223399P.pdf   03/08/2024  Thomas Springs  v.  Dexter Payne
   U.S. Court of Appeals Case No:  22-3399
   U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas - Pine Bluff   
   [PUBLISHED] [Gruender, Author, with Smith, Chief Judge, and Shepherd, 
   Circuit Judge] 
   Prisoner case - Habeas - Death Penalty. The Arkansas Supreme Court did not 
   err in concluding that while Springs' trial attorney performed deficiently 
   in failing to call Springs's son as a mitigating circumstances witness, 
   Springs was not prejudiced by this failure, as there was no reasonable 
   probability, given the extensive evidence against Springs and the gruesome 
   nature of his crime, that he would have received a different sentence if 
   the son had testified in the sentencing phase of the case; the district 
   court did not err in concluding that the Arkansas Supreme Court's decision 
   did not involve an unreasonable application of clearly established federal 
   law, and the denial of habeas relief is affirmed.