For the second time this year, the U.S. Supreme Court has summarily rejected a holding of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in a habeas case, shoring up what some legal observers see as a trend in the high court.

The justices have been routinely reversing circuit courts in habeas cases, citing a lack of deference to state courts and often invoking the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act.