Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-azd-2_16-cv-00560/USCOURTS-azd-2_16-cv-00560-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 530
Nature of Suit: Prisoner Petitions - Habeas Corpus
Cause of Action: 28:2254 Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus (State)

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA

Maurice Lamont Johnson,

Petitioner,

v. 

Charles L. Ryan, et al.,

Respondents.

No. CV-16-00560-PHX-GMS (ESW)

REPORT AND 

RECOMMENDATION

TO THE HONORABLE G. MURRAY SNOW, UNITED STATES DISTRICT 

JUDGE: 

Pending before the Court is Maurice Lamont Johnson’s (“Petitioner”) Petition 

under 28 U.S.C. § 2254 for a Writ of Habeas Corpus (the “Petition”) (Doc. 1). 

Respondents have answered (Doc. 11), and Petitioner has replied (Doc. 14). The matter 

is deemed ripe for consideration. 

Petitioner presents two grounds for habeas relief in the Petition. The undersigned 

finds that Ground One, which raises a double jeopardy claim, is without merit. 

Regarding Ground Two, the undersigned finds that it does not sufficiently state a claim 

for habeas relief and is also procedurally defaulted. It is therefore recommended that the 

Petition (Doc. 1) be denied and dismissed with prejudice. 

I. BACKGROUND

In May 2011, a City of Tempe police officer arrested Petitioner for possession of 

drug paraphernalia, false reporting to law enforcement, and possession of dangerous 

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drugs. (Doc. 1 at 56). A criminal case was filed in the Municipal Court of the City of 

Tempe charging Petitioner with false reporting to law enforcement and possession of 

drug paraphernalia. (Bates No. 1).1 In a plea agreement, Petitioner agreed to plead guilty 

to violating ARIZ. REV. STAT. § 13-2907.01(A) (false reporting to law enforcement). The 

plea agreement stated the charge brought under ARIZ. REV. STAT. § 13-3415(A) 

(possession of drug paraphernalia) would be dismissed. (Doc. 1 at 55). Municipal Court 

records indicate that the possession of drug paraphernalia charge was dismissed. (Bates 

No. 1).

On September 16, 2011, the State filed in the Superior Court of Arizona in and for 

Maricopa County a two-count Complaint, which named the City of Tempe Police 

Department as the complainant. (Bates Nos. 3-4). On November 7, 2011, the State filed 

an Information against Petitioner. (Bates No. 8-9). The Information alleged that 

Petitioner (i) knowingly possessed or used methamphetamine on or about May 18, 20112

and (ii) unlawfully used or possessed with intent to use “a baggie, drug paraphernalia, to 

pack, repack, store, contain, or conceal methamphetamine” on or about May 18, 2011. 

(Id.).

Following trial, a jury found Petitioner guilty as charged. (Bates No. 29). The 

trial court further found that the State proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Petitioner 

was convicted of prior felony offenses. (Bates No. 28). On January 23, 2015, the trial 

court sentenced Petitioner to 3.5 years on Count 1 (possession or use of 

methamphetamine) and 1.75 years on Count 2 (possession of drug paraphernalia). (Bates 

No. 29).

Petitioner’s appellate attorney did not find any colorable claims to raise in a direct 

 

1 Citations to the state court record submitted with Respondents’ Answer (Doc. 

11) refer to the Bates-stamp numbers affixed to the lower right corner of each page of the record. The submitted portions of the record are docketed as Docs. 12 and 13.

2 The Information originally alleged that Petitioner possessed or used methamphetamine on or about May 8, 2011. On the State’s motion, the trial court 

amended the Information to reflect that the correct date of the alleged offense is May 18, 2011. (Bates No. 10).

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appeal. (Bates Nos. 36-44). Petitioner filed a pro se supplemental brief. (Bates Nos. 52-

58). On August 18, 2015, the Arizona Court of Appeals affirmed Petitioner’s convictions 

and sentences. (Bates Nos. 61-65). On February 16, 2016, the Arizona Supreme Court 

denied Petitioner’s request for further review. (Bates Nos. 66-77, 78). On February 29, 

2016, Petitioner timely initiated this federal habeas proceeding challenging his 

convictions and sentences received in the Superior Court of Arizona case. (Doc. 1).

II. LEGAL STANDARDS

A. Exhaustion-of-State-Remedies Doctrine

It is well-settled that a “state prisoner must normally exhaust available state 

remedies before a writ of habeas corpus can be granted by the federal courts.” 

Duckworth v. Serrano, 454 U.S. 1, 3 (1981); see also Picard v. Connor, 404 U.S. 270, 

275 (1971) (“It has been settled since Ex parte Royall, 117 U.S. 241, 6 S. Ct. 734, 29 

L.Ed. 868 (1886), that a state prisoner must normally exhaust available state judicial 

remedies before a federal court will entertain his petition for habeas corpus.”). The 

rationale for the doctrine relates to the policy of federal-state comity. Picard, 404 U.S. at 

275 (1971). The comity policy is designed to give a state the initial opportunity to review 

and correct alleged federal rights violations of its state prisoners. Id. In the U.S. 

Supreme Court’s words, “it would be unseemly in our dual system of government for a 

federal district court to upset a state court conviction without an opportunity to the state 

courts to correct a constitutional violation.” Darr v. Burford, 339 U.S. 200, 204 (1950).

The exhaustion doctrine is codified at 28 U.S.C. § 2254. That statute provides that 

a habeas petition may not be granted unless the petitioner has (i) “exhausted” the 

available state court remedies; (ii) shown that there is an “absence of available State 

corrective process”; or (iii) shown that “circumstances exist that render such process 

ineffective to protect the rights of the applicant.” 28 U.S.C. § 2254(b)(1). 

Case law has clarified that in order to “exhaust” state court remedies, a 

petitioner’s federal claims must have been “fully and fairly presented” in state court. 

Woods v. Sinclair, 764 F.3d 1109, 1129 (9th Cir. 2014). To “fully and fairly present” a 

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federal claim, a petitioner must present both (i) the operative facts and (ii) the federal 

legal theory on which his or her claim is based. This test turns on whether a petitioner 

“explicitly alerted” a state court that he or she was making a federal constitutional 

claim. Galvan v. Alaska Department of Corrections, 397 F.3d 1198, 1204–05 (9th Cir. 

2005).

B. Procedural Default Doctrine

If a claim was presented in state court, and the court expressly invoked a state 

procedural rule in denying relief, then the claim is procedurally defaulted in a federal 

habeas proceeding. See, e.g., Zichko v. Idaho, 247 F.3d 1015, 1021 (9th Cir. 2001). 

Even if a claim was not presented in state court, a claim may be procedurally defaulted in 

a federal habeas proceeding if the claim would now be barred in state court under the

state’s procedural rules. See, e.g., Beaty v. Stewart, 303 F.3d 975, 987 (9th Cir. 2002).

Similar to the rationale of the exhaustion doctrine, the procedural default doctrine 

is rooted in the general principle that federal courts will not disturb state court judgments 

based on adequate and independent state grounds. Dretke v. Haley, 541 U.S. 386, 392 

(2004). A habeas petitioner who has failed to meet the state’s procedural requirements 

for presenting his or her federal claims has deprived the state courts of an opportunity to 

address those claims in the first instance. Coleman v. Thompson, 501 U.S. 722, 731-32

(1991). 

As alluded to above, a procedural default determination requires a finding that the 

relevant state procedural rule is an adequate and independent rule. See id. at 729-30. An 

adequate and independent state rule is clear, consistently applied, and well-established at 

the time of a petitioner’s purported default. Greenway v. Schriro, 653 F.3d 790, 797-98 

(9th Cir. 2011); see also Calderon v. U.S. Dist. Court (Hayes), 103 F.3d 72, 74-75 (9th 

Cir. 1996). An independent state rule cannot be interwoven with federal law. See Ake v. 

Oklahoma, 470 U.S. 68, 75 (1985). The ultimate burden of proving the adequacy of a 

state procedural bar is on the state. Bennett v. Mueller, 322 F.3d 573, 585-86 (9th Cir. 

2003). If the state meets its burden, a petitioner may overcome a procedural default by 

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proving one of two exceptions. 

In the first exception, the petitioner must show cause for the default and actual 

prejudice as a result of the alleged violation of federal law. Hurles v. Ryan, 752 F.3d 

768, 780 (9th Cir. 2014). To demonstrate “cause,” a petitioner must show that some 

objective factor external to the petitioner impeded his or her efforts to comply with the 

state’s procedural rules. See Murray v. Carrier, 477 U.S. 478, 488 (1986); Robinson v. 

Ignacio, 360 F.3d 1044, 1052 (9th Cir. 2004). To demonstrate “prejudice,” the petitioner 

must show that the alleged constitutional violation “worked to his actual and substantial 

disadvantage, infecting his entire trial with error of constitutional dimensions.” United 

States v. Frady, 456 U.S. 152, 170 (1982); see also Carrier, 477 U.S. at 494 (“Such a 

showing of pervasive actual prejudice can hardly be thought to constitute anything other 

than a showing that the prisoner was denied ‘fundamental fairness’ at trial.”). 

In the second exception, a petitioner must show that the failure to consider the 

federal claim will result in a fundamental miscarriage of justice. Hurles, 752 F.3d at 

780. This exception is rare and only applied in extraordinary cases. Wood v. Ryan, 693 

F.3d 1104, 1118 (9th Cir. 2012) (quoting Schlup v. Delo, 513 U.S. 298, 321 (1995)). 

The exception occurs where a “constitutional violation has probably resulted in the 

conviction of one who is actually innocent of the offense that is the subject of the barred 

claim.” Wood, 693 F.3d at 1117 (quoting Schlup, 513 U.S. at 327).

C. Reviewing the Merits of Habeas Claims

In reviewing the merits of a habeas petitioner’s claims, the Anti-Terrorism and 

Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (“AEDPA”) requires federal courts to defer to the 

last reasoned state court decision. Woods v. Sinclair, 764 F.3d 1109, 1120 (9th Cir. 

2014); Henry v. Ryan, 720 F.3d 1073, 1078 (9th Cir. 2013). To be entitled to relief, a 

state prisoner must show that the state court’s adjudication of his or her claims either:

1. resulted in a decision that was contrary to, or involved 

an unreasonable application of, clearly established 

Federal law, as determined by the Supreme Court of 

the United States; or 

2. resulted in a decision that was based on an 

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unreasonable determination of the facts in light of the 

evidence presented in the State court proceeding.

28 U.S.C. § 2254(d)(1), (2); see also, e.g., Woods, 764 F.3d at 1120; Parker v. Matthews, 

132 S. Ct. 2148, 2151 (2010); Harrington v. Richter, 562 U.S. 86, 99 (2011). 

As to relief under 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d)(1), “clearly established federal law” refers 

to the holdings of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decisions applicable at the time of the 

relevant state court decision. Carey v. Musladin, 549 U.S. 70, 74 (2006); Thaler v. 

Haynes, 559 U.S. 43, 47 (2010). A state court decision is “contrary to” such clearly 

established federal law if the state court (i) “applies a rule that contradicts the governing 

law set forth in [U.S. Supreme Court] cases” or (ii) “confronts a set of facts that are 

materially indistinguishable from a decision of the [U.S. Supreme Court] and 

nevertheless arrives at a result different from [U.S. Supreme Court] precedent.” Price v. 

Vincent, 538 U.S. 634, 640 (2003) (quoting Williams v. Taylor, 529 U.S. 362, 405-06 

(2000)). 

As to relief under 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d)(2), factual determinations by state courts 

are presumed correct unless the petitioner can show by clear and convincing evidence to 

the contrary. 28 U.S.C. § 2254(e)(1); see also Stanley v. Cullen, 633 F.3d 852, 859 (9th 

Cir. 2011). A state court decision “based on a factual determination will not be 

overturned on factual grounds unless objectively unreasonable in light of the evidence 

presented in the state-court proceeding.” Davis v. Woodford, 384 F.3d 628, 638 (9th 

Cir. 2004) (as amended) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted).

III. ANALYSIS

A. Ground One: Alleged Double Jeopardy Violation 

In Ground One of the Petition, Petitioner argues that because the possession of 

drug paraphernalia charge was dismissed pursuant to a plea agreement filed in the 

Municipal Court of the City of Tempe, his subsequent conviction on that charge in the 

Superior Court of Arizona violates the Double Jeopardy clause of the Fifth Amendment. 

(Doc. 1 at 6). Petitioner raised this claim before the Arizona Court of Appeals in his 

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direct appeal. (Bates No. 57). In rejecting this claim, the Arizona Court of Appeals’ 

decision states that Petitioner “contends he accepted an offer to plead guilty of false 

reporting to law enforcement, and this trial resulted in double jeopardy. Our search of the 

record reveals no such plea bargain. No agreement was reached at the settlement 

conference, nor by the expiration of the State’s plea offer.” (Bates Nos. 63-64). 

The Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment provides: “[N]or shall any

person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb.” The 

Double Jeopardy Clause, which is enforceable against the States through the Fourteenth 

Amendment, consists of three separate constitutional protections that prohibit: (i) a 

second prosecution for the same offense after acquittal; (ii) a second prosecution for the 

same offense after conviction; and (iii) multiple punishments for the same offense. 

North Carolina v. Pearce, 395 U.S. 711, 717 (1969), overruled on other grounds by

Alabama v. Smith, 490 U.S. 794 (1989). However, “[t]he protections afforded by the

Clause are implicated only when the accused has actually been placed in jeopardy.” 

United States v. Martin Linen Supply Co., 430 U.S. 564, 569 (1977) (citation omitted); 

Taylor v. Kincheloe, 920 F.2d 599, 604 (9th Cir. 1990) (“The initial inquiry in double 

jeopardy analysis . . . is whether jeopardy has ‘attached,’ and if so, when.”) (quoting 

Serfass v. United States, 420 U.S. 377, 388 (1975)). “Thisstate of jeopardy attaches when a

jury is empaneled and sworn, or, in a bench trial, when the judge begins to receive

evidence.” Martin Linen Supply Co., 430 U.S. at 569; see also Serfass, 420 U.S. at 391-

92 (jeopardy attaches only when the defendant risks a determination of guilt).

To the extent that Petitioner argues that the dismissal of the possession of drug 

paraphernalia charge in the City of Tempe Municipal Court constitutes an acquittal, the

U.S. Supreme Court has explained that the word “acquittal” “has no talismanic quality

for purposes of the Double Jeopardy Clause. . . . [I]t has no significance in this context

unless jeopardy has once attached and an accused has been subjected to the risk of

conviction.” Serfass, 420 U.S. at 389, 392 (citations omitted) (rejecting argument that 

dismissal of indictment constituted an “acquittal” under the Double Jeopardy Clause as 

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the dismissal had occurred before the defendant had been “put to trial before the trier of 

the facts”); Ohio v. Johnson, 467 U.S. 493, 501 (1984) (double jeopardy protection 

applied only to charges for which defendant had pled guilty and thus had “been exposed 

to conviction”).

Here, there is no evidence that Petitioner had actually risked a determination of 

guilt as to the possession of drug paraphernalia charge brought in the City of Tempe 

Municipal Court. See Serfass, 420 U.S. at 391-92 (“[T]he Double Jeopardy Clause . . . 

does not come into play until a proceeding begins before a trier having jurisdiction to try the 

question of the guilt or innocence of the accused. . . . Without risk of a determination of guilt, 

jeopardy does not attach . . . .”). Petitioner has not shown that jeopardy had attached to the 

possession of drug paraphernalia charge at the time it was dismissed in the City of 

Tempe Municipal Court pursuant to a plea agreement. See United States v. Vaughan, 

715 F.2d 1373, 1376-77 (9th Cir. 1983) (holding that jeopardy did not attach to charges 

dismissed pursuant to plea agreement); United States v. Dahlstrum, 655 F.2d 971, 974 

(9th Cir. 1981) (dismissal is not equivalent to acquittal even if dismissal is “with 

prejudice”), cert. denied, 455 U.S. 928 (1982); United States v. Garner, 32 F.3d 1305, 

1311 n.6 (8th Cir. 1994) (“[J]eopardy never attached to the charges dismissed [with 

prejudice] as part of [the] plea agreement.”); United States v. Nyhuis, 8 F.3d 731, 735 

n.2 (11th Cir. 1993) (“We may disregard the § 846 conspiracy charge in the Michigan 

indictment which was dismissed pursuant to Nyhuis’s plea agreement because jeopardy 

did not attach to that dismissed charge.”); United States v. Soto-Alvarez, 958 F.2d 473, 

482 n.7 (1st Cir. 1992) (“The 1985 indictment charged the defendant with seven 

separate offenses, however we only concern ourselves with the two charges to which 

the defendant pled guilty since jeopardy ordinarily does not attach to counts which are 

dismissed and on which no finding of guilty is made.”). The undersigned therefore 

does not find that the Arizona Court of Appeals’ rejection of Petitioner’s double 

jeopardy claim in Ground one is contrary to, or an unreasonable application of, federal

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law as determined by the United States Supreme Court.3 Nor does the undersigned find 

that the Arizona Court of Appeals’ rejection of the claim was based on an unreasonable

determination of the facts. It is recommended that the Court deny Ground One of the 

Petition.

B. Ground Two: Alleged Due Process Violation

1. Ground Two May Be Dismissed for Failure to Sufficiently State a 

Habeas Claim

Federal law “unambiguously provides that a federal court may issue a writ of 

habeas corpus to a state prisoner ‘only on the ground that he is in custody in violation of

the Constitution or laws or treaties of the United States.’” Wilson v. Corcoran, 562 U.S. 

1, 5 (2010) (per curiam) (quoting 28 U.S.C. § 2254(a)). To plead a cognizable federal 

habeas claim, a petitioner must set forth in his or her petition the facts supporting the 

specific ground upon which relief is sought. Rule 2(c), foll. 28 U.S.C. § 2254. 

“‘[N]otice’ pleading is not sufficient, for the petition is expected to state facts that point 

to a ‘real possibility of constitutional error.’” Advisory Committee Note to Rule 4, foll. 

28 U.S.C. § 2254 (citation and internal quotation marks omitted); see also Mayle v. Felix,

545 U.S. 644, 655 (2005) (noting that the rules governing pleading for Section 2254

habeas petitions are “more demanding” than the notice pleading allowed under Fed. R.

Civ. P. 8); Wacht v. Cardwell, 604 F.2d 1245, 1247 (9th Cir. 1979) (concluding that a 

habeas petitioner “failed to satisfy the specificity requirement of § 2254 pleadings or to 

show that there is a ‘real possibility’ of constitutional error” by “merely alleg[ing] that he 

‘. . . was not informed of the consequences of his plea. . . .’”).

In Ground Two of the Petition, Petitioner states only “Denied Due Process 14th

Amendment Violation.” (Doc. 1 at 7). In the “Supporting Facts” section, Petitioner 

states that a City of Tempe police officer testified at trial that he arrested Petitioner on 

 

3

 The Arizona Court of Appeals’ decision does not discuss Supreme Court 

precedent when rejecting Petitioner’s double jeopardy claim. However, AEDPA 

deference “does not require citation of [Supreme Court] cases-indeed, it does not even 

require awareness of [Supreme Court] cases, so long as neither the reasoning nor the result of the state-court decision contradicts them.” Early v. Packer, 537 U.S. 3, 8 (2003)

(emphasis in original); Richter, 131 S.Ct. at 784.

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May 18, 2011 for charges of possession of drug paraphernalia, drug possession, false 

reporting to law enforcement, and a City of Tempe warrant. (Id.). Petitioner asserts 

that the officer “couldn’t have arrested the Petitioner on May 18th 2011” because the 

“false reporting to law enforcement and possession of drug paraphernalia [charges] 

were adjudicated 2 weeks earlier on May 8th 2011 in Tempe Municipal Court . . . .” 

(Id.). The undersigned finds that Ground Two fails to sufficiently set forth a cognizable 

federal habeas claim that Petitioner is in custody in violation of federal law. See Wacht, 

604 F.2d at 1247. Further, as explained below, the undersigned finds that Ground Two 

is procedurally defaulted because Petitioner did not present it as a federal constitutional 

claim to the Arizona Court of Appeals in his direct appeal.4

2. Ground Two May Alternatively Be Dismissed as Procedurally 

Defaulted

A claim is only “fairly presented” to the state courts when a petitioner has 

“alert[ed] the state courts to the fact that [he] was asserting a claim under the United 

States Constitution.” Shumway v. Payne, 223 F.3d 982, 987 (9th Cir. 2000) (quotations 

omitted); see also Johnson v. Zenon, 88 F.3d 828, 830 (9th Cir. 1996) (“If a 

petitioner fails to alert the state court to the fact that he is raising a federal constitutional 

claim, his federal claim is unexhausted regardless of its similarity to the issues raised in 

state court.”). Even when a claim’s federal basis is “self-evident,” or the claim would 

have been decided on the same considerations under state or federal law, a petitioner 

must still present the federal claim to the state courts explicitly, “either by citing federal 

law or the decisions of federal courts.” Lyons v. Crawford, 232 F.3d 666, 668 (9th Cir.

2000) (quotations omitted), amended by 247 F.3d 904 (9th Cir.2001); see Baldwin v. 

Reese, 541 U.S. 27, 32 (2004) (claim not fairly presented when state court “must read 

beyond a petition or a brief . . . that does not alert it to the presence of a federal claim” 

to discover implicit federal claim).

 

4 Although Respondents address Ground Two on the merits (Doc. 11 at 7-8), a 

federal court “may examine the exhaustion question sua sponte.” Batchelor v. Cupp, 693 

F.2d 859, 862 (1982) (citing Campbell v. Crist, 647 F.2d 956, 957 (9th Cir. 1981).

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In his brief submitted to the Arizona Court of Appeals, Petitioner stated 

“Appellant was not arrested on May 18th 2011 therefore the Police Report #11074663, 

and testimony given in criminal case #CR-2011-148351-001SE by Officer M. 

McManus #20290 of the Tempe Police [D]epartment is flawed and incorrect.” (Bates 

No. 57). Petitioner did not cite any federal law in presenting the claim. Because 

Petitioner failed to alert the Arizona Court of Appeals to the fact that he was raising a 

federal constitutional claim, Ground Two is unexhausted. 

If Petitioner returned to state court and presented Ground Two in a Petition for 

Post-Conviction Relief (“PCR”), the PCR Petition would be untimely. See Ariz. R. Crim. 

P. 32.4 (a petition for post-conviction relief must be filed “within ninety days after the 

entry of judgment and sentence or within thirty days after the issuance of the order and 

mandate in the direct appeal, whichever is later”). Although Arizona Rule of Criminal 

Procedure 32.4 does not bar untimely PCR claims that fall within the category of claims 

specified in Arizona Rule of Criminal Procedure 32.1(d) through (h), Petitioner has not

asserted that any of these exceptions apply to him and the undersigned does not find that 

any of the exceptions would apply. A state post-conviction action is futile where it is 

time-barred. See Beaty v. Stewart, 303 F.3d 975, 987 (9th Cir. 2002); Moreno v. 

Gonzalez, 116 F.3d 409, 410 (9th Cir. 1997) (recognizing untimeliness under Ariz. 

R.Crim. P. 32.4(a) as a basis for dismissal of an Arizona petition for post-conviction 

relief, distinct from preclusion under Rule 32.2(a)).

Further, under Arizona Rule of Criminal Procedure 32.2(a), a defendant is 

precluded from raising claims that were adjudicated or could have been raised and 

adjudicated on direct appeal or in any previous collateral proceeding. See Krone v. 

Hotham, 890 P.2d 1149, 1151 (1995) (capital defendant’s early petition for postconviction relief raised limited number of issues and waived other issues that he could 

have then raised, but did not); State v. Curtis, 912 P.2d 1341, 1342 (Ariz. Ct. App. 

1995) (“Defendants are precluded from seeking post-conviction relief on grounds that 

were adjudicated, or could have been raised and adjudicated, in a prior appeal or prior 

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petition for post-conviction relief.”); State v. Berryman, 875 P.2d 850, 857 (Ariz. Ct. 

App. 1994) (defendant’s claim that his sentence had been improperly enhanced by prior 

conviction was precluded by defendant’s failure to raise issue on appeal). Arizona Rule 

of Criminal Procedure 32.2(a) would preclude Petitioner from returning to state court to 

exhaust Ground Two. 

Because adequate and independent state procedural rules would preclude 

Petitioner from returning to state court to exhaust Ground Two, the undersigned finds that 

Ground Two is procedurally defaulted.5 See Beaty, 303 F.3d at 987 (a claim is 

procedurally defaulted “if the petitioner failed to exhaust state remedies and the court to 

which the petitioner would be required to present his claims in order to meet the 

requirement would now find the claims procedurally barred”) (quoting Coleman, 501 

U.S. at 735 n.1)). 

3. Petitioner’s Procedural Default is Not Excused

The merits of a habeas petitioner’s procedurally defaulted claims are to be 

reviewed if the petitioner (i) shows cause for the default and actual prejudice as a result 

of the alleged violation of federal law or (ii) shows that the failure to consider the 

federal claim will result in a fundamental miscarriage of justice. McKinney v. Ryan, 

730 F.3d 903, 913 (9th Cir. 2013). 

Petitioner’s status as a pro se litigant does not constitute “cause.” See Hughes v. 

Idaho State Board of Corrections, 800 F.2d 905, 909 (9th Cir. 1986) (cause not 

established in case of illiterate petitioner who relied on the assistance of another inmate 

who was released); Tacho v. Martinez, 862 F.2d 1376, 1381 (9th Cir. 1988) (illiterate 

petitioner with a mental condition who relied upon incompetent “jailhouse lawyers” 

failed to show cause). Petitioner has failed to show cause for his procedural default. 

Where a petitioner fails to establish cause, the Court need not consider whether the 

 5

 This type of procedural default is often referred to as “technical” exhaustion because although the claim was not actually exhausted in state court, Petitioner no longer has an available state remedy. Coleman, 501 U.S. at 732 (“A habeas petitioner who has defaulted his federal claims in state court meets the technical requirements for 

exhaustion; there are no remedies any longer ‘available’ to him.”).

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petitioner has shown actual prejudice resulting from the alleged constitutional 

violations. Smith v. Murray, 477 U.S. 527, 533 (1986). Accordingly, the undersigned 

finds that Petitioner has not satisfied the “cause and prejudice” exception to excuse his 

procedural defaults.

To satisfy the fundamental miscarriage of justice exception, Petitioner must show 

that “a constitutional violation has resulted in the conviction of one who is actually 

innocent.” Schlup, 513 U.S. at 327. After reviewing the record, the undersigned finds 

no evidence showing that a constitutional violation has probably resulted in the 

conviction of an innocent man. The undersigned thus finds the miscarriage of justice 

exception inapplicable to this case. Wood, 693 F.3d at 1117. Consequently, the 

undersigned recommends that the Court not excuse Petitioner’s procedural default.

IV. CONCLUSION

Based on the foregoing, 

IT IS RECOMMENDED that the Court deny and dismiss the Petition (Doc. 1) 

with prejudice.

IT IS FURTHER RECOMMENDED that a certificate of appealability and leave

to proceed in forma pauperis on appeal be denied because the undersigned does not find 

that jurists of reason would find it debatable that (i) Petitioner has not made a substantial 

showing of the denial of a constitutional right as to Ground One and (ii) the dismissal of 

Ground Two is justified by a plain procedural bar.

This recommendation is not an order that is immediately appealable to the Ninth 

Circuit Court of Appeals. Any notice of appeal pursuant to Fed. R. App. P. 4(a)(1) 

should not be filed until entry of the District Court’s judgment. The parties shall have 

fourteen days from the date of service of a copy of this recommendation within which to 

file specific written objections with the Court. See 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1); Fed. R. Civ. P. 

6, 72. Thereafter, the parties have fourteen days within which to file a response to the 

objections. Failure to file timely objections to the Magistrate Judge’s Report and 

Recommendation may result in the acceptance of the Report and Recommendation by the

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District Court without further review. Failure to file timely objections to any factual 

determinations of the Magistrate Judge may be considered a waiver of a party’s right to 

appellate review of the findings of fact in an order or judgment entered pursuant to the 

Magistrate Judge’s recommendation. See United States v. Reyna-Tapia, 328 F.3d 

1114, 1121 (9th Cir. 2003); Robbins v. Carey, 481 F.3d 1143, 1146-47 (9th Cir. 2007). 

Dated this 25th day of January, 2017. 

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