context: Notwithstanding the complications hindering its development, Dr. Noble's testimony was effective, as demonstrated by the jury's acceptance of thirty-four of the fifty-nine mitigating circumstances. Whether Dr. Noble could have been more effective if corroborated by other evidence is speculative. We must, under the law, judge the reasonableness of the lawyers' conduct as of the time their actions occurred, not the conduct's consequences after the fact.
citation_a.signal: see also
citation_a.identifier: 949 F.2d 1354, 1363
citation_a.parenthetical: "When examining ineffective assistance claims, however, we must appreciate the practical limitations and tactical decisions that trial counsel faced."
citation_a.sentence: Strickland, 466 U.S. at 689, 104 S.Ct. 2052 (“A fair assessment of attorney performance requires that every effort be made to eliminate the distorting effects of hindsight, to reconstruct the circumstances of counsel’s challenged conduct, and to evaluate the conduct from counsel’s perspective at the time.”); see also Bunch v. Thompson, 949 F.2d 1354, 1363 (4th Cir.1991) (“When examining ineffective assistance claims, however, we must appreciate the practical limitations and tactical decisions that trial counsel faced.”).
citation_b.signal: no signal
citation_b.identifier: 466 U.S. 689, 689
citation_b.parenthetical: "A fair assessment of attorney performance requires that every effort be made to eliminate the distorting effects of hindsight, to reconstruct the circumstances of counsel's challenged conduct, and to evaluate the conduct from counsel's perspective at the time."
citation_b.sentence: Strickland, 466 U.S. at 689, 104 S.Ct. 2052 (“A fair assessment of attorney performance requires that every effort be made to eliminate the distorting effects of hindsight, to reconstruct the circumstances of counsel’s challenged conduct, and to evaluate the conduct from counsel’s perspective at the time.”); see also Bunch v. Thompson, 949 F.2d 1354, 1363 (4th Cir.1991) (“When examining ineffective assistance claims, however, we must appreciate the practical limitations and tactical decisions that trial counsel faced.”).