← Legal Glossary
AEDPA (Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act)
Definition
A 1996 federal law passed in the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing that significantly restricted habeas corpus relief for both state and federal prisoners. It imposed time limits, heightened standards of review, and gatekeeping requirements for successive petitions, all in the name of promoting finality of criminal convictions.
Examples
- •Congress passed AEDPA on the one-year anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing to advance the finality of criminal convictions.