James Jeffrey Grady v. United States

929 F.2d 468, 91 Daily Journal DAR 3388, 91 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 2131, 1991 U.S. App. LEXIS 4683, 1991 WL 38212
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedMarch 25, 1991
Docket89-35583
StatusPublished
Cited by92 cases

This text of 929 F.2d 468 (James Jeffrey Grady v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
James Jeffrey Grady v. United States, 929 F.2d 468, 91 Daily Journal DAR 3388, 91 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 2131, 1991 U.S. App. LEXIS 4683, 1991 WL 38212 (9th Cir. 1991).

Opinion

BEEZER, Circuit Judge:

James Jeffrey Grady, a federal prisoner, appeals pro se the district court’s denial of his motion brought pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2255. The district court held that Grady’s claims were covered by § 2255 but denied the motion without an evidentiary hearing. We affirm.

I

On May 26, 1987, Grady was charged with two counts of bank robbery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2113(a). The same day, he pleaded guilty to both counts. On July 16, 1987, a district judge in the United States District Court, District of Oregon, sentenced Grady to a twelve-year suspended sentence and five years probation. The suspended sentence and probation were conditioned on Grady completing a residential drug treatment program.

On October 22, 1987, Grady was discharged from his drug treatment program before its completion for noncompliance with program rules and policies. On January 10, 1988, the district court revoked Grady’s suspended sentence and probation on the ground that Grady had failed to complete the drug treatment program. The district court sentenced Grady to ten years imprisonment.

On May 6, 1988, Grady moved to reduce his sentence under Fed.R.Crim.P. 35(b). The district court denied the motion on June 9, 1988, and Grady moved under § 2255 seeking to correct his sentence. The district court denied Grady’s § 2255 motion on August 15, 1989 without an evi-dentiary hearing. Grady timely appealed, and we have jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291.

*470 II

The threshold issue is whether § 2255 1 may be relied on in a challenge to a probation revocation. The district court acknowledged that the Advisory Committee Notes for Rule 1 of the Rules Governing Section 2255 Proceedings for the United States District Courts state that:

The challenge of decisions such as revocation of probation or parole are not appropriately dealt with under 28 U.S.C. § 2255, which is a continuation of the original criminal action. Other remedies, such as habeas corpus, are available in such situations.

28 U.S.C. § 2255 (1988) (Rule 1 Advisory Committee Notes). However, the district court declined to follow the guidance of the advisory committee. The district court found that Grady was challenging a proceeding in the sentencing court and reasoned that it would be wasteful to require Grady to file a habeas petition where he is incarcerated in Arizona when the necessary documents and witnesses are located in Oregon.

The general rule stated in the advisory committee note, that § 2255 is not the proper means for challenging a probation revocation, is based upon the concept that § 2255 is a further step in a defendant’s criminal case rather than a separate civil action. In the situation in which the prisoner is challenging a probation or parole determination that does not involve the sentencing court, the general rule set forth by the advisory committee note is appropriate. However, when the challenged decision is a decision of the sentencing court, § 2255 provides the appropriate remedy.

Section 2255 provides that a prisoner may challenge his sentence on the ground that it is “subject to collateral attack.” 28 U.S.C. § 2255 (1988). The legislative history of § 2255 supports a broad reading of the statute to allow for review by the sentencing court of its decision to revoke probation. The Senate summarized the purpose of § 2255 as creating:

a statutory remedy consisting of a motion before the court where the movant has been convicted. The remedy is in the nature of, but much broader than, coram nobis. The motion remedy broadly covers all situations where the sentence is “open to collateral attack.”

Sen.Rep. No. 1526, 80th Cong., 2d Sess. (1948). Grady’s claim that the sentence is based upon a wrongful revocation of probation is a collateral attack. The district court correctly held that use of § 2255 is appropriate for Grady’s challenge to his sentence.

Ill

The remaining issue is whether the district court correctly denied Grady’s challenge to his sentence. Grady contends that he received ineffective assistance of counsel at the probation hearing, that the district court violated Fed.R.Crim.P. 32, that the district court abused its discretion, and that the district court should have granted an evidentiary hearing.

A denial of a § 2255 motion is reviewed de novo. United States v. Quan, 789 F.2d 711, 713 (9th Cir.), cert. dismissed, 478 U.S. 1033, 107 S.Ct. 16, 92 L.Ed.2d 770 (1986). Grady’s ineffective assistance of counsel claim raises mixed questions of law and fact that are also reviewed de novo. Iaea v. Sunn, 800 F.2d 861, 864 (9th Cir.1986).

Grady contends that he was denied effective assistance of counsel because his counsel (1) stipulated that Grady violated probation, (2) presented written rather than oral evidence, (3) conducted an unprepared cross-examination, and (4) failed to show Grady a presentence report.

*471 Grady does not dispute the fact that he failed to complete his drug rehabilitation program. Thus, the stipulation entered into by his counsel that Grady had violated his probation merely stipulated to the obvious. The stipulation and the decision to submit evidence in writing were tactical decisions that do not give rise to an ineffective assistance of counsel claim. See Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 689-691, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 2065-2066, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984).

Grady has failed to establish any prejudice from the alleged unprepared cross-examination by his counsel. There is nothing in the record that demonstrates that this alleged deficiency affected the outcome of the probation hearing. See id. at 691-692, 104 S.Ct. at 2066-2067.

Grady also asserts that his counsel failed to show him the presentence report that was prepared for the probation revocation hearing. He contends that he was prejudiced by inaccuracies in the report and that the district court should have held an evi-dentiary hearing on this issue.

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

Related

(HC) Schneider v. United States
E.D. California, 2023
(HC)Givens v. Trate
E.D. California, 2023
(HC) Drew v. Trate
E.D. California, 2023
(HC)Studdard v. Trate
E.D. California, 2023
(HC) Nelson v. Trate
E.D. California, 2023
(HC) Castillo-Chavez v. Trate
E.D. California, 2023
(HC) Jean v. Warden
E.D. California, 2023
(HC) Dobson v. Trate
E.D. California, 2022
(HC) Sandstrom v. Warden
E.D. California, 2022
Ross v. FDC SeaTac Warden
W.D. Washington, 2021
(HC) Summers v. Howard
E.D. California, 2021
(HC) Graves v. Ciolli
E.D. California, 2021
(HC) Nelson v. Ciolli
E.D. California, 2020
Cruz v. Jenkins
N.D. California, 2020
(HC) Tran v. Ciolli
E.D. California, 2020
(HC) Saelua v. Ciolli
E.D. California, 2020
(HC) Hudson v. Ciolli
E.D. California, 2020

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
929 F.2d 468, 91 Daily Journal DAR 3388, 91 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 2131, 1991 U.S. App. LEXIS 4683, 1991 WL 38212, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/james-jeffrey-grady-v-united-states-ca9-1991.