: Petition
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Court Order added: Lower Court Orders/Opinions
Sources
Primary materials plus reporting. Best-effort analysis: this explainer relies on a mix of primary materials and trusted secondary sources. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.