The case involved Andrew Maurice Randolph’s federal habeas petition challenging his Michigan state convictions for second-degree murder and firearms offenses, for which he received a life sentence. Randolph argued that his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to move to suppress ammunition and the murder weapon found during searches of his father’s and brother’s homes, along with other alleged deficiencies. The Sixth Circuit affirmed the district court’s denial of relief, holding that the state courts’ factual findings were not unreasonable and their rejection of the ineffective-assistance claims was neither contrary to nor an unreasonable application of Supreme Court precedent under AEDPA. The court also denied Randolph’s request to expand the certificate of appealability to include three additional issues, explaining that a merits panel lacks authority to reconsider prior denials by a motions panel and the en banc court.

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