D A 0 8

- 0 3 5 9

I N T H E S U P R E M E C O U

R T O F T H E S T

A T E O F M O N T

A N A

2 0 0 9 M T 1 8 3 N

C O D Y W I L L I A M M A R B L E

,

P e t i t i o n e r a n d A p p e l l a n t

,

v

.

S T A T E O F M O N T

A N A

,

R e s p o n d e n t a n d A p p e l l e e

.

A P P E A L F R O M : D i s t r i c t C o u r t o f t h e F o u r

t h J u d i c i a l D i s t r i c t

, I n a n d F o r t h e C o u

n t y o f M i s s o u l a

, C a

u s e N o

. D V

- 2 0 0 6

- 1 2 0 0

H o n o r a b l e D o u g l a s G

. H a r k i

n

, P r e s i d i n g J u d g e

C O U N S E L O F R E C O R D :

F o r A p p e l l a n t :

C o d y W i l l i a m M a r

b l e ( S e l f

- R e p r e s e n t e d )

, D e e r L o d g e

, M o n t a n a

F o r A p p e l l e e :

S t e v e B u l l o c k

, M o n t a n a A t t o r n e y G e n e r a l

, D e b o r a h F

. B u t l e r

, A s s i s t a n t

A t t o r n e y G e n e r a l

, H e l e n a

, M o n t a n a

F r e d V a n V a l k e n b u r g

, M i s s o u l a C o u n t y A t t o r n e y

, D o r o t h y B r o w n l o w

, D e p u t y C o u

n t y A t t o r n e y

, M i s s o u l a

, M o n t a n a

S u b m i t t e d o n B r i e f

s : M a y 1 3

, 2 0 0 9

D e c i d e d : M a y 2 7

, 2 0 0 9

F i l e d :

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ C l e r k May 27 20092

Justice James C. Nelson delivered the Opinion of the Court.

¶ 1 P u r s u a n t t o S e c t i o n I

, P a r a g r a p h 3 ( d ) ( v

)

, M o n t a n a S u p r e m e C o u r t 1 9 9 6 I n t e r n a l

O p e r a t i n g R

u l e s

, a s a m e n d e d i n 2 0 0 3

, t h e f o l l o w i n g m e m o r a n d u m d e c i s i o n s h a l l n o t b e

c i t e d a s p r e c e d e n t

. I

t s h a l l b e f

i l e d a s a p u b l i c d o c

u m e n t w i t h t h e C l e r k o f t h e S u p r e m e

C o u r t a n d i t s c a s e t i t l e

, S u p r e m e C o u r t c a u s e n u m b e r

, a n d d i s p o s i t i o n s h a l l b e i n c l u d e d i n

t h i s C o u r t ' s q u a r t erly list of noncitable cases published in the Pacific Reporter and

Montana Reports.

¶ 2 C o d y M a r

b l e

, a p p e a r i n g s e l f

- r e p r e s e n t e d

, a p p e a

l s f r o m t h e O r d e r a n d

Memorandum of the Fourth Judicial District Court, Missoula County, d e n y i n g M a r

b l e ’ s

p e t i t i o n f o r p o s t c o n v

i c t i o n r e l i e f

. M a r b l e w a s c o n v

i c t e d i n N o v

e m b e r 2 0 0 2 o f s e x

u a l

i n t e r c o u r s e w i t h o u

t c o n s e n t

, a n d w e a f

f i r m e d h i s c o n v i c t i o n o n d i r e c t a p p e a l i n S t a t e v

.

M a r b l e , 2005 MT 208, 328 Mont. 223, 119 P.3d 88.

¶ 3 M a r

b l e t h e n f i l e d a p e t i t i o n f

o r p o s t c o n v

i c t i o n r e l i e f

, s e t t i n g f o r t h t h r e e g

r o u n d s

f o r r e l i e f : ( 1 ) i n e f f e c t i v e a s s i s t a n c e o f t r i a l c o u n s e l

, ( 2 ) n e w l y d i s c o v e r e d e v i d e n c e t h a t a

v i d e o t a p e u s e d a t t r i a l w a s t a m p e r e d w i t h a

n d / o r o t h e r w i s e f a i l e d c h a i n

- o f

- c u s t o d y

s a f e g u a r d s

, a n d ( 3 ) p r o s e c u t o r i a l m i s c o n d u c t

. The District Court thoroughly analyzed

each of these claims and concluded as follows. First, the court concluded that Marble

h a d f a i l e d t o e s t a

b l i s h e d t h a

t h i s c o u n s e l ’ s p e r f

o r m a n c e f

e l l b e l o w a n o b

j e c t i v e s t a n d a r d

o f r e a s o n a b l e n e s s i n a n y o f t h e 2 1 i n s t a n c e s c i t e d b y M a r b l e

, m u c h l e s s t h a t a n y d e f

i c i e n t

p e r f o r m a n c e p r e

j u d i c e d h i s d e f

e n s e

. S e c o n d

, t h e c o u r t c o n c l u d e d t h a t M a r b l e h a d n o t

m e t h i s b u r d e n o f s h o w i n g b y a p r e p o n d e r a n c e o f t h e e v

i d e n c e t h a t t h e v

i d e o t a p e w a s

a l t e r e d

, t a m

p e r e d w i t h

, o r f

a i l e d t o m e e t b a s i c c h a i n

- o f

- c u s t o d y r e q u i r e m e n t s

. L a s t l y

, t h e3

court concluded that t w o o f M a r b l e ’ s p r o s e c u t o r i a l m

i s c o n d u c t c l a i m s c o u l d h a v e b e e n

r a i s e d o n d i r e c t a p p e a

l a n d

, t h u s

, w e r e p r o c e d

u r a l l y b a r r e d

. T h e c o u r

t f u r t h e r c o n c l u d e d

t h a t M a r b l e had failed t o identify any facts supporting his other prosecutorial misconduct

claims (namely, that the prosecutor “secreted” two witnesses from the defense, and that

the prosecutor knew that her witnesses were “inclined to lie, on the stand, at trial”).

¶ 4 O n a p p e a l

, M a r

b l e c o n t e n d s t h a t t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r

t e r r e d i n d e n y i n g h i s p e t i t i o n f o r

p o s t c o n v i c t i o n r e l i e f o n h i s c l a i m s o f i n e f f e c t i v e a s s i s t a n c e o f c o u n s e l

, n e w l y d i s c o v e r e d

e v i d e n c e

, a n d p r o s e c u

t o r i a l misconduct. In response, the State addresses the merits of

these claims and also points out repeatedly, and correctly, t h a t M a r b l e ’ s a p p e l l a t e b r i e f

s

l a r g e l y f a i l t o c o m

p l y w i t h M

. R

. A

p p

. P. 12(1)f. in that Marble does not a dvance

argument or author ity in support of his position.

¶ 5 W e h a v

e d e t e r m i n e d t o d e c i d e t h i s c a s e p u r s u a n t t o S e c t i o n I

, P a r a g r a p h 3 ( d ) o f

o u r 1 9 9 6 I

n t e r n a l O p e r a t i n g R

u l e s

, a s a m e n d e d i n 2 0 0 3

, w h i c h p r o v

i d e s f o r

memorandum opinions. Having reviewed the record, the District Court’s order, and the

parties ’ b r i e f

s

, w e c o n c l u d e t

h a t t h e l e g a l i s s u e s a r e c l e a r l y c o n t r o l l e d b y s e t t l e d M o n t a n a

l a w

, w h i c h t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r

t c o r r e c t l y i n t e r

p r e t e d a n d a p p l i e d

.

¶ 6 A f f i r m e d

.

/ S / J A M E S C

. N E L S O N

W e C o n c u r :

/ S / P A T R I C I A C O T T E R

/ S / J I M R I C E

/ S / B R I A N M O R R I S

/ S / J O H N W A R N E R