Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-1_09-cv-01453/USCOURTS-caed-1_09-cv-01453-22/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 535
Nature of Suit: Habeas Corpus - Death Penalty
Cause of Action: 28:2254 Ptn for Writ of H/C - Stay of Execution

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

KEITH ZON DOOLIN,

Petitioner,

v.

KEVIN CHAPPELL, as Warden of San

Quentin State Prison,

Respondent.

Case No. 1:09-cv-01453-AWI-SAB

DEATH PENALTY CASE

ORDER APPOINTING REPLACEMENT CJA 

COUNSEL

The Selection Board has recommended appointment of counsel to replace CJA attorney 

Michael Levine, Petitioner’s federal counsel of record. (ECF No. 167.) Good cause appearing, 

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED as follows:

1. Robert R. Bryan, 2107 Van Ness Ave., Suite 203, San Francisco, CA 94109 and 

Pamala Sayasane, 660 4th Street # 341, San Francisco, CA 94107 are appointed lead and second 

counsel, respectively, to represent Petitioner pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3599. See Local Rule 

191(c). 

2. Because this federal proceeding is in abeyance pending exhaustion of state 

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remedies before the California Supreme Court, (see ECF No. 134), absent a request by the 

parties supported by good cause, the Court sees no present need for case management 

conference. However, no reimbursement rate has been established for Mr. Bryan and Ms. 

Sayasane. To assist the Court in this matter, Mr. Bryan and Ms. Sayasane shall complete as 

much or all of the Case Evaluation Form (attached as Appendix A) as is possible at this stage of 

the proceeding, and each of them shall complete the Rate Justification Worksheet (attached as 

Appendix B). These documents shall be submitted to the Court confidentially, filed under seal 

within thirty (30) days of filing of this order. Following establishment of reimbursement rates, 

which rates shall automatically adjust for changes in the Ninth Circuit Cost Policies, appropriate 

budget forms will be electronically available to Petitioner’s counsel. 

3. Petitioner’s counsel are reminded of their obligation to file quarterly status reports 

during abeyance and to promptly notify the Court of any ruling on the state exhaustion petition. 

4. Counsel appointed pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3599 and Local Rule 191 to represent 

a condemned prisoner seeking relief under 28 U.S.C. § 2254 will be required to propose budgets 

for their time and expenses anticipated during each phase of the proceedings. The process for 

proposing budgets and submitting vouchers for reimbursement follows: 

Budget Procedures

i. Under 18 U.S.C. § 3599(f), ex parte consideration of funding applications 

requires petitioner to make a showing of the need for confidentiality. Since 

budget applications require disclosure of matters protected by the 

attorney-client or work-product privileges, the need for confidentiality is 

inherent in the budgeting process. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(b)(1) and (3). 

Accordingly, budget forms and supporting documentation will be filed 

under seal and not served on counsel for respondent. Counsel shall submit 

budget-related filings by e-mailing them to the court’s Approved Sealed@ 

e-mail address, ApprovedSealed@caed.uscourts.gov. The provisions of 

Local Rule 141 regarding the process for filing documents under seal are 

suspended with respect to budgeting in capital habeas cases. Any ex parte 

court proceeding regarding funding will be reported and maintained under 

seal. 

ii. A proposed budget should reflect the total attorney time required, 

including time for budget preparation, as well as the time for paralegals, 

investigators and experts, if applicable, and any anticipated travel or other 

expenses. Voucher preparation, however, is considered part of overhead 

and not reimbursable. In preparing a budget, counsel shall refer to the 

Ninth Circuit Judicial Council’s costs policies for capital habeas cases. 

Current cost policies are available on this court’s website at 

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www.caed.uscourts.gov, under Forms, CJA Capital Habeas Forms. 

iii. In support of the proposed budget for each phase, counsel shall file 

informative declaration(s) which explain and/or justify the hours, tasks, 

and expenses sought. Counsel shall include any information that will assist 

the court in determining the reasonableness of the budget request. If 

petitioner is represented by two attorneys, counsel shall explain how the 

work will be divided between them. The supporting documentation should 

be captioned and filed under seal in a complete application, including 

explanatory remarks, declarations, and exhibits. All supporting 

declarations must be properly subscribed pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1746.

iv. Counsel are expected to utilize all reasonable means to minimize costs, to 

tier staff responsibilities to lower-rate personnel whenever practical, and to 

utilize paralegals and law clerks to complete tasks for which attorney 

expertise is not required.

v. Requests in the budget for investigative and/or expert assistance should be 

detailed and present the factual basis to support the request. Prior to 

approval, the court must find that the requested expert or investigative 

assistance is “reasonably necessary for the representation of the 

defendant.” 18 U.S.C. § 3599(f). Information which should be included in 

the supporting declaration to assist the court includes, but is not limited to, 

a specification of: (1) the evidence sought to be uncovered; (2) facts 

suggesting that such investigation, expert service, or other assistance is 

warranted; (3) whether the evidence existed at the time of the state trial; 

(4) whether similar assistance was provided or requested in state court; (5) 

the purpose of the evidence on federal habeas, that is, the connection of 

the evidence sought to be uncovered to a prospective claim or contention 

that will be raised in the federal petition; (6) the name of the expert or 

investigator; and (7) the proposed billing rate and the reasonableness of 

the rate. Presumptive rates contained in the Ninth Circuit Capital Habeas 

Costs Policy, as adjusted from time to time, will apply to all experts, 

investigators, and paralegals.

vi. The approved budget for each phase will be one sum for attorney time and 

one sum for expenses. In addition, each expert and investigator’s time will 

be a separate budget figure. Counsel will not be allowed to exceed the 

authorized budget during any phase without first seeking prior approval, 

or amendment to the budget, and explaining why additional funds are 

required. Failing to obtain approval to amend the budget could result in 

the denial of unauthorized or excessive expenditures.

vii. The budget for each phase will be closed out when the work for that phase

is completed. Hours and expenditures will not be carried over to the next 

phase. Rather, a new budget for each succeeding phase must be proposed 

by counsel and approved by the court. As the case progresses through each 

case management phase, counsel are responsible for ensuring that the case 

is litigated within the established budget.

viii. Any budget approved by the district court must also be approved by the 

Capital Case Committee and Judicial Council of the Ninth Circuit. 

Counsel are authorized to proceed based upon the initial budget approved 

by the district court and will be contacted should any further clarification, 

information, or action be requested by the Capital Case Committee and 

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Judicial Council.

Approved Compensation

i. Work inherently necessary to practice and remain current in the area of 

federal habeas law, which is not directly attributable to a particular case, 

including the review and analysis of new cases, is considered general 

overhead, and is not reimbursable. 

ii. The court will not approve compensation for administrative services, such 

as secretarial services, preparation of payment vouchers, or 

communications with court staff. 

iii. Unless a contrary need is demonstrated, the court will compensate only 

one attorney for physical attendance at court hearings. Upon sufficient 

justification, the court may authorize compensation for up to two members 

of counsel’s legal staff at a time for visits to petitioner and witness 

interviews. Counsel who reside outside the Fresno area will typically 

make court appearances by telephone unless they have requested, and 

been approved, for travel to Fresno. 

iv. The court will not approve compensation for work performed on appellate 

proceedings (whether from interlocutory orders or final judgments). 

Counsel shall seek compensation for work performed at the appellate level 

from the Court of Appeals after having obtained an appointment from that 

court. 

v. The court will compensate counsel for professional time spent in airport 

(or other common carrier) terminals and as a passenger on common 

carriers only when counsel is performing substantive tasks on the case that 

can be billed to a professional time category. Terminal processing time as 

well as driving time will be compensated at the maximum rate of $100 per 

hour. In light of the public service nature of CJA appointments together 

with the fact that public rather than private funds are being utilized, the 

travel reimbursement set forth in this paragraph will be applied.

Approved Expenses

i. The court will authorize payment for miscellaneous expenses reasonably 

incurred and subject to national and district policies and procedures. 

Copies of all bills and receipts must be submitted for reimbursement 

approval. 

ii. Mileage for case-related travel by privately owned (not rented) automobile 

may be claimed at the rate in effect for federal judicial employees, 

available from the CJA Administrator. Case-related parking fees and 

bridge/road tolls also are reimbursable. Counsel should assess whether 

case-related travel would be more cost effective by privately owned 

automobile or rented automobile. 

iii. Ground transportation other than by privately owned automobile will be 

reimbursed on an actual expense basis. Counsel should make every effort 

to obtain the lowest possible fares or rates. 

iv. Though travel expenses may be authorized in the budget, each time a 

member of petitioner’s litigation team intends to travel by air, a Travel 

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Request and Authorization Form must be authorized by the CJA 

Administrator and approved by the court, unless counsel can procure more 

economical travel arrangements on his or her own. Approval of a travel 

authorization form is the procedure by which government rates for travel 

are obtained; the form does not function as approval of travel expenses in 

excess of the budget. Should the authorized budget be insufficient for the 

anticipated costs of travel, counsel must seek modification of the budget 

from the court in addition to obtaining a travel authorization form from the 

CJA Administrator. 

v. The Travel Request and Authorization Form enables CJA counsel to 

receive air travel at government rates paid directly from CJA funds. 

Counsel are expected to request authorization for air travel through the 

CJA Administrator in sufficient time to obtain low cost advance fare for 

air travel or to provide justification why an advance fare could not be 

obtained. In no case will counsel be reimbursed for first-class travel 

expenses. Counsel may make their own reservations for air travel and seek 

reimbursement on a CJA voucher, but reimbursement will be limited to 

the available government rates.

vi. The court will approve reimbursement for actual food and lodging 

expenses for out of town travel on case-related business, subject to the 

maximum established area per diem rate. Current travel and subsistence 

allowances are available on the GSA website, www.gsa.gov, under Per 

Diem rates, or from the CJA Administrator. 

vii. Counsel will be reimbursed for the actual cost of case-related longdistance telephone calls. The court will not authorize payment for any 

surcharges or for general telephone service. Facsimile transmissions are 

reimbursable for the actual amount of the telephone charge. 

viii. Counsel will be reimbursed for the actual out-of-pocket expenses incurred 

in photocopying, up to a maximum of 10 cents per page. Counsel will be 

expected to send large photocopying projects, including those involving 

documents over 100 pages in length, to an outside copying service where 

the cost for outside photocopying is less than the in-house photocopying 

expense. 

ix. The court will authorize reimbursement for the actual cost of case-related 

regular U.S. postage. The court will approve reimbursement for the actual 

cost of other postal services or the use of non-federal carriers (such as 

overnight or two-day delivery) only if circumstances require the use of 

such services. If counsel utilize expedited delivery services, a statement 

detailing the necessity of such delivery must be submitted with the 

itemized bill. Counsel are to make every effort to use regular U.S. mail 

and e-mail via the Internet whenever possible. The court may modify this 

rule if counsel make excessive use of costly overnight carriers. 

x. The court will not reimburse counsel for the following expenditures:

1) General office overhead; including cellular telephone maintenance 

fees; 

2) Books or other publications; 

3) Flat-fee computer research plans or computer software programs.

4) General law office supplies and equipment; 

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5) Travel, attendance, registration, or material costs related to 

educational seminars.

Voucher Procedures

i. All payment vouchers shall be submitted in the e-voucher format to CJA 

Administrator Connie Garcia. Questions regarding the e-voucher system 

should be directed to Ms. Garcia at (559) 487-5561 or 

connie_garcia@fd.org.

ii. All vouchers are reviewed for reasonableness. In addition, fees or 

expenses which exceed the authorized budget or the limits set forth herein 

are subject to reduction without further notice or explanation. 

iii. Counsel shall submit vouchers covering services from the commencement 

to the completion of each budgeted phase, on a monthly basis. Generally, 

vouchers should extend from the first to the last day of each month, except 

when combined attorney’s fees and expenses total less than $1,000 for any 

given month. In that event, the fees and expenses for that month may be 

combined with the fees and expenses incurred the following month. If a 

budgeted phase commences mid-month, the voucher may extend to the 

end of the following month. Similarly, if the budgeted phase is completed 

mid-month, the voucher will extend to that date. All vouchers are to be 

submitted within the first 14 days of the month following the last day of 

service reported. All fees and expenses for a particular time period should 

be submitted on the same voucher to the extent possible (e.g., travel and 

administrative expenses).

iv. The court expects counsel to submit vouchers within 90 days of the 

services provided, absent prior arrangements made with the court for a 

later submission. Without prior court approval, vouchers will not be 

processed for services rendered more than 90 days prior to the date of 

submission of the voucher. 

v. Voucher timesheets shall specifically describe the work performed and the 

time allotted to each specific task, reported to one-tenth (.1) of an hour. 

Descriptions should not be vague or general. Each time entry shall reflect 

discrete, individual tasks and shall not simply list multiple tasks performed 

in a specified block of time. Information should be provided in sufficient 

detail so as to permit meaningful review, including: identification of 

individual witnesses interviewed; identification, by name or title, of 

persons involved in telephone conversations or conferences; specific 

topics researched; and identification of pleadings drafted or reviewed. 

vi. In the event that in-court transcripts of non-evidentiary hearings are 

requested by petitioner, petitioner’s counsel should arrange with the court 

reporter(s) to bill the court directly through the use of a CJA Form 24. 

Counsel shall not include the cost of transcripts as an out-of-pocket 

expense on a CJA Form 30. 

vii. Services provided by counsel’s non-attorney employees may be listed as 

an expense on counsel’s CJA Form 30. Independent contractor paralegal 

services, like investigator and expert services, should be billed on a CJA 

Form 31. Petitioner’s counsel shall adhere to these procedures and policies 

for the preparation of budgets for each phase of these proceedings and for 

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the preparation and submission of all payment vouchers.

5. In addition to serving this order upon counsel, the Clerk is directed to serve it 

upon Connie Garcia, CJA Panel Administrator, Federal Defender’s Office, 2300 Tulare Street, 

Suite 330, Fresno, CA 93721. 

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: January 28, 2015 

UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

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APPENDIX A

CONFIDENTIAL CASE EVALUATION FORM

The answers to these questions are for case management and budgeting purposes only and 

will not be binding in any respect on substantive issues to be raised in the course of litigation. 

NAME OF ATTORNEY(S) 

Lead Counsel: 

Co-Counsel: 

STATE LEVEL PROCEEDINGS 

1. Did (or does) either lawyer represent the petitioner during any part of the state proceedings? 

[__] No -- proceed to question 2. 

[__] Yes (indicate which lawyer) ________________________________________.

If yes, in what aspects of the case? _________________________________________.

2. Was a state habeas petition involving the same judgment and sentence filed? 

[__] No 

[__] Yes Date: ___________ Disposition & Date: _______________________.

3. Were funds requested at the state level for state post-conviction investigation? 

[__] No 

[__] Yes 

Purpose Amount Requested: ____________.

Amount Authorized: ____________.

4. Was post-conviction discovery requested at the state level? 

[__] No 

[__] Yes 

Nature of Discovery Requested: ___________________________________________.

Was it: Granted? ____________. Denied? ____________.

5. Was an evidentiary hearing held at the state level? [__] Yes [__] No 

STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS 

Based on current information, what is the date required by the statute of limitations for filing of 

the petition? ____________________________________________.

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THE RECORD 

1. Has the record been assembled? [__] Yes [__] No: 

Location of state post-conviction record: _____________________________________.

2. Have the files of prior counsel been obtained? [__] Yes [__] No 

3. As accurately as possible (recognizing that it may be an estimate at this point), provide 

information about the size of the record: 

TYPE OF RECORD: NO. OF PAGES:

Clerk’s Transcript

[____________]

Reporter’s Transcript

[____________]

Trial Exhibits

[____________]

Appellate Pleadings [____________]

Post-Conviction Record (including 

pleadings & transcripts)

[____________]

Ancillary Files and Records (including 

prior counsel’s case files, investigative 

reports, etc.)

[____________]

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APPENDIX B

RATE JUSTIFICATION WORKSHEET

1. Attorney Name and Address: ___________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________.

2. Experience and Qualifications: 

Admitted to practice: ____ years. 

Member of the bar of a federal district court or court of appeals: ____ years. 

Primary area of practice: __________________________________________________.

Has previously represented a client in (check all that apply): 

[__] Direct appeal of a death sentence,

[__] State capital post-conviction proceeding,

[__] Direct appeal of a non-capital homicide conviction,

[__] Capital trial,

[__] Non-capital homicide trial,

[__] Other felony trial,

[__] Non-capital federal habeas corpus,

[__] Federal capital habeas proceeding.

Number of clients previously represented in federal habeas actions: ________________.

Most recently authorized hourly rate in such a case: $______.

Approximate hours spent in training programs on death penalty litigation and/or postconviction representation: ____________.

3. Other Relevant Information: ___________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________.

4. Rate Sought: $______.

For maximum allowable rates, counsel shall refer to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Council’s 

costs policies for capital habeas cases. Current cost policies are available on this court’s website 

at www.caed.uscourts.gov, under Forms, CJA Capital Habeas Forms. 

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