414
Opinion of O'Connor, J.
able probability that, but for counsel's unprofessional errors, the result of the proceeding would have been different." 466 U. S., at 694. The Virginia Supreme Court held, in contrast, that such a focus on outcome determination was insufficient standing alone. See Williams v. Warden of Mecklenburg Correctional Center, 254 Va. 16, 25, 27, 487 S. E. 2d 194, 199, 200 (1997). Lockhart does not support that broad proposition. As I explained in my concurring opinion in that case, "in the vast majority of cases . . . [t]he determinative question—whether there is 'a reasonable probability that, but for counsel's unprofessional errors, the result of the proceeding would have been different'—remains unchanged." 506 U. S., at 373 (quoting Strickland, 466 U. S., at 694). In his attempt to demonstrate prejudice, Williams did not rely on any "considerations that, as a matter of law, ought not inform the [prejudice] inquiry." Lockhart, supra, at 373 (O'Connor, J., concurring). Accordingly, as the Court ably explains, the Virginia Supreme Court's decision was contrary to Strickland.
To be sure, as The Chief Justice notes, post, at 417-418 (opinion concurring in part and dissenting in part), the Virginia Supreme Court did also inquire whether Williams had demonstrated a reasonable probability that, but for his trial counsel's unprofessional errors, the result of his sentencing would have been different. See 254 Va., at 25-26, 487 S. E. 2d, at 199-200. It is impossible to determine, however, the extent to which the Virginia Supreme Court's error with respect to its reading of Lockhart affected its ultimate finding that Williams suffered no prejudice. For example, at the conclusion of its discussion of whether Williams had demonstrated a reasonable probability of a different outcome at sentencing, the Virginia Supreme Court faulted the Virginia Circuit Court for its "emphasis on mere outcome determination, without proper attention to whether the result of the criminal proceeding was fundamentally unfair or unreliable." 254 Va., at 27, 487 S. E. 2d, at 200. As the Court explains,
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