This pocket guide provides a basic overview of the issues judges can expect to face when assigned a capital habeas case. It begins with appointment of counsel, budgeting concerns, and stays of execution. It then summarizes the primary procedural considerations that affect habeas cases - successive petitions, petition timeliness, state remedies exhaustion, procedural default, and amending a petition. The guide also addresses substantive considerations for case resolution, evidentiary development, and briefing procedures. Finally, the guide highlights some of the issues that often arise prior to an execution.