Hill v. Lockhart

88 L. Ed. 2d 203 · Supreme Court of the United States · 1985

Facts

William Lloyd Hill pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and theft of property in Arkansas. He later sought federal habeas relief, claiming his attorney failed to advise him that, as a second offender, he was required to serve one-half of his sentence before parole eligibility.

Issue

Does the two-part Strickland v. Washington test for evaluating claims of ineffective assistance of counsel apply to challenges to guilty pleas based on ineffective assistance of counsel?

Holding

Yes, the two-part Strickland v. Washington test applies to challenges to guilty pleas based on ineffective assistance of counsel; the petitioner failed to allege sufficient prejudice to warrant a hearing on his claim.

Rule

The two-part Strickland v. Washington test requires a defendant to show that counsel's representation fell below an objective standard of reasonableness and that there is a reasonable probability that, but for counsel's errors, the defendant would not have pleaded guilty and would have insisted on going to trial.

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Case brief last reviewed 2026-01-17. Prepared by CaseReader from the published opinion.