James Randall Rogers, Cross-Appellee. v. Walter D. Zant

How courts have described this case

Verbatim parenthetical descriptions written by other courts when citing this decision. Ranked by citation-network relevance.

• noting reasonableness of lawyer’s possible fear that defendant’s voluntary drug and alcohol use could be “perceived by the jury as aggravating instead of mitigating”
• explaining “the reality that lawyers do not enjoy the benefit of endless time, energy or financial re- sources”
• rejecting ineffective assistance claim and noting that “counsel were USCA11 Case: 22-13907 Document: 45-1 Date Filed: 08/11/2025 Page: 21 of 43 22-13907; 23-11786 Opinion of the Court 21 longtime local lawyers who knew their community”
• the focus on whether a decision not to conduct a particular investigation was reasonable “reflects the reality that lawyers do not enjoy the benefit of endless time, energy or financial resources”
• “Even if many reasonable lawyers would not have done as defense counsel did at trial, no relief can be granted on ineffectiveness grounds unless it is shown that no reasonable lawyer, in the circumstances, would have done so.”
• “Even if many reasonable lawyers would not have done as defense counsel did at trial, no relief can be granted on ineffectiveness grounds unless it is shown that no reasonable lawyer, in the circumstances, would have done so.”

Source: CourtListener parenthetical corpus (CC0).