The subject of this article is the law governing federal collateral review of claims not properly raised in state court. Our purpose is to propose doctrinal reform of the requirements for federal collateral review of defaulted claims. We propose a radical simplification of existing doctrine so that it can focus more directly on the objectives we think habeas corpus, as distinct from direct review, should serve in this context. We reject the increasing proceduralization of habeas law and focus squarely on the substance of defaulted claims. The question, in our view, should be whether consideration of a defaulted claim would present a realistic possibility of correcting an unjust conviction or sentence of death.
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