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 a nd i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by9th C i r . R . 36- 3. T he H onor abl e J ohn R . G i bs on, S e ni orU ni t e d S t a t e s C i r c ui tJ udge f or ** the E i ghth C i r c ui t , s i tt i ng byde s i gna t i on. 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 R OB E R T E VE R E T T J OH NS ON , P e titio n e r- A p p e lla n t, v. CLA U D E E. FI N N ; BI LL LO CK Y ER, A tto rn e yG e n e r a l, R esp o n d en t s - A p p el l ees. N o. 06- 17042 D. C . No . C V- 0 5 - 0 0 3 8 5 - GG H 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 D a vi d F . L e vi , 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 S e pt e m be r24, 2007 S ubm i s s i on V a c a t e d J ul y16, 2010 R e s ubm i tt e d S e pt e m be r2, 2010 S a n F r a n c is c o , C a lif

o rn ia B efo re: G IB S O N , B E R Z O N , an dB E A , C i rcu i tJu d g es. ** C alifo rn ia state p riso n erR o b er t E . Jo h n so n ap p ea ls fr o m th e d istrict co u rt’s j udgm e nttha tde ni e d hi s 28 U . S . C . § 2254 habe a s pe t i t i on. I n 1977, J ohns on 

# FI LED SEP 03 2010 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALST h e p a rtie s d is a g r e e ab o u t th e le n g th o f J o h n s o n ’s s e n te n c e . T h e S ta te 1 c ont e nds J ohns on i s s e rvi ng as e nt e nc e of tw e nty - f i ve y e a r s t o l i f

e , w hi l e J ohns on c ont e nds he i s s e rvi ng as e nt e nc e of s e ve n y e a r s t o l i f

e . T hi s di s put e doe s not af fe ctou r anal ys i s bec ause John son h as al re ady s erved m ore than tw enty- fi ve ye ar s i n p r i s o n . Th u s , f

o rth e p u rp o s e o f

th i s me mo r a n d u m d i s p o s i t i o n , w e a s s u me John son w as se nt ence d t o seven ye ar s t o l i fe . 2 pl e a de d gui l tyt o m ur de ri n the f i r s tde gr e e i n vi ol a t i on of C a l i f orni aP e na l C ode § 187. H e w a s s e nt e nc e d t o s e ve n y e a r s t o l i f e i n pr i s on w i th the pos s i bi l i tyof parol e. In 20 01 , the C al i forni a B oard of P ar ol e H eari ng s ( “ B oard”) grant ed

1 J o h n s o n p a r o le , b u t C a lif o rn iaG o v e rn o rG r e yD a v is r e v e r s e dth e B o a r d ’s d e c is io n . A f te rJ o h n s o n ’s s ta te h ab e a s p e titio n s w e r e d e n ie db yth e S a n D ie g o C o u n ty S u p e r io rC o u rt, C a lif

o rn iaC o u rt o f

A p p e a l, a n dC a lif

o rn iaS u p r e m e C o u rt, John son fi l ed a f

eder al habeas corpus pet i t i on , w hi ch w as deni ed by the di stri ct c ourt . W e ha ve j ur i s di c t i on unde r28 U . S . C . § 2253. W e r e ve r s e a nd r e m a nd. J o h n s o n c o n te n d s th e G o v e rn o r ’s d e n ia l o f p a r o le v io la te dJ o h n s o n ’s r ig h ts unde rthe D ue P r oc e s s C l aus e of the F ourt e e nth A m e ndm e ntbe c aus e the r e w a s not

“ s om e e vi de nc e ” of

hi s f utur e da nge r ous ne s s t o s upportthe G ove rnor ’ s de ni a l of parol e. “ ‘ [S ] om e e vi dence’ of future dangerousness” i s a“ s i ne qua non for deni al of parol e i n C al i forni a. ” H a y w a rd v . M a rs h a ll , 603 F . 3d 546, 562 ( 9th C i r . 2010) (en b an c) (ci t at i o n s o m i tt ed ). A “ p ri so n er’ s ag g rav at ed o ffen se d o es n o test ab l i sh c urr e ntda nge r ous ne s s ‘ unl e s s the r e c or d a l s o e s t abl i s he s tha ts om e thi ng i n the3

pr i s one r ’ s pr e - orpos t - i nc a r c e r a t i on hi s t ory , orhi s orhe rc urr e ntde m e a nora nd m ent al st at e’ supp ort s the i nfer ence of dang er ou snes s. ” I d. ( quot i ng In re L aw re nce , 19 0 P . 3d 53 5, 55 5 (C al . 20 08 )) . W hen a st at e c ou rtdeni es habeas re l i ef to as ta te p r is o n e rw h o w a s d e n ie dp a r o le b a s e ds o le lyo n th e c ir c u m s ta n c e s o f h is c om m i tm e ntof

f e ns e , the pr i s one ri s e nt i t l e d t o aw r i tof habe a s c orpus on the gr ound tha t“ the s t a t e c ourtde c i s i on w a s ba s e d on a n unr e a s onabl e de t e rm i na t i on of the fa ct s i n l i gh tof the evi dence. ” C o o ke v . So lis , 60 6 F . 3d 12 06 , 12 16 (9th C i r. 2 0 1 0 ) ( c ita tio n a n d in te rn a l q u o ta tio n m a rk s o m itte d ) ; se e 28 U . S . C . § 2 25 4(d)(2). H e r e , th e la s t r e a s o n e d s ta te c o u rt d e c is io n— th e d e c is io n o f th e C a lif

o rn ia C ourtof A ppe a l

— de ni e d J ohns on’ s s t a t e habe a s c l a i m on the gr ound tha tthe ci rcu m st an ces o f th e co m m i tm en to ffen se— th e facti tw as p rem ed i t at ed , cal l o u s, and h ei no us— prov i ded som e e vi dence t o sup po rtthe G ov erno r’ s c on cl usi on that J ohns on “ w oul d r e pr e s e nta n unr e a s onabl e thr e a tt o publ i c s a f e tyi f r e l e a s e d. ” B ut th e c ir c u m s ta n c e s o f

th e c o m m itm e n t o f

f e n s e “c a n n o t, s ta n d in g a lo n e , c o n s titu te the re qu i si t e e vi dence of curr entdang er ou snes s. ” C oo ke , 606 F . 3d a t1216. T he G ove rnorpr ovi de d tw o a ddi t i ona l r e a s ons f orthe de ni a l of

pa r ol e : ( 1) J o h n s o n ’s “u n s tab le s o c ia l h is to ry ,” a n d( 2 ) h is f a ilu r e “to ta k e f

u ll r e s p o n s ib ility for hi s r ol e” i n the m urder. H ow ever , these re as on s, t o the ext entthey are4

s upport e d bythe r e c or d, a r e i ns uf f i c i e ntt o pr ovi de s om e e vi de nc e of c urr e nt d an g ero u sn ess. F i rs t , the G ov erno r f

ou nd John son “ ha[d] an un st abl e s oci al hi st ory” base d on hi s hi st ory of drug and al coho l abuse, turbu l entho m e l i fe , and b ehavi oral p r o b le m s th a t r e q u ir e d p s y c h o lo g ic a l tr e a tm e n t. J o h n s o n a d m itte da t h is p a r o le hear i ng thathe had a dri nk i ng prob l em atthe t i m e of the m urder. H ow ever , J o h n s o n a l s o h a d b e e n a tt e n d i n g A l c o h o l i c s A n o n y mo u s f o rt e n y e a r s a tth e t i me of hi s pa r ol e he a r i ng. T he r e w a s no e vi de nc e he s t i l l ha d adr i nki ng pr obl e m or th a t h e w a s lik e lyto d e v e lo p ad r in k in g p r o b le m if h e w e r e r e le a s e d . T h e o n ly e v id e n c e o f

d ru g u s e w a s J o h n s o n ’s te s tim o n yth a t h e h a de x p e r im e n te dw ith m ar i j uana w hen h e w as 12 or 13 ye ar s ol d. T hatal coho l and d rug u se evi dence d o e s n o t s u p p o rt a n in f

e r e n c e th a t J o h n s o n w a s d a n g e r o u s th irtyy e a r s la te r . W ith r e s p e c t to J o h n s o n ’s tu rb u le n t h o m e lif e , J o h n s o n ’s f

a th e rw a s a n ab u s iv e a lc o h o lic w ho l ef thi s f am i l y w hen Joh nson w as youn g and John son’ s m other r em arri ed a nothe ra l c ohol i c w ho w a s s hota nd ki l l e d w he n J ohns on w a s 14 y e a r s ol d. B ut J o h n s o n ’s tu rb u le n t h o m e lif e a s ac h ildan da d o le s c e n t is n o t e v id e n c e o f h is c urr e ntda nge r ous ne s s . F i na l l y , the r e i s no e vi de nc e i n the r e c or d tha tJ ohns on r e qui r e d ps y c hol ogi c a l tr e a tm e nta s aj uve ni l e . T hus , the c onc l us i on tha tJ ohns onI n l i ghtof ourhol di ng tha tJ ohns on i s e nt i t l e d t o habe a s r e l i e f ba s e d on the 2 Go v e rn o r ’ s d e n i a l o f

p a r o l e wi th o u ts o m e e v i d e n c e o f f u tu r e d a n g e r o u s n e s s , we n e e d n o t r e a c h th e o th e rc la im s J o h n s o n r a is e s o n ap p e a l. 5 ha s a n “ uns t abl e s oc i a l hi s t ory ” i s notba s e d on “ s om e e vi de nc e ” of hi s c urr e nt d an g ero u sn ess. S e c ond, the G ove rnore xpl a i ne d tha tJ ohns on, a thi s 2001 pa r ol e he a r i ng,

“ att em pt ed t o m i ni m i ze hi s c ul pabi l i ty by s t at i ng thathe tho ug hti tw as ‘ l i ke a g am e’ an d th at h e ‘d id n ’tb eliev e a n y o f it w o u ldh ap p en .’ ” B u t Jo h n so n ’s s t a t e m e nt s w e r e nota n a tt e m ptt o m i ni m i z e hi s c ulpabi l i ty ; he w a s de s c r i bi ng how h e f e l ta tth e t i me h e c o mmi tt e d th e c r i me i n r e s p o n s e t o as p e c i f i c q u e s t i o n f

r o m a m e m b e ro f

th e B o a r d . A s th e B o a r de x p la in e d , “[ J o h n s o n ] s h o w s s ig n s o f r e m o r s e . H e h as i n d i cat ed th ath e u n d erst an d s th e n atu re an dth e m ag n i tu d e o f th e o ffen se a nd a c c e pt s r e s pons i bi l i tyf orthe c r i m i na l be ha vi ora nd ha s ade s i r e t o c ha nge to w a r d s g o o d c itiz e n s h ip .” T h u s , th e G o v e rn o r ’s f in d in g th a t J o h n s o n f

a ile d“to t a ke f ul l r e s pons i bi l i tyf

orhi s r ol e ” i n the m ur de ri s uns upport e d bythe r e c or d. T he r e f or e , w e r e ve r s e the di s tr i c tc ourta nd r e m a nd w i th i ns truc t i ons t o gr a nt th e w r it. 2 RE V E RS E D a n d RE MAND E D.