Sawyer v. Stovall

Opinion

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$6DZ\HUY+RIEDXHU While it is possible that some or all of the judges on this panel might have held that the withheld evidence was material 6DZ\HU¶V FODLPV WR KDEHDV UHOLHI UHVW FKLHIO\ RQ WKH if we were in the state judges’ shoes, we are not writing on a H[LVWHQFHRIDVHPHQVWDLQIRXQGRQ0LOOHU¶VXQGHUZHDUWKDW clean slate in deciding this issue. Because the state court’s FRQWDLQHG VDOLYD  6DZ\HU PDLQWDLQV WKDW WKLV HYLGHQFH LV necessary holding that the withheld evidence was not material UHOHYDQWEHFDXVH0LOOHU³SHUIRUPHGIHOODWLRRQWKHSHUSHWUDWRU is not contrary to, nor an unreasonable application of, Brady, DIWHU ZKLFK KH KDQGOHG KHU SDQWLHV ZKLOH WKH YLFWLP ZDV and because it is not based on an unreasonable determination EOLQGIROGHG´  -$ , DW   7KH 6WDWH RI 0LFKLJDQ of the facts, this court is constrained by AEDPA to not grant FRQWHQGV WKDW WKH SDUWLFXODU IDFWV RI WKH FDVH UHQGHU WKLV the writ. 86&†G  HYLGHQFHLUUHOHYDQWLQDVPXFKDV0LOOHU³WHVWLILHGWKDWVKHZDV IRUFHGWRVZDOORZ6DZ\HU¶VGLVFKDUJHDQGWKDWKHUXQGHUZHDU )LUVW IRU ZLWKKHOG HYLGHQFH WR EH PDWHULDO IRU %UDG\ Z>DV@O\LQJRQWKHRWKHUVLGHRIWKHFDUIURPZKHUHWKHDVVDXOW SXUSRVHV LW PXVW HLWKHU EH DGPLVVLEOH RU OHDG GLUHFWO\ WR RFFXUUHG´5HVSRQGHQW¶V%U,DW DGPLVVLEOHHYLGHQFH6HH8QLWHG6WDWHVY3KLOOLS)G   WK &LU  ³information withheld by the $WWULDO.\OH$QQ+RVNLQVDODERUDWRU\VFLHQWLVWIRUWKH prosecution is not material unless the information consists of, 0LFKLJDQ6WDWH3ROLFHVWDWHGGXULQJQRQWHVWLPRQLDOFROORTX\ or would lead directly to, evidence admissible at trial"). WKDW VKH KDG GLVFRYHUHG WUDFHV RI VHPHQ RQ 0LOOHU¶V However, the state trial court held, both during trial and in XQGHUZHDUEXWWKDW'HWHFWLYH6HUJHDQW&OLIWRQ/(GZDUGV post-conviction proceedings, that any evidence of the semen ³(GZDUGV´WKHOHDGLQYHVWLJDWRULQWKHFDVHKDGLQVWUXFWHG stain in Miller’s underwear was inadmissible pursuant to KHU WKDW DGGLWLRQDO DQDO\VLV RI WKH VWDLQ ZRXOG QRW EH Michigan’s rape shield law. See Trial Court Tr. at 614-15; QHFHVVDU\$FFRUGLQJWRWKHSURVHFXWRU(GZDUGVLQGLFDWHG J.A. I at 568. If the fact of the stain was inadmissible, then WKDWWKHVHPHQKDGEHHQGHSRVLWHGE\DER\IULHQG7KHIDFW clearly any evidence that would have revolved around the WKDW WKH SROLFH KDG LQ IDFW WHVWHG WKH VHPHQ VWDLQ DJDLQVW stain (including that it did not come from Sawyer) was also 6DZ\HU¶V EORRG W\SH DQG REWDLQHG D QHJDWLYH UHVXOW ZDV inadmissible. The majority discounts this fact by stating that GLVFRYHUHG RQO\ DIWHU GHIHQVH FRXQVHO PDGH D )UHHGRP RI the trial court was not aware, at the time of its holding, that ,QIRUPDWLRQ$FW³)2,$´UHTXHVWLQWZR\HDUVDIWHUWKH the stain had been tested and determined not to be from WULDO6DZ\HUWKHQUDLVHGWKH%UDG\FODLPLQKLVGLUHFWDSSHDO Sawyer. See Maj. Op. at 9 n.2. However, this fact is ZKLFKWKHVWDWHFRXUWVUHMHFWHG irrelevant; the trial court refused to permit further testing of (YLGHQWLDU\+HDULQJ the underwear on the basis that, regardless of the results of such a test, any introduction of the fact of the semen stain 6DZ\HUDUJXHVWKDWWKHGLVWULFWFRXUWVKRXOGKDYHKHOGDQ would violate Michigan’s rape shield law. J.A. I at 564-65, HYLGHQWLDU\KHDULQJRQWKHQHJDWLYHUHVXOWRIWKHVHPHQVWDLQ 568. EHFDXVHWKHVWDWHFRXUWVIDLOHGWRDFFRUGKLPDIXOODQGIDLU KHDULQJ RQ WKH LVVXH  :H KDYH SUHYLRXVO\ UHFRJQL]HG WKH (YHQ LI WKH ZLWKKHOG HYLGHQFH ZHUH DGPLVVLEOH WKHUH LV GLVFUHWLRQDQG³LQKHUHQWDXWKRULW\WKDWDGLVWULFWFRXUWDOZD\V JRRGUHDVRQWRGRXEWLWVPDWHULDOLW\7KHZLWKKHOGHYLGHQFH KDV LQ KDEHDV FDVHV WR RUGHU HYLGHQWLDU\ KHDULQJV WR VHWWOH ZRXOGRQO\EHPDWHULDOLILWZRXOGVRPHKRZDVVLVWLQVKRZLQJ GLVSXWHGLVVXHVRIPDWHULDOIDFW´$EGXU¶UDKPDQY%HOO WKDW6DZ\HUZDVQRW0LOOHU¶VDWWDFNHU+RZHYHU )GFHUWGHQLHG6&W,Q HQDFWLQJ $('3$ &RQJUHVV SODFHG UHVWULFWLRQV RQ WKLV  7KHSURVHFXWLRQQHYHUFRQWHQGHGHLWKHUWRWKHMXU\RU GLVFUHWLRQWRKROGDQHYLGHQWLDU\KHDULQJ$SHWLWLRQHUZKR WR WKH  MXGJH WKDW WKH VHPHQ FDPH IURP 6DZ\HU  6DZ\HUY+RIEDXHUHWDO 1RV 1RV 6DZ\HUY+RIEDXHUHWDO 

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