Andrews v. Barnes

743 F. Supp. 1496, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10568, 1990 WL 114449
CourtDistrict Court, D. Utah
DecidedAugust 3, 1990
Docket89-C-0649-S
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 743 F. Supp. 1496 (Andrews v. Barnes) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Utah primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Andrews v. Barnes, 743 F. Supp. 1496, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10568, 1990 WL 114449 (D. Utah 1990).

Opinion

SAM, District Judge.

This matter is before the court on Petitioner William Andrews’ Objection to the magistrate’s Report and Recommendation (R & R) dated May 10, 1990. 1 In that comprehensive R & R the magistrate recommended that this court deny Mr. Andrews’ supplemental petition. Mr. Andrews objected to the R & R 2 and, as part of that objection, requested that this court conduct extensive evidentiary hearings in connection with a de novo review and hearing on the objection.

The applicable statute (28 U.S.C. § 636) requires this court to review the R & R under a de novo standard, but does not require this court to conduct additional evi-dentiary hearings. 3 See Ruling and Order, dated August 18, 1989. After careful review of the lengthy record, including extensive written memoranda, and thorough analysis of the facts and applicable law outlined by the magistrate in his R & R, the court has determined that further oral argument is not necessary.

*1497 The transcripts of the evidence before the magistrate have been examined and assessed for credibility. Based on an independent, de novo review of the evidence, Gee v. Estes, 829 F.2d 1005 (10th Cir.1987), the court concludes that the magistrate’s findings one through nine on pages 1505-06 and findings one through nine on pages 1521-22 of the May 10 R & R are correct and hereby adopts those findings as its own.

This Order will now address the relevant legal issues:

Respondents claim this court should deny any relief to Mr. Andrews due to an abuse of the writ of habeas corpus. The magistrate, in the May 10 R & R, concluded that petitioner’s argument with regard to the peremptory challenge of the only black juror in his case should be rejected because of an abuse of the writ. May 10 R & R at 1511. The magistrate did not have the benefit of the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Delo v. Stokes, — U.S. -, 110 S.Ct. 1880, 109 L.Ed.2d 325 (1990). However, Delo supports the magistrate’s conclusion that where, as in this case, the issue was apparent from the record before the filing of prior petitions for habeas corpus and was not raised, a new petition thereafter filed which attempts to raise the issue is barred by the abuse of the writ doctrine. The magistrate’s recommendation concerning abuse of the writ on the juror excusal issue is consistent with Delo v. Stokes and is accordingly adopted as the conclusion of this court. 4

The magistrate, in both the August 17 and May 10 reports, recommended that Mr. Andrews’ claims which requests retroactive application of new constitutional doctrine, should not be allowed because of the Supreme Court’s decisions in Teague v. Lane, 489 U.S. 288, 109 S.Ct. 1060, 103 L.Ed.2d 334 (1989); Penry v. Lynaugh, — U.S. -, 109 S.Ct. 2934, 106 L.Ed.2d 256 (1989); Saffle v. Parks, — U.S. -, 110 S.Ct. 1257, 108 L.Ed.2d 415 (1990); and Butler v. McKeller, — U.S. -, 110 S.Ct. 1212, 108 L.Ed.2d 347 (1990). The court agrees with the magistrate’s conclusion.

Subsequent to the magistrate’s May 10 R & R, the Supreme Court made another decision which bears on this issue. In Sawyer v. Smith, — U.S. -, 110 S.Ct. 2822, 111 L.Ed.2d 193 (1990), the Court held that Caldwell v. Mississippi, 472 U.S. 320, 105 S.Ct. 2633, 86 L.Ed.2d 231 (1985), had no retroactive application under the Teague ruling. The decision effectively overrules the retroactivity holding of Hopkinson v. Shillinger, 888 F.2d 1286 (10th Cir.1989). 5 Therefore, Hopkinson is no longer governing law in this Circuit on retroactivity in habeas corpus proceedings.

The Sawyer Court acknowledges that Teague allows retroactivity in applying a new rule in a habeas corpus claim if the claim comes “within ‘one of two narrow exceptions.’ ” Sawyer, — U.S. at -, 110 S.Ct. at 2831 (quoting Saffle, 110 S.Ct. at 1259). The Court noted “a rule that qualifies under this exception must not only improve accuracy, but also ‘alters our. understanding of the bedrock procedural elements’ essential to the fairness of a proceeding.” Id. (quoting Teague, 489 U.S. at 311, 109 S.Ct. at -) (emphasis in original). Any application of a new rule must be “an ‘absolute prerequisite to fundamental fairness.’ ” Id. — U.S. at -, 110 S.Ct. at 2832 (quoting Teague, 489 U.S. at 314, 109 S.Ct. at -). Further, the Court reiterated that it was “ ‘unlikely that many such components of basic due process have yet to emerge.’ ” Id. at -, 110 S.Ct. at 2832 (quoting Teague, 489 U.S. at 313, 109 S.Ct. at -). The rationale for this application of Teague is explained by the Sawyer Court as follows:

The principle announced in Teague serves to ensure that gradual develop *1498 ments in the law over which reasonable jurists may disagree are not later used to upset the finality of state convictions valid when entered. This is but a recognition that the purpose of federal habeas corpus is to ensure that state convictions comply with the federal law in existence at the time the conviction became final, and not to provide a mechanism for the continuing reexamination of final judgments based upon later emerging legal doctrines.

Sawyer, — U.S. at -, 110 S.Ct. at 2829.

This court holds that Sawyer supports the magistrate’s conclusions in this case, especially with reference to petitioner’s extended argument on the application of Beck v. Alabama, 447 U.S. 625, 100 S.Ct. 2382, 65 L.Ed.2d 392 (1980). The petitioner's contention goes well beyond Beck. It requires rejection of state procedural rules on instructions and requests a whole new rule of constitutional criminal procedure. Acceptance of such a result is hardly dictated by procedural needs of fairness. The traditional state and federal rules on lesser included offenses are adequate to address the fairness issue. Therefore, Teague, Sawyer, and other cases require rejection of petitioner’s lesser included offense claims.

For the reasons set forth herein, the court adopts the magistrate’s R & R and denies petitioner’s supplemental writ of ha-beas corpus. IT IS SO ORDERED.

REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION

RONALD N. BOYCE, United States Magistrate.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Hicks v. Collins
Sixth Circuit, 2004
John R. Hicks v. Terry Collins, Warden
384 F.3d 204 (Sixth Circuit, 2004)
Andrews v. Carver
798 F. Supp. 659 (D. Utah, 1992)
State v. Andrews
843 P.2d 1027 (Utah Supreme Court, 1992)
Andrews v. Deland
943 F.2d 1162 (Tenth Circuit, 1991)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
743 F. Supp. 1496, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10568, 1990 WL 114449, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/andrews-v-barnes-utd-1990.