Pursuant to5 T H C IR . R . 47 .5, the court has determined thatthi sopinion should not * be publishe d and is not precedent except under the limited circu mstance s set forth in 5 T H C IR . R. 47.5 .4. 

### INTHE UNITED S TATESCOU RT OFAPPEALS

FORTHEFIFTH CIRCU IT

N o. 08- 70037 JOSE PH D AN I EL BU RN S Pet i t i o ne r - Appe l l ant
v. CHR I S T OP HERB E P P S , C OMM I SS I ON ER, M I SS I S S I P P IDE PAR T M ENTOF CO RR EC TI O N S R espon den t - A pp el l ee

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rom t h e U n i t ed S t ates D i st ri ctC ou rt fo rth e N o r th e r n D is tr ic t o f M is s is s ip p i U S D C N o . 1 :04 C V 3 1 8 -P -D B ef ore D AV IS, G A R Z A , an d P R A D O , C i rcui tJu dg es. P E R C U R IA M: * J ose p h D a n i el B u rn s w a s con victedof ca p i tal m u rd er a n dsen ten cedto deat h i n M i ss i ss i ppi . The fede r aldi st r i c tc our tdeni ed hi s pet i t i on f orhabeas rel i ef pur s uantt o 2 8 U . S. C. § 2 25 4. Bur ns no w s e e ks aCer t i f i c at e of A ppeal abi l i t y (“ C O A” ) t o a ppealt he di str i c tcour t ’ s r es ol ut i on o f hi s c l ai m s t hat ( 1) t he s t at e v i o l at e d hi s F i f t h and Sixth Am e ndm e ntr i ght s w he n ito bt ai ne d a h an dw rit i n g exem pl ar f rom hi m t h rough “t ri ckery” an d ( 2) h is t ri alcoun sel provi ded const i t u t i on al l y i n ef fect ive assi st an ce. United States Court of App eals Fifth Circuit 

### F I L E D Aug ust21, 2009 Cha rl es R. F ulb ru g e II I ClerkN o. 08- 70037

2 To qua l i f

y f o ra CO A, ape t i t i o ne rm us tm ak e a“ s ubs t ant i als ho w i ng o f t he d en i a lof acon sti tu ti on a lri gh t. ” 2 8 U . S . C . § 22 5 3 (c) (2). AC O Ai s ap p rop ri a te w h en “reas on a b l e j u ri sts cou l dde b a te w h eth er (or f or th a t m a tter, ag ree tha t) t h e petit i on shou l d h ave been resolvedin a d i f ferent m an n er or tha tt h e i ssues p r e s e n te dw e r e a d e q u a te to d e s e rv e e n c o u r a g e m e n t t o p r o c e e dfu r th e r .” Slack v. McD an i el , 5 29 U . S. 4 73 , 484 ( 20 00 ) (i nt e r nalq uo t at i o n m ar ks o m i t t e d) . The rel evan tqu est i on i s t h e “ deb atabi l i t y of t h e u n derl yi n g constit u t i on alcl ai m , not th e res o lu tio n o f th a t de b a te. ” Miller -E l v. Co ck re ll , 5 3 7 U .S . 3 2 2 , 3 4 2 (20 0 3 ). In ca p ita l ca s e s , w e r e s o lv e a n yd o u b ts a s to w h e th e raC O As h o u ldis s u e in fa v o ro f th e p e tit io n e r . Pi ppi n v. D r e t ke , 4 3 4 F .3d7 8 2 , 7 8 7 (5t h C ir. 2 0 0 5 ). Th e di st r i c tc our tdi sm i ss ed Bu r ns’c l ai m s i n a c om pre hensive 31- p age o p in io n . Se eBur nsv . Epps , 20 0 8 W L 38 7 1 7 2 7 (N . D . M i ss. A u gu st 14 , 20 0 8 ). In h i s i n st an tm ot i on f

or a C O A , B u rns fai l s t o substanti al l y respond t o t h e di st ri ct co u r t ’s a n a lys is a n din ste a dre iter a te s h is in iti a l ar g u m e n ts fo r h a b e a s r e li e f. A ft er review i n g t h e record , w e ag ree w i thdistri ct cou rt’ s op i n i on an dad op t its a n a ly s is infu ll. Spe c i f i c all y, w e ho l d the f

o l l o w i ng: Fi r s t , t he t ak i ng o f Bur ns ’ha ndwrit i ng e x e m p la rd idn o t im p lic a te h is F if t h o rS i x th A m e n d m e n t r ig h ts . G i l be r tv. Ca lif o rn ia , 3 88 U . S. 2 63 , 2 66–6 7 ( 19 67 ) . Se c on d, Bur ns ha s no ts t at e d a pl ausibl e c l a i m fori nef fec t ive as si st anceof c ounse lw i t h re gar d t o the t r i al c our t ’ s fai l ure t o r ec or d c er t ai n benc h co nfer enc es , as B urns has fai l ed t o a l l ege a n y s p e c ific p r eju d ic e . S ee G ree n v. Joh n son , 160 F. 3d 1029, 1042 ( 5t h C i r . 1998) ( “M ere c on cl u sory al l egati on s i n sup port of a cl ai m of

i n ef fect ive assist an ce of c o uns e la r e i ns uf

f i c i e ntt o r ai s e ac o ns t i t ut i o nali s s ue . ” ) . Thir d, Bur n s’ i n ef fect ive- assi st an ce c l ai m w i t h regard t o coun sel’ s fai l u re t o sec u re a p sy ch ological ex p ert m u st also fa i l , as B u rn s h a s fa i l edto spe ci fica l l y in d i ca te w h a t a s s is ta n c e s u c h a n e x p e r t c o u ldh a v e p r o v id e d . S ee Un i t ed S t ate s v. G ree n , 8 8 2 F . 2 d99 9 , 10 0 3 ( 5 th C i r. 19 8 9 ) (“Ade fen d a n t w h o a l l eg es a fa i l u re to i nve s t i ga t e o n the pa r to f hi s c o uns e lm us ta l l e gew i t h spe c i f i c i t y w hatt heN o. 08- 70037

3 i n v e s t i g a t i o n w o u l dh a v e r e v e a l e da n d h o w i tw o u l dh a v e a l t e r e dt h e o u t c o me o f t h e tr ia l.” ). F o u r t h , B u r n s h a s n o tr e b u t t e dth e s t a t e h a b e a s c o u r t ’s determ i n ati on t h at itw as B u rns’deci si on t o f orego presenti n g m i t i gati on e v id e n c e a n d th a t tr ia l c o u n s e l in fo r m e d B u r n s o f th e lik e lyco n s e q u e n c e o f th is d e c is io n . Se eRi c har dsv . Q uar t e r m an , 566 F. 3d 553, 563–64( 5t h C i r . 2009) (“ [T ]he state h a b ea s cou r t’s fac tu a lde term i n a ti on s, i n cl u d i n g it s cred ib i l i ty f i n di n gs, are entit l ed to a presu m pti on of cor rect n ess . . . . ” ) . A ccor di n gl y, B u rns’ in e ffe c tiv e -a s s is ta n c e c la im w ith r e g a r d to m itig a tio n e v id e n c e m u s ta l s o fa il. Sc hr i ro v . Landr iga n , 5 50 U . S. 4 65 , 4 75 –7 6 ( 20 07 ) . Fi nall y, w e no t e t hatBur ns d o e s n o t a tt e m p t t o ch a lle n g e th e d is tr ic t c o u r t’s d e te r m i n a t i o n th a t h is in e ffe c tiv e -a s s is ta n c e cla im w ith re g a r dto w itn e s s J e ff H a l e w a s p r o c e d u r a lly b a r r e d ; a c c o r d in g ly , h e is n o t e n tit l e d t o a C O Ao n th is cla im . Turne rv. Q uar t e r m an , 4 8 1 F .3 d2 9 2 , 3 0 1 (5 th C ir . 2 0 0 7 ). In su m , B u rn s h a s n ot d em on strate d th a t rea son a b l e j u ri sts cou l dde b a te th e re s o l u tio n o f h is u n d e r ly in gco n s tit u tio n a l cla im s . S ee S lack , 529 U . S. at 4 8 4 . A c c o r d in g ly , th e m o tio n fo raC O Ais D E N IE D .