United States Ninth Circuit

Defendant convicted of murder suffered prejudice in penalty phase of trial when prosecutor paraphrased Bible verse to justify imposing death penalty because it implored the jury to decide case on material other than the evidence and judge's instructions.

Appellate Information

• Argued 06/13/2000
• Decided 11/06/2000
• Published 11/06/2000

Judges

• Before:  SCHROEDER, HAWKINS and FISHER, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Ninth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• C. Renee Manes, Assistant Federal Public Defender, Los Angeles, California;  John T. Philipsborn, San Francisco, California;  and Joseph Schlesinger, Assistant Federal Public Defender, Sacramento, California, for the amici.


• For Appellees:
  
• Jeffrey B. Kahan, Deputy Attorney General, Los Angeles, California, for the respondent-appellant/appellee., Manuel U. Araujo, Beverly Hills, California and Michael S. Magnuson, Whittier, California, for the petitioner-appellee/appellant.