Can a federal court grant habeas corpus relief for alleged errors in the interpretation or application of state sentencing laws by either a state trial or appellate court?
The following excerpt is from Thompson v. Grounds, No. 2:14-cv-0032 GEB DAD P (E.D. Cal. 2015):
Of course, federal habeas corpus relief is unavailable for alleged errors in the interpretation or application of state sentencing laws by either a state trial court or appellate court. See Richmond v. Lewis, 506 U.S. 40, 50 (1992) (the question to be decided by a federal court on petition for habeas corpus is not whether the state committed state-law error but whether the state court's action was "so arbitrary or capricious" as to constitute an independent violation of the federal constitution). "State courts are the ultimate expositors of state law," and a federal habeas court is bound by the state's construction except when it appears that its interpretation is an
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