Smrz v. Christensen ISCC

CourtDistrict Court, D. Idaho
DecidedSeptember 28, 2021
Docket1:21-cv-00216
StatusUnknown

This text of Smrz v. Christensen ISCC (Smrz v. Christensen ISCC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Idaho primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Smrz v. Christensen ISCC, (D. Idaho 2021).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF IDAHO

PATRICK EDWARD WILLIAM SMRZ, Case No. 1:21-cv-00216-BLW

Petitioner, INITIAL REVIEW ORDER

v.

WARDEN CHRISTENSEN, ISCC,

Respondent.

Petitioner Patrick Edward William Smrz has filed an Amended Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus challenging Petitioner’s state court conviction. See Dkt. 14. The Court now reviews the Petition to determine whether it is subject to summary dismissal pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2243 and Rule 4 of the Rules Governing Section 2254 Cases (“Habeas Rules”). REVIEW OF PETITION 1. Standard of Law for Review of Petition Federal habeas corpus relief under 28 U.S.C. § 2254 is available to petitioners who show that they are held in custody under a state court judgment and that such custody violates the Constitution, laws, or treaties of the United States. See 28 U.S.C. § 2254(a). The Court is required to review a habeas corpus petition upon receipt to determine whether it is subject to summary dismissal. Habeas Rule 4. Summary dismissal is appropriate where “it plainly appears from the face of the petition and any attached exhibits that the petitioner is not entitled to relief in the district court.” Id. As the Court has already explained to Petitioner, a court undertaking a Rule 4

review is not required to consider Petitioner’s exhibits or other documents, such as briefs, affidavits, or state court briefing, and Respondent is not required address any allegations or claims in such documents. See Pre-Screening Notice Re: Opportunity to Amend, Dkt. 9, at 2. Therefore, the Court has considered only the Amended Petition itself in its Rule 4 review and not the attached brief, which Petitioner submitted in violation of the Court’s

previous order. Id. (“No attachments or exhibits may be included with the amended petition.”). Petitioner should take care to comply with the Court’s instructions in the future. 2. Background and Review of Claims In a jury trial in the Third Judicial District Court in Payette County, Idaho,

Petitioner was convicted of failure to register as a sex offender, in violation of Idaho Code § 18-8304. The judgment of conviction was entered in June 2019. Am. Pet. at 1–2. Petitioner was sentenced to a unified term of five years in prison with two years fixed. State v. Smrz, No. 47117, 2020 WL 6112799, at *1 (Idaho Ct. App. Oct. 16, 2020) (unpublished). Petitioner unsuccessfully pursued a direct appeal and collateral state post-

conviction relief. Am. Pet. at 2–3. The Amended Petition asserts claims that will be analyzed under the First, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments. Though Petitioner also cites the Fifth, Ninth, and Tenth Amendments, none of his claims implicates those provisions.1

The Court construes the Amended Petition to assert the following claims, adding alphanumeric designations for clarity where appropriate.2 A. Ineffective Assistance Claims Claims 1, 2, and 5 assert Sixth Amendment claims of ineffective assistance of counsel. In Claim 1, Petitioner alleges that Attorney Darrington (a) refused to file a

motion to disqualify the judge, (b) abandoned Petitioner at a crucial point when Darrington was appointed to the bench, and (c) failed to request a mental health evaluation. Am. Pet. at 4. In Claim 2, Petitioner alleges that Attorney Maloney (a) “failed to inform [the] court of Petitioners [sic] plan to represent himself at trial when she first learned of the

fact,” (b) failed to request a mental health evaluation, (c) was too busy to “represent Petitioner in a meaningful manner,” (d) had Petitioner “sign a letter stating Petitioner ‘should not’ represent himself,” (e) spent large parts of the trial “sitting next to Petitioner

1 The Fifth Amendment guarantees the right to a grand jury in federal criminal cases, the right not to be subjected to double jeopardy, the right to be free from compelled self-incrimination, the right to due process from the federal government, and the right to compensation for the taking of private property. The Ninth Amendment preserves non-enumerated constitutional rights. The Tenth Amendment reserves to the states all powers that the Constitution does not delegate to the federal government or prohibit to the states. 2 If the Court’s construction of Petitioner’s claims is incorrect, Petitioner must inform the Court and Respondent of any corrections within 28 days after entry of this Order. texting and playing games on her phone,” and (f) kept her communications with Petitioner short because she had so many “other clients to deal with.” Id. at 5–6. Claim 5 asserts ineffective assistance of direct appeal counsel based on counsel’s

(a) amendment of Petitioner’s appellate brief to eliminate some claims, and (b) presentation of a sentencing claim in contravention of Petitioner’s instructions. Id. at 9. B. Claim of Denial of Right to Access the Courts In Claim 3, Petitioner asserts that he did not have access to a law library “even

after multiple requests” and that he was not provided with necessary books and materials. Id. at 7. Claims of access-to-courts violations are analyzed under the First and Fourteenth Amendments. See Bounds v. Smith, 430 U.S. 817, 821 (1977). C. Claims of Court Error Claims 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, and 12 assert court errors in violation of the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. In Claim 4, Petitioner alleges that the “state [was]

in default of post conviction” because it did not answer Petitioner’s state post-conviction petition in a timely manner. Id. at 8. The Court construes this claim as asserting a due process violation based on the state district court’s dismissal of Petitioner’s post- conviction case. Claim 6 asserts that Judge Wiebe did not request a mental health evaluation even

though Petitioner “has been in and out of state hospitals for most of his adult life,” “claims to be the Son of God,” and at times heard voices telling him not to follow his attorney’s instructions. Id. at 10. Petitioner appears to claim that he was incompetent to stand trial and that the trial court should have ordered a competency evaluation. Claim 7 asserts a due process violation based on the trial judge’s refusal to issue a

subpoena for one of Petitioner’s witnesses. Petitioner claims that this witness was prohibited from testifying, even though he was physically present at the courthouse, because he had not been subpoenaed. Id. at 11. In Claim 8, Petitioner alleges that the trial judge “refused to let Petitioner explain the meaning of hearsay and circumstantial evidence to the jury.” Id. at 12.

Claim 10 asserts a due process violation based on the trial court’s exclusion of the state’s search warrant from evidence. Id. at 14. Claim 12 also asserts evidentiary error rising to the level of a due process violation, based on the trial court’s admission of extrinsic evidence to impeach a witness’s credibility. Id. at 16. D. Prosecutorial Misconduct Claims

Claims 9, 11, and 13 assert due process claims of prosecutorial misconduct. In Claim 9, Petitioner alleges that, during pretrial proceedings, the prosecutor tried to intimidate Petitioner into accepting a plea. Id. at 13. Claim 11 asserts that the prosecutor “tried to extort Petitioner” on the day of trial by saying, “Your witness has been charged with a misdemeanor. If you call the witness to

testify I will change the charge to a felony.” Id. at 15.

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