Cite as: 520 U. S. 518 (1997)
Opinion of the Court
rests on a state law ground that is independent of the federal question and adequate to support the judgment." See also Harris v. Reed, 489 U. S. 255, 262 (1989). We in fact lack jurisdiction to review such independently supported judgments on direct appeal: Since the state-law determination is sufficient to sustain the decree, any opinion of this Court on the federal question would be purely advisory. Herb v. Pitcairn, 324 U. S. 117, 125-126 (1945); see also Sochor v. Florida, 504 U. S. 527, 533-534, and n. (1992). The "independent and adequate state ground" doctrine is not technically jurisdictional when a federal court considers a state prisoner's petition for habeas corpus pursuant to 28 U. S. C. § 2254, since the federal court is not formally reviewing a judgment, but is determining whether the prisoner is "in custody in violation of the Constitution or laws or treaties of the United States." We have nonetheless held that the doctrine applies to bar consideration on federal habeas of federal claims that have been defaulted under state law. Coleman, supra, at 729-730, 750; see also Wainwright v. Sykes, 433 U. S. 72, 81, 82 (1977), discussing Brown v. Allen, 344 U. S. 443, 486-487 (1953), and Ex parte Spencer, 228 U. S. 652 (1913); Harris, supra, at 262.
Application of the "independent and adequate state ground" doctrine to federal habeas review is based upon equitable considerations of federalism and comity. It "ensures that the States' interest in correcting their own mistakes is respected in all federal habeas cases." Coleman, 501 U. S., at 732. "[A] habeas petitioner who has failed to meet the State's procedural requirements for presenting his federal claims has deprived the state courts of an opportunity to address those claims in the first instance." Ibid. If the "independent and adequate state ground" doctrine were not applied, a federal district court or court of appeals would be able to review claims that this Court would have been unable to consider on direct review. See id., at 730-731.
523
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