United States Sixth Circuit

District court's grant of defendant's petition for habeas relief from his murder conviction and a life sentence is reversed as Fed. Rule 404(b) applies to all propensity evidence, whether used to show that the defendant or another individual acted in conformity with their prior misconduct, and the Sixth Amendment right to present a complete defense does not imply a right to offer evidence that is otherwise inadmissible under the standard rules of evidence.

Appellate Information

• Argued 11/18/2009
• Decided 06/07/2010
• Published 06/07/2010

Judges

• Before MARTIN and SUTTON, Circuit Judges; REEVES, District Judge.

Court

• United States Sixth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• ARGUED:Brad H. Beaver, Office of the Michigan Attorney General, Lansing, Michigan, for Appellant. John R. Minock, Law Offices, Ann Arbor, Michigan, for Appellee. ON BRIEF:Brad H. Beaver, Office of the Michigan Attorney General, Lansing, Michigan, for Appellant. John R. Minock, Law Offices, Ann Arbor, Michigan, for Appellee.