Source: https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/498/433/
Timestamp: 2019-04-25 17:54:01+00:00

Document:
At the time that they were charged with several murders, petitioner Burden and his nephew, Henry Dixon, were both represented by attorney Kondritzer. A different attorney represented Burden at his trial. However, Dixon was never indicted, and he provided the sole evidence linking Burden to the murders. Both Dixon and the prosecutor acknowledged that Dixon testified under a grant of immunity, a fact credited by the trial court in its mandatory post-trial report. Burden was convicted and exhausted his state remedies. Subsequently, he filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in the Federal District Court, alleging that he did not receive effective assistance of counsel because his counsel counsel labored under a conflict of interest. The court denied relief on the ground that he had not shown an adverse impact on the representation of his counsel, and the Court of Appeals affirmed. That court rejected Burden's argument that his interest was adversely affected by Kondritzer's negotiation of an immunity agreement for Dixon, finding that there was no evidence that Dixon testified under such an agreement.
Held: In rejecting Burden's conflict of interest claim, the Court of Appeals improperly failed to give a presumption of correctness to a state court factual finding as required by 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d). A habeas court may not disregard the presumption unless it expressly finds that one of the enumerated exceptions to § 2254(d). A habeas court may not disregard the presumption unless it expressly finds that one of the enumerated exceptions to § 2254(d) is met, and it explains the reasoning in support of its conclusion. See Sumner v. Mata, 449 U. S. 539, 498 U. S. 549, 498 U. S. 551. However, the Court of Appeals neither mentioned the trial court's finding that Dixon received immunity nor explained why the finding was not entitled to a presumption of correctness. Respondent's contention that Burden waived reliance on § 2254(d) in the Court of Appeals by failing to sufficiently emphasize the trial court's finding mischaracterizes the record, since the immunity agreement was the central fact supporting his conflict of interest claim.
of correctness to a state court factual finding, in violation of 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d). We agree, and accordingly the motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis and the petition for a writ of certiorari are granted.
Dixon on the murder charges, he reached "an understanding" with the district attorney that "as long as [Dixon] testified [against petitioner], nothing would happen to him." Civ. Action No. 88-6-3-MAC (MD Ga., Sept. 20, 1989), p. 4. The District Court nevertheless concluded that petitioner had received representation free from a conflict of interest.
"the conflict never became actual in the sense that Kondritzer's representation of Dixon's interests required him to compromise [petitioner's] interests."
"[T]he assumption that Dixon received a grant of transactional immunity, negotiated by Kondritzer and the prosecutor in exchange for Dixon's testimony against [petitioner], is without factual support. . . . There is no documentary evidence of any sort that attests to Dixon's having received immunity. . . . Thus, [petitioner] can no longer base his conflict-of-interest claim on the mistaken assumption that the attorney representing him obtained or attempted to obtain immunity for one client in exchange for testimony that was instrumental in the conviction of another."
"presumed to be correct" for purposes of a federal habeas corpus proceeding. See 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d). [Footnote 3] A habeas court may not disregard this presumption unless it expressly finds that one of the enumerated exceptions to § 2254(d) is met, and it explains the reasoning in support of that conclusion. See Sumner v. Mata, 449 U. S. 539, 449 U. S. 549, 551 (1981). The Court of Appeals did not even mention the trial court's finding that Dixon received immunity, much less explain why that finding is not entitled to a presumption of correctness.
Respondent maintains that petitioner "waived" reliance on § 2254(d) in the Court of Appeals by failing sufficiently to emphasize the trial court's finding that Dixon received immunity. This contention mischaracterizes the record. In his first brief to the Court of Appeals, before remand, petitioner repeatedly stated, in support of his conflict-of-interest argument, that Dixon had testified under a grant of immunity. See Brief for Petitioner-Appellant in No. 88-8619 (CA11), pp. 5, 6, 8, 11, 13-14, 15, 17, 22, 23. Indeed, that factual assertion was the crux of petitioner's argument. In his supplemental letter brief after remand, the immunity agreement was again the central fact supporting his conflict-of-interest claim. The brief began by stating that petitioner did not understand why there was a dispute over Dixon's immunity, since the state trial judge had specifically found that Dixon had testified under a grant of immunity. Letter Memorandum for Petitioner-Appellant in No. 888619 (CA11), p. l; see also id. at p. 9. Petitioner then asserted that the state court's finding was "entitled to the presumption of correctness."
Ibid. Thus, it seems clear that petitioner adequately raised the argument below.
In response to the question, "[H]ave you been promised anything for your testimony today?," Dixon stated, "Immunity." Record, Respondent's Exh. 1G, p. 649 (trial transcript). The prosecutor likewise acknowledged to the jury, "[W]e may have offered [Dixon] immunity. I think you realize that we did. I'll tell you that we did." Record, Respondent's Exh. 11, p. 911 (trial transcript).
"Dixon was granted immunity from prosecution and the jury was properly informed of this fact and an appropriate charge was given by the court to the jury."
"In any proceeding instituted in a Federal court by an application for a writ of habeas corpus by a person in custody pursuant to the judgment of a State court, a determination after a hearing on the merits of a factual issue, made by a State court of competent jurisdiction in a proceeding to which the applicant for the writ and the State or an officer or agent thereof were parties, evidenced by a written finding, written opinion, or other reliable and adequate written indicia, shall be presumed to be correct. . . ."

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