T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on and i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by 9th C i r . R . 36- 3. NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T J I M M Y M AG EE , P e titio n e r- A p p e lla n t, v. K A TH Y M EN D O ZA - PO W ERS, R es po nd ent- A pp el l ee . N o. 08- 17337 D . C . N o. 1: 06 -c v-01 30 4-A W IG SA ME MOR AN DU M *

A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f o rth e E a s te rn D is tr ic t o f C a lif o rn ia A nthony W . I s hi i , C hi e f D i s tr i c tJ udge , P r e s i di ng A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d O c t obe r4, 2010 S a n F r a n c is c o , C a lif

o rn ia B efo re: H U G , R Y M E R an d N . R . S M IT H , C i rcu i tJu d g es. J i m m y M a ge e appe a l s the di s tr i c tc ourt ’ s de ni a l of hi s habe a s c orpus pe t i t i on u n d e r2 8 U . S. C. § 2 2 5 4 . W e a f f i rm. I 

# FI LED OC T 22 2010 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

T he C al i forni a C ou rtof A pp ea l ’ s det erm i nat i on thatM agee w as no tdeni ed hi s S i xth A m endm entri gh t s, because hi s tri al coun se l decl i ned t o i m peac h p r o s e c u tio n w itn e s s M a r le n aB ru c e , w a s n e ith e rc o n tr a ry to , n o ra n u n r e a s o n ab le appl i c a t i on of

, S upr e m e C ourtpr e c e de nt . M a ge e f a i l e d t o s how pr e

j udi c e by de m ons tr a t i ng tha t , butf orhi s c ouns e l ’ s purport e dl y de f i c i e ntpe r f

orm a nc e , the r e s u lt o f h is c r im in a l tr ia l w o u ld h a v e b e e n d if f e r e n t. See Stri cklan d v. W as hi ngton , 4 6 6 U .S . 6 6 8 , 6 9 4 ( 1 9 8 4 ) . F ir s t, th e e v id e n c e o f

f e r e d a t tr ia l w a s e ith e rin d e p e n d e n tly s u f f ic ie n t to c o n v ic t o rs ig n if

ic a n tly c o rr o b o r a te d B ru c e ’s te s tim o n y . I n d e e d , th e e v id e n c e in s upportof

c ountone ( a r s on of

pr ope rty ) a nd c ounttw o ( pos s e s s i on/m a nuf a c tur e of f l a m m abl e m a t e r i a l s w i th i nt e ntt o s e taf i r e ) w a s ove rw he l m i ng. T he pr os e c ut i on pres ent ed four w i tness es (a si de fr om B ruce ) w ho t es t i fi ed that : (1) M agee vi si t ed the vi ct i m s’ re si dence earl i eri n the eveni ng and caused a di sturbance; (2) M agee threa t ened the vi ct i m s over the ph on e s ho rt l y bef ore the ar son; (3) M agee pu rc hase d g as ol i ne and K i ng C ob ral i qu or fr om a s t ore nearthe vi ct i m s’ re si dence; a n d ( 4 ) th e in c e n d ia ry d e v ic e w a s m a d e w ith aK in g C o b r ab o ttle , f ille d w ith g as o li n e, an d ig n it ed w ith a w ickco n sistin g o f m ater ial th at m atch ed M ag ee ’s s hi rt , w hi c h w a s m i s s i ng both s l e e ve s . M a ge e hi m s e l f a dm i tt e d t o a r gui ng w i th the vi ct i m s on the ph on e and vi si t i ng thei r r es i dence t o d em and thaton e of them3

“ com e out ” and confronthi m . E ven w i tho utB ruce ’ s t es t i m on y, the j ury had m ore th a n s u f f ic ie n t e v id e n c e to c o n v ic t. A l though B ruc e ’ s t e s t i m ony w a s m or e s i gni f i c a ntt o c ountthr e e ( m a ki ng cr im in al th re ats) , h ertestim o n y w as co rr o b o ra ted b y o th erw itn es se s’ an d M ag ee ’s ow n t es t i m on y that(1) M agee w as un der the i nfl uence of al coho l and d rugs that eveni ng ; (2) M agee caused di sturbances and m ade s i m i l arthrea t s t o the other vi c t i m s ; ( 3) M a ge e w a s s t a y i ng a tB ruc e ’ s hous e a nd us e d he rt e l e phone ; a nd ( 4) B ru c e “p u t [ M a g e e ] o u t” a f te rh e s m o k e d m a r iju a n aa n d a s k e d to u s e h e rp h o n e in the m i ddl e of

the ni ght . I n l i ghtof

thi s e vi de nc e , i ti s doubt f ul tha ti ntr oduc t i on of an un re l at ed m i sdem eano r c on vi ct i on w ou l d h ave di m i ni shed the j ury’ s c on fi dence i n B ruce ’ s t es t i m on y thatM agee threa t ened her. II F u rth er, th e st at e co u rt ’ s d et erm i n at i o n th atth ere w as n o co n fl i cto f i n t erest w a s n o t a n o b

je c tiv e ly u n r e a s o n ab le ap p lic a tio n o f S u p r e m e C o u rt p r e c e d e n t. M a g e e f a ile d to e s tab lis h a n a c tu a l c o n f lic t b y s h o w in g ( 1 ) h is “c o u n s e l a c tiv e ly r e p r e s e n te d c o n f

lic tin g in te r e s ts ,” a n d ( 2 ) th e “c o n f lic t o f in te r e s t a d v e r s e ly af fe ct ed hi s l aw ye r’ s per form ance . ” C uy le rv . Sul l i v an , 44 6 U . S . 33 5, 35 0 (19 80 ). F ir s t, M a g e e ’s a tto rn e y w a s n o t a c tiv e ly r e p r e s e n tin g c o n f lic tin g in te r e s ts b e c au s e ( 1 ) h e n e v e rr e p r e s e n te d B ru c e p e r s o n a lly , ( 2 ) h e d id n o t h a v e a c c e s s to4

B ruc e ’ s c onf

i de nt i a l i nf

orm a t i on, ( 3) hi s of

f i c e no l onge rha d an a c t i ve f i l e on B ru c e , ( 4 ) th e a tto rn e y w h o r e p r e s e n te d B ru c e n o lo n g e rw o rk e d f o rth e p u b lic d e f e n d e r ’s o f

f ic e , a n d ( 5 ) B ru c e h a d c o m p le te d h e rp r o b a tio n b e f o r e M a g e e ’s tr ia l. M oreover, any purpo rt ed succ es si ve confl i ctof i nt er es tprob l em di d n otconfl i ct w ith S u p r e m e C o u rt p r e c e d e n t. See 2 8 U .S .C . § 2 2 5 4 ( d ) ( 1 ) ; W ri gh t v. V an P at ten , 552 U . S . 120, 126 ( 2008) ( w he n S upr e m e C ourt“ c a s e s gi ve no c l e a ra ns w e rt o the qu es t i on pres ent ed, . . . i tcann otbe sa i d thatthe st at e c ou rtun re as on abl y app l i ed c le a r ly e s tab lis h e d F e d e r a l la w ” ( in te rn a l q u o ta tio n m a rk s a n d c ita tio n s o m itte d ) ) . L a s t l y , i tw a s notobj e c t i ve l y unr e a s onabl e f orthe s t a t e appe l l a t e c ourtt o c onc l ude th atco u n sel ’ s v i ew o n th e ad m i ssi b i l i ty o f th e m i sd em ean o r co n v i ct i o n w as a m is u n d e r s ta n d in g o f

th e la w r a th e rth a n th e r e s u lt o f lin g e r in g s o lic itu d e to B ru c e . AF F I RME D.