Source: https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/432/1292/602879/
Timestamp: 2020-07-06 03:42:24
Document Index: 714813727

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 2254', '§ 2253', 'art. 36', '§ 2254', '§ 2254', '§ 2254', '§ 2254', '§ 2254', '§ 2254', '§ 2254', '§ 2254', 'art. 36']

Krishna Maharaj, Petitioner-appellant, v. Secretary for the Department of Corrections, James v. Crosby, Attorney General of Florida, Charlie Crist, Respondents-appellees, 432 F.3d 1292 (11th Cir. 2005) :: Justia
Justia › US Law › Case Law › Federal Courts › Courts of Appeals › Eleventh Circuit › 2005 › Krishna Maharaj, Petitioner-appellant, v. Secretary for the Department of Corrections, James v. Cros...
Krishna Maharaj, Petitioner-appellant, v. Secretary for the Department of Corrections, James v. Crosby, Attorney General of Florida, Charlie Crist, Respondents-appellees, 432 F.3d 1292 (11th Cir. 2005)
US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit - 432 F.3d 1292 (11th Cir. 2005) December 15, 2005
COPYRIGHT MATERIAL OMITTED COPYRIGHT MATERIAL OMITTED COPYRIGHT MATERIAL OMITTED COPYRIGHT MATERIAL OMITTED COPYRIGHT MATERIAL OMITTED Benedict P. Kuehne, Sale & Kuehne, P.A., Miami, FL, Clive A. Smith, New Orleans, LA, for Maharaj.
John David Barker, Miami, FL, for Respondents-Appellees.
Saul P. Morgenstern, Kaye Scholer, LLP, New York City, for Amicus Curiae.
Krishna Maharaj appeals from the district court's denial of his petition for a writ of habeas corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254 claiming that the state prosecutor's office improperly withheld Brady material, that he received ineffective assistance of counsel, and that he was denied his rights under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. The Florida Supreme Court denied Maharaj's application for post-conviction relief in all respects.
The basic facts and procedural history are straightforward. A state-court jury in Miami-Dade County, Florida found Maharaj guilty of two counts of first degree murder, two counts of kidnaping, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm while engaged in a criminal offense, for the shooting deaths of Duane and Derrick Moo Young. Maharaj was sentenced to die for one of the murder counts, to life imprisonment without the possibility for parole for twenty-five years for the second murder count, to two life sentences for the kidnaping counts, and to fifteen years' imprisonment for the firearm count. His convictions and sentences were upheld by the Florida Supreme Court on direct appeal. Maharaj v. State, 597 So. 2d 786 (Fla.1992) ("Maharaj I"). His subsequent request for post-conviction relief was denied by the state trial court, which was, in turn, reversed by the Florida Supreme Court for failing to hold an evidentiary hearing and for failing to recuse in light of an ethical conflict. Maharaj v. State, 684 So. 2d 726 (Fla.1996) ("Maharaj II"). On remand, the trial court denied Maharaj's post-conviction application for relief as to his conviction, but granted his request to vacate the death sentence. Maharaj v. State, 778 So. 2d 944 (Fla.2000) ("Maharaj III"). A new penalty trial was ordered, after which Maharaj was sentenced to life imprisonment on the murder count for which he had previously been sentenced to die.
The facts giving rise to Maharaj's convictions, taken from the three opinions of the Florida Supreme Court and from the testimony presented at his trial, are these. Krishna Maharaj is a British national, born in Trinidad, who was living in South Florida in October of 1986. He owned and operated a newspaper, the Caribbean Times, that catered to the West Indian Community. In the spring of 1986, Maharaj approached Eslee Carberry, the owner of another South Florida community newspaper, the Caribbean Echo, and told Carberry that Derrick Moo Young had stolen money from him. He gave Carberry documents that purported to corroborate his accusations about Derrick Moo Young, and paid the Caribbean Echo a $400 "sponsorship fee" to publish an article detailing the alleged theft.
Maharaj and Butler met at the Dupont on the morning of October 16. Butler gave Dames the keys to his rental car and instructed Dames that he would meet Dames in the lobby at around noon or 1:00 p.m. — which would allow sufficient time to use Dames' room for the 11:00 a.m. meeting with Moo Young. When Derrick Moo Young arrived at the Dupont Plaza Hotel for the meeting, Butler was surprised to see that Moo Young had unexpectedly brought along his son, twenty-three-year-old Duane Moo Young.
The State also presented corroborating testimonial and physical evidence. Loretta Molaskey, a maid at the Dupont Plaza Hotel, testified that she thoroughly cleaned the room where the murders occurred (suite 1215) on the morning of October 16, 1986, and that it appeared as if nobody had slept in the room the night before. She said that at around 12:15 p.m., her boss summoned her to room 1215 where he saw blood on the hallway carpet outside the door. While there, she noticed that the room was double-locked from the inside, preventing her from opening it with the master key, and that there was no "Do Not Disturb" sign on the exterior of the door. Some five to ten minutes later, Molaskey was contacted by hotel security and again asked to return to room 1215. She did, discovering that the door was no longer double-locked and there was a "Do Not Disturb" sign hanging on the exterior doorknob. At the request of the security guard, she opened the door with the master key and discovered the bodies of Derrick and Duane Moo Young.
Other hotel employees testified similarly. Miguel Sueiras, Ms. Molaskey's boss, testified that when he summoned Molaskey to open the door to room 1215, there was blood on the outside carpet, the door was double-locked, and there was no "Do Not Disturb" sign hanging on the doorknob. Jorge Aparicio, a security guard at the Dupont, testified that he too noticed blood outside room 1215, and when he asked whether everyone inside was all right, someone inside answered that everything was fine. He also noticed that there was no "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door at that time.
The State also presented a fingerprint expert who testified that Maharaj's fingerprints were found in approximately twelve places in room 1215, including on the "Do Not Disturb" sign that was found on the exterior doorknob when the room was opened, on the exterior portion of the entrance door, on the interior bathroom door and doorframe, on the top of the bureau, on a soda can found on the bureau, on the telephone and television, on the bottom of a glass tabletop, on a piece of paper left in an ashtray, on two newspapers, and on the torn plastic packages for the immersion cords.
Maharaj commenced his federal habeas petition after the effective date of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 ("AEDPA"), Pub. L. No. 104-132, 110 Stat. 1214 (1996), and, therefore, the provisions of that Act govern this appeal. Wade v. Battle, 379 F.3d 1254, 1259 (11th Cir. 2004). Under AEDPA, Petitioner was required to obtain a Certificate of Appealability ("COA") before he could appeal the district court's decision. See 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c) (1) (A). A COA must be specific in detailing the issues appropriate for appeal, and "appellate review is limited to the issues specified in the COA." Murray v. United States, 145 F.3d 1249, 1251 (11th Cir. 1998).
In the initial order denying habeas relief, the district court listed five issues as being worthy of appeal: 1) whether the State prejudicially suppressed discoverable Brady material by not disclosing the report of Neville Butler's polygraph examination; 2) whether the State prejudicially suppressed discoverable Brady material by not allowing access to or disclosing the contents of the victims' briefcase; 3) whether the State prejudicially suppressed discoverable Brady material by not disclosing any knowledge of or information in its control regarding the victims' life insurance policies; 4) whether Petitioner's trial counsel was constitutionally ineffective for not investigating allegations of pending charges and outstanding warrants against Petitioner in England before advising his client not to testify during the guilt phase of his trial; and 5) whether, in light of recent opinions of the International Court of Justice ("I.C.J."), a federal court has jurisdiction to determine, on the merits, whether the State violated Petitioner's right to consular notification despite the Florida Supreme Court's finding that Maharaj had procedurally defaulted this claim by failing to raise it on direct appeal. The district court subsequently entered an amended COA, adding a sixth issue: whether Maharaj was prejudiced by the alleged Brady violations, when considered individually or in concert.
After his appeal was filed in this Court, indeed after briefing was complete and an oral argument date had been scheduled, Petitioner asked us to stay consideration of the case pending resolution of a motion he filed in state court on September 2, 2005. The state court motion seeks post-conviction relief on the ground that Maharaj's rights under the Vienna Convention were violated when the arresting officers failed to inform him that he could contact the British consulate. Although the claim was previously presented in the state post-conviction proceedings, it was never considered on the merits because Maharaj failed to raise it on direct appeal. See Maharaj III, 778 So. 2d at 959 (holding that because Maharaj did not raise the Vienna Convention claim on direct appeal, Florida law procedurally barred him from doing so in post-conviction proceedings).
Rarely are we asked to stay appellate proceedings in deference to concurrent state litigation. However, in providing guidance to the district courts, where this situation arises more frequently, we have looked to the Supreme Court's decision in Colorado River Water Conservation Dist. v. United States, 424 U.S. 800, 96 S. Ct. 1236, 47 L. Ed. 2d 483 (1976). See Moorer v. Demopolis Waterworks & Sewer Bd., 374 F.3d 994, 997 (11th Cir. 2004) (noting that " [t]he Colorado River doctrine of exceptional circumstances authorizes a federal district court to dismiss or stay an action when there is ongoing parallel action in state court") (internal quotation marks and citation omitted); see also Currie v. Group Ins. Comm'n, 290 F.3d 1, 9-13 (1st Cir. 2002) (analyzing the Colorado River factors in deciding whether it should stay a case currently on appeal in deference to concurrent state litigation). In Colorado River, the Supreme Court cautioned that federal courts have a "virtually unflagging obligation . . . to exercise the jurisdiction given them" and that a federal case should be dismissed in deference to a state proceeding in only the most "exceptional" of circumstances. 424 U.S. at 817-18, 96 S. Ct. at 1246.
TranSouth Fin. Corp. v. Bell, 149 F.3d 1292, 1294-95 (11th Cir. 1998) (summarizing the factors set forth by the Supreme Court in Colorado River and Moses H. Cone Mem'l Hosp. v. Mercury Constr. Co., 460 U.S. 1, 103 S. Ct. 927, 74 L. Ed. 2d 765 (1983)). The decision of whether to stay a case, however, does not rest on a mechanical checklist, and the weight of each factor will vary from case to case. Moorer, 374 F.3d at 997 (noting that " [o]ne factor alone can be the sole motivating reason for the abstention").
Maharaj relies on three points in explaining why a stay would be appropriate here: 1) the I.C.J.'s opinion in Case Concerning Avena and Other Mexican Nationals (Mexico v. United States), 2004 I.C.J. 12 (Mar. 31); 2) a memorandum from President Bush to the Attorney General on February 28, 2005; and 3) the Supreme Court's recent order in Medellin v. Dretke, ___ U.S. ___, 125 S. Ct. 2088, 161 L. Ed. 2d 982 (2005). Petitioner suggests that he was never informed of his right to contact the British consulate after his arrest, in violation of the Vienna Convention, and that the state courts should have considered the merits of his claim, irrespective of the procedural bar. That is the argument he makes in his newly filed state-court motion and the same one he now contends should cause us to stay these proceedings. Application of the standards generally used in determining the wisdom of a stay yields the conclusion that we should go forward with Maharaj's appeal now.
To begin with, both the United States and the United Kingdom are parties to the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Article 36 of the Vienna Convention provides that upon arrest, a foreign national has the right to contact the consular post of his home country, and that the arresting authorities must inform the detainee of that right. Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, art. 36(1) (b), Apr. 24, 1963, 21 U.S.T. 77, 101, T.I.A.S. No. 6820.2 Once a detainee is informed of his right to contact the local consulate's office, the arresting authorities must forward any desired communications to that foreign office. Id.
The Optional Protocol to the Vienna Convention further provides that " [d]isputes arising out of the interpretation or application of the Convention shall lie within the compulsory jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice." Optional Protocol Concerning the Compulsory Settlement of Disputes, art. I, April 18, 1961, 21 U.S.T. 326, T.I.A.S. No. 6820 ("the Optional Protocol"). In March of 2004, the I.C.J. issued an opinion in a case brought by Mexico against the United States on behalf of fifty-two Mexican nationals arrested in this country who alleged that their rights of notification and contact had been denied them by various domestic law enforcement authorities. See Case Concerning Avena And Other Mexican Nationals (Mexico v. United States), 2004 I.C.J. 12 (Mar. 31). In Avena, the I.C.J. held that an arresting authority must notify a foreign national of his rights regarding contact with the local consulate once the detaining officials realize the person is a foreign national, or once there are grounds to believe the person is probably a foreign national. Avena, 2004 I.C.J. 12, at 43. The I.C.J. found that those rights had been violated as to some of the named Avena plaintiffs, and the court ordered the United States to permit "review and reconsideration" of the relevant cases by United States courts, "with a view to ascertaining whether in each case the violation of Article 36 committed by the competent authorities caused actual prejudice to the defendant." Id. at 59-60. The I.C.J. also determined that the application of state procedural default rules prevented full effect from being given to those rights accorded under Article 36, and, therefore, that the application of procedural default rules violates Article 36. Id. at 57.
Following the I.C.J.'s decision in Avena, President Bush issued a memorandum to the Attorney General in which he ordered that the United States discharge its international obligations under the Avena decision by "having State courts give effect to the decision in accordance with general principles of comity in cases filed by the 51 Mexican nationals addressed in that decision." Medellin, 125 S. Ct. at 2090 (citing the February 28, 2005 memorandum from President George W. Bush to the Attorney General) (emphasis added). Shortly thereafter, however, the Secretary of State transmitted a letter to the Secretary General of the United Nations withdrawing the United States from the Optional Protocol, see Medellin, 125 S. Ct. at 2101 (O'Connor, J., dissenting), thereby removing the United States from the provision of the Vienna Convention that provides jurisdiction to the I.C.J.
Thereafter, in the Medellin case, the Supreme Court granted certiorari to consider whether a federal court is bound by the holding of the I.C.J. in Avena, and whether a federal court should give effect, as a matter of judicial comity and uniform treaty interpretation, to the I.C.J.'s judgment. Medellin, 125 S. Ct. at 2089. Medellin, the petitioner in that case, was one of the fifty-two named Avena plaintiffs. The Court noted that Medellin had filed a successive state application for a writ of habeas corpus while his case was pending before the Supreme Court, and that this application "may provide Medellin with the review and reconsideration of his Vienna Convention claim that the ICJ required, and that Medellin now seeks in [the federal proceeding]." Id. at 2090. Additionally, the Court observed that there were five basic procedural issues it would have to address before it could reach the merits, including: 1) whether a violation of the Vienna Convention was one of those "nonconstitutional lapses" cognizable in a federal post-conviction proceeding; 2) whether the state court's judgment could be considered contrary to, or an unreasonable application of clearly established federal law; 3) whether or how the decision announced in Avena bears on the normal requirement that a habeas petitioner cannot enforce a "new rule of law" pursuant to Teague v. Lane, 489 U.S. 288, 109 S. Ct. 1060, 103 L. Ed. 2d 334 (1989); 4) whether a violation of the Vienna Convention could be considered a denial of a constitutional right for the purposes of a COA; and 5) whether the claims based on Avena and the President's memorandum were exhausted in state court. Medellin, 125 S. Ct. at 2090-92 (internal quotation marks omitted). Because of the possibility that the State of Texas might provide Medellin with the relief he was seeking, the Court thought it "unwise to reach and resolve the multiple hindrances to dispositive answers" lurking in Medellin's case. Id. at 2092. Accordingly, it dismissed certiorari as having been improvidently granted. Id.
The fourth factor, the desire to avoid piecemeal litigation, weighs far more heavily in favor of denying the request for a stay. Quite simply, we are not convinced that there is even a reasonable probability that the state court action will be resolved in such a way as to "moot" any of the issues currently before us. See Jefferson County v. Acker, 210 F.3d 1317, 1318 n. 1 (11th Cir. 2000) (noting that the court had denied a stay of appellate proceedings because there did not appear to be a reasonable probability that any of the federal issues would be rendered moot by the state proceedings); Am. Mfrs. Mut. Ins. Co. v. Edward D. Stone, Jr. & Assoc., 743 F.2d 1519, 1524-25 (11th Cir. 1984) (reversing the district court's decision to enter a stay pending the resolution of state court litigation because the state action "probably will not resolve the issues pending in the federal litigation"); see also Currie, 290 F.3d at 11. The only way the proceedings before us could be resolved or rendered moot would be if the state court found that Maharaj is entitled to relief on the merits of his Vienna Convention claim and vacated his prior conviction — thereby completely obviating the need for us to consider his current appeal. There is no reasonable probability that will happen.
First, Florida's state courts are bound (just as we are) by the Supreme Court's decision in Breard v. Greene, 523 U.S. 371, 118 S. Ct. 1352, 140 L. Ed. 2d 529 (1998). In Breard, the Court unambiguously held that a habeas petitioner's Vienna Convention claim was procedurally barred in federal court because it was not raised in the state court proceedings. Id. at 375, 118 S. Ct. at 1354. The Court noted the well-recognized principle of international law that "absent a clear and express statement to the contrary, the procedural rules of the forum State govern the implementation of [a] treaty in that State." Id. The Supreme Court has not retreated from its position in Breard, and none of the recent developments cited to us call the holding of Breard into substantial question, let alone overrule Breard. Thus, there is no reasonable probability that Florida's state courts could find themselves free of the constraints of Breard, regardless of the I.C.J.'s holding in Avena. Second, even if Florida's courts somehow found a way to consider the Vienna Convention claim in spite of the procedural default, it seems to us that claim would likely fail on the merits anyway. The Florida Supreme Court has already definitively held that an individual does not have standing to raise a claim under the Vienna Convention, which constitutes an "agreement [] between countries, not citizens." Gordon v. State, 863 So. 2d 1215, 1221 (Fla.2003); Maharaj III, 778 So. 2d at 959.
Although our case law is not binding upon a Florida state court, our precedent similarly supports the idea that the Vienna Convention does not confer judicially enforceable individual rights. In United States v. Duarte-Acero, 296 F.3d 1277 (11th Cir. 2002), we found that a criminal defendant could not seek to have an indictment dismissed based on an alleged violation of Article 36 of the Vienna Convention. Id. at 1281. As support, we cited to the preamble of the Convention itself, which "disclaims any intent to create individual rights, stating that its purpose `is not to benefit individuals but to ensure the efficient performance of functions by consular posts.'" Id. at 1281-82 (quoting the Preamble to the Vienna Convention). We also noted several extra-textual sources, including the State Department's view "that the only remedies for a violation of the Vienna Convention are diplomatic, political, or derived from international law," and the fact that no party to the Vienna Convention had ever dismissed an indictment based on a violation of Article 36. Id. at 1282. Although our holding in Duarte-Acero was limited to the remedy sought in that case, which was dismissal of the indictment, the sources we used to support that holding seemingly prohibit any individual remedy. The Preamble is clear; the Convention is not intended to benefit individuals. The State Department's interpretation of the treaty, which is entitled to our respect, see El Al Israel Airlines, Ltd. v. Tsui Yuan Tseng, 525 U.S. 155, 168, 119 S. Ct. 662, 671, 142 L. Ed. 2d 576 (1999), is also unambiguous; the only remedies for a violation of the Vienna Convention are diplomatic, political, or derived from international law.
We are also aware that the Supreme Court has recently granted certiorari in two cases that raise issues under the Vienna Convention. See Sanchez-Llamas v. Oregon, ___ U.S. ___, 126 S. Ct. 620, ___ L. Ed. 2d ___ (2005); Bustillo v. Johnson, ___ U.S. ___, 126 S. Ct. 621, ___ L. Ed. 2d ___ (2005). That the Court has granted certiorari in cases that may provide the vehicle by which it could overrule Breard does not change our conclusion. For even if Breard were overruled, Maharaj would still be a long way from the relief he seeks. Before our case could be rendered moot, the Florida courts would first have to determine that the Supreme Court's potential ruling applied to cases on collateral review, then that the Vienna Convention provides an individual with a remedy (the treaty mentions none), and finally that the specific remedy necessary to nullify our case (a new trial) is available and appropriate under these facts. There is no reasonable probability Maharaj will successfully navigate around each of these substantial hurdles.
The fifth factor — whether federal law provides the rule of decision — does not weigh heavily in either direction, since the questions presented involve both state and federal law. Finally, the sixth factor, which asks whether the state court will adequately protect the rights of all parties, is similarly unavailing under the facts of this case.
When examining a district court's denial of a § 2254 habeas petition, we review questions of law and mixed questions of law and fact de novo, and findings of fact for clear error. LeCroy v. Sec'y, Fla. Dep't of Corr., 421 F.3d 1237, 1259 (11th Cir. 2005). However, in reviewing the decisions of the Florida Supreme Court, we are governed by the terms of AEDPA, which provides, among others, that we may grant a writ of habeas corpus only if (1) the state decision was "contrary to, or involved an unreasonable application of, clearly established Federal law, as determined by the Supreme Court of the United States," or (2) the state decision was "based on an unreasonable determination of the facts in light of the evidence presented in the State court proceeding." 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d). The district court concluded that Maharaj failed to meet this exacting standard. We agree.
The phrase "clearly established Federal law," as used in § 2254(d) (1), encompasses only the holdings of the Supreme Court of the United States. Williams v. Taylor, 529 U.S. 362, 412, 120 S. Ct. 1495, 1523, 146 L. Ed. 2d 389 (2000) (holding that the language of § 2254(d) (1) expressly "restricts the source of clearly established law to [the Supreme Court's] jurisprudence"). As we have previously explained,
§ 2254(d) (1) provides a measuring stick for federal habeas courts reviewing state court decisions. That measuring stick is "clearly established Federal law." 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d). Clearly established federal law is not the case law of the lower federal courts, including this Court. Instead, in the habeas context, clearly established federal law "refers to the holdings, as opposed to the dicta, of [the Supreme Court's] decisions as of the time of the relevant state court decision." Williams, 529 U.S. at 412, 120 S. Ct. at 1523.
Putman v. Head, 268 F.3d 1223, 1241 (11th Cir. 2001) (footnote omitted).
Moreover, section 2254(d) (1) provides two separate bases for reviewing state court decisions; the "contrary to" and "unreasonable application" clauses articulate independent considerations a federal court must consider. See Williams, 529 U.S. at 404-05, 120 S. Ct. at 1519; Henderson v. Campbell, 353 F.3d 880, 890 n. 15 (11th Cir. 2003), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 125 S. Ct. 44, 160 L. Ed. 2d 14 (2004). A state court decision is contrary to clearly established federal law if either "(1) the state court applied a rule that contradicts the governing law set forth by Supreme Court case law, or (2) when faced with materially indistinguishable facts, the state court arrived at a result different from that reached in a Supreme Court case." Putman, 268 F.3d at 1241. An "unreasonable application" of clearly established federal law may occur if the state court "identifies the correct legal rule from Supreme Court case law but unreasonably applies this rule to the facts of the petitioner's case." Id. "An unreasonable application may also occur if a state court unreasonably extends, or unreasonably declines to extend, a legal principle from Supreme Court case law to a new context." Id.
Section 2254(d) (2) provides an additional basis upon which a federal court may grant a writ of habeas corpus to a state prisoner: when the state court's decision "was based on an unreasonable determination of the facts in light of the evidence presented in the State court proceeding." 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d) (2). A state court's determination of the facts, however, is entitled to substantial deference. 28 U.S.C. § 2254(e) (1) (noting that "a determination of a factual issue made by a State court shall be presumed to be correct" and that an "applicant shall have the burden of rebutting the presumption of correctness by clear and convincing evidence"). With these principles in mind, we review the merits of Petitioner's Brady claims, his ineffective assistance of counsel claim, and his Vienna Convention claim.
In Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83, 87, 83 S. Ct. 1194, 1196-97, 10 L. Ed. 2d 215 (1963), the Supreme Court enunciated the now well-established principle that "the suppression by the prosecution of evidence favorable to an accused upon request violates due process when the evidence is material either to guilt or to punishment, irrespective of the good faith or bad faith of the prosecution." The duty to disclose exculpatory evidence is applicable even in the absence of a request by the defendant, and it encompasses impeachment material as well as exculpatory evidence. See Strickler v. Greene, 527 U.S. 263, 280, 119 S. Ct. 1936, 1948, 144 L. Ed. 2d 286 (1999). Moreover, evidence is material "if there is a reasonable probability that, had the evidence been disclosed to the defense, the result of the proceeding would have been different." Kyles v. Whitley, 514 U.S. 419, 433-34, 115 S. Ct. 1555, 1565, 131 L. Ed. 2d 490 (1995) (internal quotation marks and citations omitted). The Supreme Court has condensed these basic principles into three components, each of which is necessary to establish a Brady violation: "The evidence at issue must be favorable to the accused, either because it is exculpatory, or because it is impeaching; that evidence must have been suppressed by the State, either willfully or inadvertently; and prejudice must have ensued." Strickler, 527 U.S. at 281-82, 119 S. Ct. at 1948.
A constant theme found throughout Maharaj's appeal is that the district court erred in so far as it considered the various Brady violations individually, and not acting in concert. In Kyles, the Supreme Court made clear that a Brady materiality determination must consider the aggregate effect of all the suppressed evidence. Kyles, 514 U.S. at 436, 441, 115 S. Ct. at 1567, 1569. That does not mean, however, that an individual assessment of each piece of suppressed evidence is somehow inappropriate. Indeed, the only way to evaluate the cumulative effect is to first examine each piece standing alone. See id. at 436 n. 10, 115 S. Ct. at 1567 n. 10 (noting that " [w]e evaluate the tendency and force of the undisclosed evidence item by item; there is no other way. We evaluate its cumulative effect for purposes of materiality separately and at the end of the discussion . . . ."). We have followed this approach in our own cases. See, e.g., Kelley v. Sec'y for the Dep't of Corr., 377 F.3d 1317, 1355, 1369 (11th Cir. 2004), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 125 S. Ct. 2962, 162 L. Ed. 2d 906 (2005); Zeigler v. Crosby, 345 F.3d 1300, 1305-06 (11th Cir. 2003). In this case the district court followed the appropriate methodology, considering each Brady item individually, and only then making a determination about the cumulative impact. We do the same.
In his written report, the examiner concluded that Butler was truthful in answering eight of the eleven questions. As for questions four and six, concerning whether Butler knew Derrick Moo Young was going to be shot before the incident occurred and whether Butler told the complete truth about the shooting incident, the examiner opined that the results were ambiguous and inconclusive. Finally, as to question ten — whether Maharaj remained in a car for two and a half hours following the shooting — the examiner concluded that Butler's response was indicative of deception. In the opinion of the examiner, however, Butler truthfully answered each question that related to the actual events that occurred in the hotel room during the confrontation between Maharaj and the Moo Youngs and to the actual shootings.
Counsel for Maharaj did redepose Butler, at which time Butler admitted that he lied to police when he gave an initial statement and lied in his first deposition. Essentially, Butler conceded that he lied to police about his role in setting up the murders and about events that happened after the murders in an attempt to lessen his own involvement. Butler did not want to admit to police that he arranged for the meeting between Maharaj and the Moo Youngs at the Dupont Plaza Hotel, so he originally led the police to believe that Maharaj unexpectedly arrived at the hotel room. In fact, counsel for Maharaj cross-examined Butler extensively at trial on this point, and got him to admit on numerous occasions that he had repeatedly lied under oath in the course of this case. However, Butler's testimony describing the actual events that occurred in the hotel room — that portion of the story beginning when Maharaj walked into the room and ending when Maharaj and Butler exited to the elevator — remained consistent from his very first statement to the police through his testimony at trial.
Petitioner contends, nevertheless, that he should have been given the examiner's opinion. He asserted this claim on direct appeal and throughout the post-conviction proceedings. Maharaj does not argue that he was prevented at trial from introducing the examiner's opinion; indeed, Florida law prohibits the introduction of polygraph results absent the consent of both parties, see Walsh v. State, 418 So. 2d 1000, 1002 (Fla.1982), and the trial judge in this case specifically prohibited the witness from making any mention of the polygraph in the course of his testimony. Instead, Maharaj suggests that if he had known about the results of the test, he could have impeached Butler concerning why he decided to come clean and testify truthfully. Butler says he did so because his conscience compelled him to tell the truth; Petitioner urges that it was because he was afraid of taking a polygraph test or because he knew he had failed the polygraph test.
On collateral review of the murder conviction, the Florida Supreme Court correctly recited the three components of a Brady violation as set forth by the Supreme Court in Strickler. Maharaj III, 778 So. 2d at 953. It then found that there was no Brady violation because the defense had knowledge of the polygraph results and because Butler had not actually "failed" the test.
We agree. Initially, we note that the Florida Supreme Court did not apply a rule that contradicts governing Supreme Court case law. Moreover, we can find no Supreme Court case whose facts could be considered "materially indistinguishable." Thus, the Florida Supreme Court's decision was not "contrary to" clearly established federal law. Furthermore, the Florida Supreme Court's decision was not an "unreasonable application" of clearly established federal law. Although there is no evidence to indicate that the State actually provided Petitioner with a copy of the examiner's opinion, it did inform Petitioner that the test occurred, that Butler truthfully answered the questions concerning the events in the hotel room, including the circumstances surrounding the shooting, that Butler had "material corrections and additions" to make to his previous deposition testimony, and that defense counsel might want to redepose Butler regarding events that occurred before and after the homicide. Defense counsel was free to ask Butler why he changed his story and to vigorously cross-examine him concerning the inconsistencies. The Florida Supreme Court's analysis under Brady was neither contrary to nor an unreasonable application of clearly established federal law.
Maharaj suggests, however, that he did not want the polygraph results so that he could publish the results to the jury. Rather, he claims the results support his theory that Butler changed his story when he was summoned to face a lie detector test, and that he only changed his story when caught lying by the polygrapher. When viewed in this light, Petitioner's claim must also be analyzed as a potential Giglio error, a type of Brady violation that occurs when "the undisclosed evidence demonstrates that the prosecution's case includes perjured testimony and that the prosecution knew, or should have known, of the perjury." United States v. Agurs, 427 U.S. 97, 103, 96 S. Ct. 2392, 2397, 49 L. Ed. 2d 342 (1976).
"In order to prevail on a Giglio claim, a petitioner must establish that the prosecutor knowingly used perjured testimony, or failed to correct what he subsequently learned was false testimony, and that the falsehood was material." Tompkins v. Moore, 193 F.3d 1327, 1339 (11th Cir. 1999) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted) (emphasis added). The Florida Supreme Court correctly noted this standard, Maharaj III, 778 So. 2d at 956, and went on to reject Petitioner's claim "because the defendant has failed to demonstrate that the statement was false or that the statement was material." Id. at 957.
Again, we can find no Supreme Court case with materially indistinguishable facts. See Ventura v. Attorney Gen., 419 F.3d 1269, 1281 (11th Cir. 2005) (noting that a Giglio analysis is a "highly fact-dependent inquiry"). Moreover, the Florida Supreme Court did not apply a rule that contradicts Supreme Court case law. The state court decision was not "contrary to" clearly established federal law on this point either. As for the application of that correctly-stated law, we have little difficulty concluding that it was reasonable for the Florida Supreme Court to find that Maharaj failed to establish that Butler's trial testimony was false. At trial, Butler testified in these terms:
Q: How is it that you decided to tell the truth about your own involvement in early March of 1987?
A: My consideration was the main factor is that I felt I was holding back when I shouldn't be and I remember that I called to come down to speak with your office and before I was able to start telling you, you started telling me that I had to ask for an appointment and then I came to tell you and as it happened, you started to question me and tell me that I had lied and I just told you the whole story, it was my consideration and you all persisted with your inquiry.
Q (On Cross-Examination): But it doesn't bother you to lie after having been sworn under oath to tell the truth, that's correct, right?
A: I explained earlier last week the circumstances under which I felt I was protecting myself and the reasons for the things I said and I voluntarily agreed to correct the wrongs I had — statements I had made when I approached the District Attorney, State Attorney and told him about it.
There is nothing to indicate the reasons offered for Butler's decision to come clean were other than what he said at trial. Petitioner's belief that the decision to tell the truth was based on a fear of the lie detector test or perhaps fear of the results of that test is speculative. In the Giglio context, the suggestion that a statement may have been false is simply insufficient; the defendant must conclusively show that the statement was actually false. See Moon v. Head, 285 F.3d 1301, 1315 (11th Cir. 2002); Brown v. Head, 272 F.3d 1308, 1317-18 (11th Cir. 2001). The Florida Supreme Court's determination that Butler's stated reason for changing his testimony was not false was neither contrary to nor an unreasonable application of clearly established federal law.
Moreover, the Florida Supreme Court determined that the statement was not material, finding that the failure to clarify Butler's reason for the change of testimony would not have affected the jury's verdict. See Maharaj III, 778 So. 2d at 957. The district court agreed, finding that
Our case law is clear that " [w]here defendants, prior to trial, had within their knowledge the information by which they could have ascertained the alleged Brady material, there is no suppression by the government." United States v. Griggs, 713 F.2d 672, 674 (11th Cir. 1983); accord LeCroy, 421 F.3d at 1268 (noting that there was no Brady violation because the defendant could have obtained the information had he used "reasonable diligence"); Haliburton v. Sec'y for Dep't of Corr., 342 F.3d 1233, 1239 (11th Cir. 2003); United States v. Valera, 845 F.2d 923, 927-28 (11th Cir. 1988); United States v. Cortez, 757 F.2d 1204, 1208 (11th Cir. 1985). The evidence was not suppressed by the state.4
The Florida courts' application of the Brady rule was reasonable here too. In deciding whether evidence was material for the purposes of a Brady violation, the question is not whether the conviction was "more likely" because the evidence was introduced or even whether the evidence "might have changed the outcome of the trial." Strickler, 527 U.S. at 289, 119 S. Ct. at 1952. Rather, Petitioner "must convince us that `there is a reasonable probability' that the result of the trial would have been different if the suppressed documents had been disclosed to the defense." Id. The word "reasonable" "is important. The question is not whether the defendant would more likely than not have received a different verdict with the evidence, but whether in its absence he received a fair trial, understood as a trial resulting in a verdict worthy of confidence." Kyles, 514 U.S. at 434, 115 S. Ct. at 1566.5
We agree with the state post-conviction trial court that the briefcase documents neither impeached Butler's testimony nor called into question any of the physical evidence recovered from the crime scene. At most, they arguably cast the victims in a negative light and raise the bare possibility that the Moo Youngs may have been involved in some arguably unsavory activities with other individuals who may have had reason to do them harm. This highly speculative chain falls far short of even that quantum of evidence rejected as being insufficient by the Strickler Court, and, at all events, does not establish a reasonable probability that the result of the trial would have been different if the documents had not been suppressed. See Crawford v. Head, 311 F.3d 1288, 1330-31 (11th Cir. 2002) (rejecting an argument similar to the one Petitioner makes here, finding that a police report detailing clothing found at a crime scene was not material, despite the fact that the report could theoretically give rise to the theory that other potential suspects should have been more thoroughly investigated).
Finally, Maharaj alleges that the State withheld evidence the Moo Youngs had recently purchased large life insurance policies. The Florida Supreme Court found, however, that the policies, which were taken out several months before the murders, were not exculpatory because "there has been no showing that this evidence tends to negate the conviction or the sentence," and " [m]ore importantly," that the disclosure of the policies would not have put the case in so different a light as to undermine confidence in the verdict. Maharaj III, 778 So. 2d at 953-54. The district court agreed, concluding that the evidence was not exculpatory, that any arguments based on that evidence (or other evidence that may have been discovered as a result of knowing about the policies) was too speculative to have altered the outcome, and that it could not have been used to impeach the State's primary witnesses.
Maharaj did not testify at trial. Nevertheless, he argues that this decision was based at least in part on the ineffective assistance of trial counsel. At the state post-conviction hearing, trial counsel testified that he met with Maharaj on a daily basis to discuss strategy, and specifically, the pros and cons of whether Maharaj should testify in his own defense. Trial counsel fully explained to Petitioner his right to testify, and expressed his own opinion that Maharaj should forgo that right. Trial counsel plainly told Maharaj that if he testified, he would be subject to extensive cross-examination concerning the newspaper articles published by Mr. Carberry, which contained various allegations about Maharaj, including those underlying his dispute with the Moo Youngs. Specifically, trial counsel testified that "I advised [Maharaj] that in my opinion he should not testify, that it would only allow the state to argue the innuendo and speculation and I felt it was in his best interest not to take the stand."
The standards for ineffective assistance of counsel are well-established, and were correctly noted by the Florida courts. In Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S. Ct. 2052, 80 L. Ed. 2d 674 (1984), the Supreme Court established that to prevail on a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, a defendant must demonstrate both that counsel's performance was deficient and that the deficient performance prejudiced the defense. Id. at 687, 104 S. Ct. at 2064. As for the deficiency prong, a petitioner must demonstrate that counsel's performance "fell below an objective standard of reasonableness." Id. at 688, 104 S. Ct. at 2064. A reviewing court "must indulge a strong presumption that counsel's conduct falls within the wide range of reasonable professional assistance; that is, the defendant must overcome the presumption that, under the circumstances, the challenged action `might be considered sound trial strategy.'" Id. at 689, 104 S. Ct. at 2065 (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). And, to satisfy the prejudice prong, the defendant must demonstrate that "there is a reasonable probability that, but for counsel's unprofessional errors, the result of the proceeding would have been different." Id. at 694, 104 S. Ct. at 2068.
The Florida Supreme Court found that Petitioner failed to establish either deficiency or prejudice. The court noted as significant that Maharaj did not testify at the state post-conviction hearing, and, therefore, presented no testimony showing that the articles were false or why that fact would have changed his decision. "More importantly, even assuming the falsity of the articles, Maharaj does not negate the fact that he would have been cross-examined on whether the articles made him angry, which is the reason they were relevant." Maharaj III, 778 So. 2d at 958.
In undertaking this analysis, the Florida Supreme Court did not apply a rule that contradicts Supreme Court case law, nor did it arrive at a result contrary to one reached by the Supreme Court in a case with materially indistinguishable facts. Additionally, the state court's application of that correctly-stated law was altogether reasonable. See Darden v. Wainwright, 477 U.S. 168, 185-86, 106 S. Ct. 2464, 2474, 91 L. Ed. 2d 144 (1986) (holding that because there were "several reasons" why counsel might have made a particular decision, petitioner had failed to overcome the presumption that, under the circumstances, the challenged action might be considered sound trial strategy). The tactical decision to advise petitioner against testifying because of the dangerous cross-examination that could ensue was utterly unaffected by the truth or falsity of the articles and cannot be a sound basis for a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel. See McNeal v. Wainwright, 722 F.2d 674, 676 (11th Cir. 1984) (noting that " [c]ounsel will not be deemed unconstitutionally deficient because of tactical decisions"). Maharaj has failed to show that "no competent counsel would have taken the action that his counsel did take." Chandler v. United States, 218 F.3d 1305, 1315 (11th Cir. 2000) (en banc).
There is little discussion in the Florida Supreme Court's decision concerning prejudice, and we need not reach that issue here, since Petitioner's claim must fail if either of the Strickland prongs are not met. See Strickland, 466 U.S. at 697, 104 S. Ct. at 2069; Turner v. Crosby, 339 F.3d 1247, 1279 (11th Cir. 2003).
Finally, Maharaj contends that his rights were violated when he was not informed after his arrest that he had the right to contact the British consulate pursuant to the Vienna Convention and the United Kingdom Bilateral Consular Treaty, June 6, 1951, 3 U.S.T. 3426 ("The Bilateral Treaty").6 The Florida Supreme Court found that Petitioner was procedurally barred from raising this claim in collateral proceedings because he had failed to raise it on direct appeal. In the district court, Petitioner argued that the Florida Supreme Court erred in resolving the claim on procedural default grounds, citing a case from the I.C.J., LaGrand Case (Germany v. United States), 40 I.L.M. 1069 (I.C.J. June 27, 2001).7 The district court found that although the Florida court did not directly cite Breard, it correctly followed the Supreme Court's directive in that case.
Maharaj makes similar arguments on appeal: that the I.C.J. is the "ultimate arbiter" of disputes under the Vienna Convention, and that the Florida Supreme Court's decision is contrary to Avena and LaGrand, both of which he describes as "controlling" authority. We remain unpersuaded.
In the first place, the Florida Supreme Court's decision is not contrary to clearly established federal law; that court did not arrive at a result different from one reached by the Supreme Court in a case with materially indistinguishable facts, and it did not apply a rule that contradicts governing Supreme Court precedent. Indeed, the decision is completely consonant with the Supreme Court's decision in Breard, where, as we have noted already, the Supreme Court clearly held that a petitioner who had failed to raise his Vienna Convention claim in state post-conviction proceedings was barred from doing so in federal court. Breard, 523 U.S. at 375, 118 S. Ct. at 1354 (rejecting the argument that the Vienna Convention is the "supreme law of the land," and therefore trumps procedural bars, as "plainly incorrect").
The claims in his petition can generally be grouped this way: 1) denial of adequate resources to present his state collateral attack; 2) failure of the state courts to consider the aggregate effect of his claims; 3) numerous alleged Brady violations; 4) numerous allegations of ineffective assistance of counsel; 5) denial of the right to testify in his own defense; 6) numerous allegations of prosecutorial and judicial misconduct; 7) new evidence suggesting actual innocence; 8) numerous alleged Giglio violations; 9) perjured testimony at the grand jury proceedings; and 10) violations of international law.
The Convention specifically provides that "if he so requests, the competent authorities of the receiving State shall, without delay, inform the consular post of the sending State if, within its consular district, a national of that State is arrested or committed to prison or to custody pending trial or is detained in any other manner. Any communication addressed to the consular post by the person arrested, in prison, custody or detention shall also be forwarded by the said authorities without delay. The said authorities shall inform the person concerned without delay of his rights under this sub-paragraph." Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, art. 36(1) (b), Apr. 24, 1963, 21 U.S.T. 77, 101, T.I.A.S. No. 6820
The eleven questions were: 1) Did you actually witness that shooting? (Answer — yes); 2) On, or about, October 16, 1986 did you actually see Chris (sic) Maharaj shoot Derrick Moo Young? (Answer — yes); 3) On October 16th did you have knowledge that Maharij (sic) had a gun in his possession before Derrick Moo Young entered the room? (Answer — No); 4) On October 16th did you have actual knowledge that Moo Young was going to be shot before it happened? (Answer — No); 5) On October 16, did you have a gun or any other weapon in your possession at any time before Derrick Moo Young was shot? (Answer — No); 6) To the best of your ability have you now told the complete truth regarding the shooting incident on October 16, 1986? (Answer — Yes); 7) Did Maharaj ask you to arrange a meeting between himself and Derrick Moo Young? (Answer — Yes); 8) On October 16, 1986 did you personally arrange the meeting between Derrick Moo Young and Chris (sic) Maharaj? (Answer — Yes); 9) Other than what you have explained was anyone else present when the Moo Youngs were shot? (Answer — No); 10) Did you actually remain in a car with Maharaj after the shooting for at least two and a half hours? (Answer — Yes); 11) Was illegal drug transactions to be discussed at the meeting between Maharaj and Derrick Moo Young? (Answer — No)
Nor is this case at all like the Supreme Court's decision in Banks v. Dretke, 540 U.S. 668, 124 S. Ct. 1256, 157 L. Ed. 2d 1166 (2004), where the Court cautioned that " [a] rule . . . declaring `prosecutor may hide, defendant must seek,' is not tenable in a system constitutionally bound to accord defendants due process." Id. at 696, 124 S. Ct. at 1275. In Banks, the prosecutors failed to disclose that a key witness was a paid police informant, and stood by as that witness affirmatively testified to the contrary. The Court rejected the State's argument that the defendant could have more diligently pursued the police officer involved, and in doing so might have discovered the witness' status. The Court summarized the State's argument as one where "`the prosecution can lie and conceal and the prisoner still has the burden to . . . discover the evidence.'" Id. (citing the oral argument transcript) (alteration in original). In contrast, in this case, the prosecution did not physically possess the documents Petitioner sought, and it made no false or misleading statements regarding what that evidence might show or where it might be found. Indeed, the police unambiguously directed the investigator to where he might obtain the evidence. When the defendant has "equal access" to the evidence disclosure is not required.
The Supreme Court's decision in Strickler is instructive. In Strickler, the documents withheld consisted of police interview notes and correspondence between detectives and the state's primary trial witness. The Court held that the documents were not material, finding that the defendant would have been convicted and sentenced to death even if the testifying witness had been severely impeached. Strickler, 527 U.S. at 294, 119 S. Ct. at 1954. Here, the contents of the briefcase are not nearly as informative or exculpatory as the documents in Strickler.
Petitioner treats the two treaties identically. In his brief, he indicates that any reference to the Vienna Convention should be treated as a reference to both. In an amicus brief, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland presents discussion of only The Bilateral Treaty. However, it cites no cases with any substantive discussion of the Bilateral Treaty; the only cases cited with a substantive discussion of either refer to only the Vienna Convention. Neither the Florida Supreme Court nor the district court differentiated between the two. And, we have been unable to locate any case law comparing the two treaties. Accordingly, we assume, without deciding, that the two treaties should be treated in a similar fashion
Avena was not decided until after Petitioner had completed his briefing in the district court. Thus, although it was not cited in Petitioner's filings, it was referenced in the district court's order.
The Florida Supreme Court did not specifically cite Breard. However, a state court need not cite to, nor even be aware of Supreme Court cases, "so long as neither the reasoning nor the result of the state-court decision contradicts them." Early v. Packer, 537 U.S. 3, 8, 123 S. Ct. 362, 365, 154 L. Ed. 2d 263 (2002).