United States Ninth Circuit

In habeas proceedings arising from a death penalty case, a denial of an evidentiary hearing on petitioner's claims of ineffective assistance during the guilt phase is affirmed, but a grant of habeas relief on an ineffective assistance of counsel claim at the penalty phase is reversed on cross-appeal by the government where the California Supreme Court's ruling on the prejudice prong of Strickland was not an unreasonable application of the case.

Appellate Information

• Argued 06/23/2009
• Decided 05/02/2008
• Published 05/02/2008

Judges

• Before: ALEX KOZINSKI, Chief Judge, HARRY PREGERSON, STEPHEN REINHARDT, PAMELA ANN RYMER, ANDREW J. KLEINFELD, KIM McLANE WARDLAW, W. FLETCHER, RICHARD A. PAEZ, MARSHA S. BERZON, JAY S. BYBEE, and MILAN D. SMITH, JR., Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Ninth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• James William Bilderback II, Supervising Deputy Attorney General, argued, Kristofer Jorstad, Deputy Attorney General, Los Angeles, CA, for the respondent-appellant, cross-appellee., Sean K. Kennedy, Federal Public Defender, Los Angeles, CA, for the petitioner-cross appellant/appellee.