Supreme Court rules ou attempt to speed appeals

March 4, 1982

The Supreme Court handed a setback to state prisoners wanting to appeal convictions quickly through federal courts - ruling their claims first must go through state courts.

The justices reversed a federal court decision ordering a retrial for Noah Lundy, serving a 135-year sentence in Tennessee for rape. The high court agreed with the State of Tennessee that lower federal courts had no business reviewing Lundy's case because his petition for review presented issues not yet settled in state courts.