--- title: "Hill v. Lockhart" citation: "Hill v. Lockhart, 474 U.S. 52 (1985)" authority_id: "AUTH-SCOTUS-HILL-474-US-52" authority_type: "case" jurisdiction: "federal_nationwide" precedential_status: "binding" official_url: "https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USREPORTS-474/pdf/USREPORTS-474-52.pdf" url: "https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/authorities/AUTH-SCOTUS-HILL-474-US-52/" legal_review: "2026-08-25" links_checked: "2026-10-15" links_available: 1 links_checked_count: 1 license: "CC BY 4.0" --- # Hill v. Lockhart ## Holding used Strickland applies to accepted-plea ineffective-assistance claims; prejudice ordinarily requires a reasonable probability that the defendant would have rejected the plea and insisted on trial. ## Material limitation The alleged error and its objective and defendant-specific effect must be proven on the actual record. ## Official source and pinpoints 474 U.S. 52, 56–60 (1985): ## Used in - [Plea Negotiations, Plea Agreements, and Rule 11](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/30-plea-and-trial/plea-negotiations-agreements-and-rule-11.md) - [Section 2255 Cognizability, Default, Actual Innocence, and Ineffective Assistance](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/60-post-conviction/2255-default-innocence-and-ineffective-assistance.md)