United States Ninth Circuit

Dismissal of a habeas petition in a felony murder case as procedurally barred is reversed where, affording a disputed witness statements the benefit of the presumption of truthfulness, petitioner satisfied the Schlup "actual innocence" standard for overcoming a procedural default of his claims insofar as they relate to his felony murder conviction.

Appellate Information

• Argued 06/18/2007
• Decided 10/24/2006
• Published 10/24/2006

Judges

• Before ALEX KOZINSKI, Chief Judge, and MARY M. SCHROEDER, STEPHEN REINHARDT, ANDREW J. KLEINFELD, SIDNEY R. THOMAS, M. MARGARET McKEOWN, KIM McLANE WARDLAW, W. FLETCHER, RAYMOND C. FISHER, RICHARD A. PAEZ, RICHARD C. TALLMAN, RICHARD R. CLIFTON, JAY S. BYBEE, MILAN D. SMITH, JR. and SANDRA S. IKUTA, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Ninth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Thomas J. Hester, Office of the Federal Public Defender, Portland, OR, for the petitioner-appellant.


• For Appellees:
  
• Kathleen Cegla, Assistant Attorney General;  Erin C. Lagesen, Assistant Attorney General (argued), Salem, OR, for the respondent-appellee.