Webster v. Caraway

Dist. Ct. did not err in denying defendant’s section 2241 petition, challenging his federal death penalty under 18 USC 3596(c) based on his claim that he lacked mental capacity to understand significance of death penalty and why it was imposed, after asserting that he had IQ lower than 70. Other experts, though, found that defendant was not mentally retarded and was malingering in effort to evade death penalty, and Dist. Court could properly find that section 2255(e) essentially blocked defendant from filing instant 2241 petition, where defendant had unsuccessfully litigated instant issue in prior section 2255 petition. Fact that defendant claimed that “newly discovered evidence” concerning his mental condition generated in unsuccessful application for Social Security disability benefits could have altered imposition of death penalty not require different result.