# Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act **Status: stub — expand.** Signed by President Bill Clinton on **April 24, 1996**, in the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing. Its habeas title is the most consequential restriction of the writ in modern American law: a **one-year statute of limitations** on federal habeas petitions by state prisoners, a near-bar on **second or successive** petitions, and a standard of review under **28 U.S.C. § 2254(d)** that requires a federal court to deny relief unless the state court's decision was *contrary to*, or an *unreasonable application of*, clearly established Supreme Court law. **Why it matters:** AEDPA converted federal habeas from a merits inquiry into a deference regime. It is the reason "the state court got it wrong" is no longer sufficient — and the modern template for narrowing a right by procedure rather than repeal, the [[Ex parte McCardle]] move in statutory form. ## See Also - [[Habeas Corpus Timeline]] · [[Habeas Corpus]] · [[Suspension Clause]]