354
Opinion of the Court
Constitution, is the basis for the postconviction attack. For example, in Stone v. Powell, a § 2254 case, we recalled "the established rule with respect to nonconstitutional claims" as follows: "[N]onconstitutional claims . . . can be raised on collateral review only if the alleged error constituted a ' "fundamental defect which inherently results in a complete miscarriage of justice." ' " 428 U. S., at 477, n. 10, quoting Davis, 417 U. S., at 346, quoting Hill, 368 U. S., at 428.13
Reed nevertheless suggests that we invoked the fundamental defect standard in Hill and Timmreck for this sole reason: "So far as convictions obtained in the federal courts are concerned, the general rule is that the writ of habeas corpus will not be allowed to do service for an appeal." Sunal v. Large, 332 U. S. 174, 178 (1947) (emphasis added). The same "general rule," however, applies to § 2254. Where the petitioner—whether a state or federal prisoner—failed properly to raise his claim on direct review, the writ is available only if the petitioner establishes "cause" for the waiver and shows "actual prejudice resulting from the alleged . . . violation." Wainwright v. Sykes, 433 U. S. 72, 84 (1977); id., at 87.
We see no reason to afford habeas review to a state prisoner like Reed, who let a time clock run without alerting the trial court, yet deny collateral review to a federal prisoner similarly situated. See Francis v. Henderson, 425 U. S. 536, 542 (1976) (" 'Plainly the interest in finality is the same with regard to both federal and state prisoners. . . . There is no
13 See also United States v. Addonizio, 442 U. S. 178 (1979), in which we reiterated that the Hill standard governs habeas review of all claims of federal statutory error, citing Stone: "[U]nless the claim alleges a lack of jurisdiction or constitutional error, the scope of collateral attack has remained far more limited. Stone v. Powell, 428 U. S. 465, 477, n. 10. The Court has held that an error of law does not provide a basis for collateral attack unless the claimed error constituted 'a fundamental defect which inherently results in a complete miscarriage of justice.' " 442 U. S., at 185, quoting Hill, 368 U. S., at 428.
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