Source: https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/191/695/641550/
Timestamp: 2019-05-21 19:02:08
Document Index: 726955805

Matched Legal Cases: ['§921', '§ 750', '§ 921', '§ 922', '§ 922', '§ 921', '§ 922', '§921', '§ 922', '§ 922', '§2255', '§28', '§ 922', '§ 922']

Dushon Hampton, Petitioner-appellant, v. United States of America, Respondent-appellee, 191 F.3d 695 (6th Cir. 1999) :: Justia
Justia › US Law › Case Law › Federal Courts › Courts of Appeals › Sixth Circuit › 1999 › Dushon Hampton, Petitioner-appellant, v. United States of America, Respondent-appellee
Dushon Hampton, Petitioner-appellant, v. United States of America, Respondent-appellee, 191 F.3d 695 (6th Cir. 1999)
US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit - 191 F.3d 695 (6th Cir. 1999)
Before: NORRIS and SUHRHEINRICH, Circuit Judges; WEBER, District Judge* .
The certificate of appealability order in this case certified this appeal based on "the issue of whether Petitioner's civil rights were restored for purposes of 18 U.S.C. §921(a) (20) (B) upon completion of his probation stemming from his conviction in state court under Mich. Comp. Laws § 750.227." Relying on United States v. Driscoll, 970 F.2d 1472 (6th Cir. 1992), the district court found that Petitioner's civil rights were not so restored, but in raising the issue made a substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional right. By order, this court previously denied Petitioner's appeal for a certificate of appealability on any remaining issues. Hampton v. United States, No. 97-1782 (6th Cir. May 22, 1998).
Consistent with § 921(a) (20), Petitioner's earlier state conviction from 1986 was used as the basis for his subsequent charge that he violated § 922(g).1 Section 922(g) (1) states that:
18 U.S.C. § 922(g) (1). Congress has, however, enacted an exception to this general rule turning on the definition of "conviction." Section 921(a) (20) provides that:
18 U.S.C. § 921(a) (20). In other words, if Petitioner's rights were restored at the time he was charged with a violation of § 922(g), he could not be guilty of the charge, having failed to meet the definition of "conviction." Here, pursuant to §921(a) (20), this court looks to Michigan law to determine whether Petitioner was a convicted felon for purposes of section § 922(g) (1). The question turns on whether this court's 1992 decision in Driscoll, supra, is the controlling precedent in this circuit on the relevant Michigan law or whether the Michigan Court of Appeals 1994 decision in Froede v. Holland Ladder & Mfg. Co., 523 N.W.2d 849 (Mich. Ct. App. 1994), controls. Petitioner claims that Froede controls and that, as such, he cannot be guilty of a violation of § 922(g), thereby entitling him to relief under §2255.
We have strictly limited the circumstances under which a guilty plea may be attacked on collateral review. "It is well settled that a voluntary and intelligent plea of guilty made by an accused person, who has been advised by competent counsel, may not be collaterally attacked." Mabry v. Johnson, 467 U.S. 504, 508, 104 S. Ct. 2543, 2546-2547, 81 L. Ed. 2d 437 (1984) (footnote omitted). And even the voluntariness and intelligence of a guilty plea can be attacked on collateral review only if first challenged on direct review. Habeas review is an extraordinary remedy and "'will not be allowed to do service for an appeal.'" Reed v. Farley, 512 U.S. 339, 354, 114 S. Ct. 2291, 2300, 129 L. Ed. 2d 277 (1994) (quoting Sunal v. Large, 332 U.S. 174, 178, 67 S. Ct. 1588, 1590-1591, 91 L. Ed. 1982 (1947)). Indeed, "the concern with finality served by the limitation on collateral attack has special force with respect to convictions based on guilty pleas." United States v. Timmreck, 441 U.S. 780, 784, 99 S. Ct. 2085, 2087, 60 L. Ed. 2d 634 (1979). In this case, petitioner contested his sentence on appeal, but did not challenge the validity of his plea. In failing to do so, petitioner procedurally defaulted the claim he now presses on us.
Here, "Michigan law provides no statutory or constitutional definition of when restoration [of a convicted felon's rights] occurs." Lyons v. United States, 794 F. Supp. 238, 240 (E.D. Mich. 1992); United States v. Butler, 788 F. Supp. 944, 946 (E.D. Mich. 1991). In fact, "Michigan does not have a general restoration statute." United States v. Dahms, 938 F.2d 131, 133 (9th Cir. 1991). Although Michigan does not have a general restoration statute, Petitioner became entitled under Michigan law to exercise his civil right to vote and hold public office once he was released from custody. See Dahms, 938 F.2d at 133-34 (holding that once incarceration ends, a convicted felon's right to vote and to hold public office is restored automatically by Michigan law); United States v. Hammonds, 786 F. Supp. 650, 667 (E.D. Mich. 1992); Butler, 788 F. Supp. at 946-47. Moreover, Petitioner's right to possess firearms had been restored. Mich. Comp. Laws Ann. §§28.422(3) (d) (West Supp. 1999); 750.224f (West Supp. 1999). The Government, however, maintains that Michigan law did not restore to Petitioner the civil right to serve on juries because "Petitioner's right to serve on a criminal jury is restricted." See United States v. Dupaquier, 74 F.3d 615, 617 (5th Cir. 1996). Specifically, the Court looks to Michigan law to determine whether Petitioner's civil rights were restored prior to his arrest. See id.
In Driscoll, 970 F.2d at 1478-79, this court held that Michigan law did not restore a convicted felon's civil rights upon his release from prison because, "Michigan does not restore the right of convicted felons to sit on a jury." The Court based its decision, in part, on Michigan Court Rule 2.511(D) (2) of Civil Procedure which allows convicted felons to be challenged for cause during jury selection. Rule 2.511(D) (2) states that " [t]he parties may challenge jurors for cause, and the court shall rule on each challenge. A juror challenged for cause may be directed to answer questions pertinent to the inquiry. It is grounds for a challenge for cause that the person . . . has been convicted of a felony." Mich. Ct. R. 2.511(D) (2). According to the court, the Michigan Court Rules "have the force of law in Michigan" and "constitute a part of state law to be studied . . . in determining whether . . . [aconvicted felon's] rights have been restored." Driscoll, 970 F.2d at 1478.
The court then analyzed Michigan Court Rule 6.412(D) of Criminal Procedure which requires a court to excuse a juror whenever a challenge for cause clearly falls within one of the enumerated grounds set forth in Rule 2.511(D). More specifically, Rule 6.412, which governs criminal trials, adopts the challenges for cause included under Rule 2.511(D) and provides that " [i]f, after the examination of any juror, the court finds that a ground for challenging a juror for cause is present, the court on its own initiative should, or on motion of either party must, excuse the juror from the panel." Mich. Ct. R. 6.412(D) (1) and (2). Thus, "a felon may not sit on a [criminal] jury if his status is challenged." Driscoll, 970 F.2d at 1479.
As we read Michigan law, . . . [the defendant, a convicted felon,] would be automatically dismissed from jury service once either party brought his former conviction to the attention of the court in either a civil or criminal case. Furthermore, in a criminal case, Michigan court rules recommend that the trial court dismiss convicted felons on its own motion. While the trial court generally must decide whether the challenged person falls within a certain category, such a determination is not needed for convicted felons. As Judge Woods noted in United States v. Butler, 788 F. Supp. 944, 947 (E.D. Mich. 1991), "A person either has been convicted of a felony or he has not. Once it is established that he has, the Michigan courts may not permit him to sit on a jury."
In doing so, this court rejected an earlier interpretation of Michigan law adopted by the Ninth Circuit. In United States v. Dahms, 938 F.2d 131 (9th Cir. 1991), the court referred to section 600.1307a of the Michigan Compiled Laws, which revoked a felon's right to be a juror while serving his sentence, and held that " [o]nce incarceration ended . . . [a convicted felon's right to serve on a jury was] restored automatically by the force of the very [Michigan] laws" that suspended this right upon his incarceration. Id. at 134. The dissent in Driscoll agreed with the Ninth Circuit's conclusion. See Driscoll, 970 F.2d at 1487 (Jones, J., dissenting).
Froede v. Holland Ladder & Mfg. Co., 523 N.W.2d 849 (Mich. Ct. App. 1994), was decided by a panel of the Michigan Court of Appeals on October 3, 1994. In Froede, the Michigan court held that "a former felon's right to serve as a juror [wa]s restored once the sentence [wa]s completed" because section 600.1307a(1) (e) "only requires that a potential juror not be under sentence for a felony at the time of jury selection and because juror qualifications are a matter of legislative control [.]" Id. at 852.
The court then examined "whether a trial court ha [d] discretion to retain a convicted felon on a civil jury where a party challenges that juror for cause" underRule 2.511(D) (1) or (D) (2). The court concluded the following:
Froede, 523 N.W.2d at 852. Despite this narrow limitation on a convicted felon's right to serve on a civil jury, the court clearly expressed its disagreement with the line of federal cases, including Driscoll, that have interpreted Rule 2.511(D) (2) and section 600.1307a(1) (e). See Froede, 523 N.W.2d at 851.
Because Froede came after Driscoll, a case decided when there was little guidance on the issue from Michigan courts, this panel should not be restricted by the rule prohibiting one panel from overruling another. The rule is not absolute. As a recent case held, " [t]his panel cannot [reconsider a previous panel decision], however, absent an indication from the Tennessee courts that they would have decided [the prior decision] differently." Blaine Construction Co. v. Ins. Co. of North America, 171 F.3d 343, 350-51 (6th Cir. 1999). The negative implication of this holding is that this panel may reconsider Driscoll because the Michigan courts have expressly indicated, through Froede, that they disagree with Driscoll and would have decided it differently.
Where an intermediate appellate state court rests its considered judgment upon the rule of law which it announces, that is a datum for ascertaining state law which is not to be disregarded by a federal court unless it is convinced by other persuasive data that the highest court of the state would decide otherwise [.]
The Michigan Supreme Court has never addressed the issue2 . There does not appear to be evidence that the Michigan Supreme Court would decide contrary to Froede. The closest this Circuit has come to addressing the conflict was in a conclusory statement in an unpublished analysis of People v. LeGrone, 517 N.W.2d 270 (Mich. Ct. App. 1994), the case where the Michigan Court of Appeals upheld the seating of a juror who had been convicted of a felony. In Reiche, the panel stated that, "LeGrone does not alter our analysis, however, because it does not address all the issues in Driscoll and it is not clear that the Michigan Supreme Court would reach the same result." Reiche, 1995 WL 6242, *3 n.1. First, because LeGrone did not address directly the issue in this case, the comment on LeGrone is not controlling3 . Second, as an unpublished comment, it is also not controlling. But most importantly, the comment seems to reverse the presumption. Under Hicks, it is not whether its clear the Michigan Supreme Court would reach the same result. Instead, the court should presume the Michigan Supreme Court would agree unless its clear the Michigan Supreme Court would likely disagree with the Michigan Court of Appeals. Hicks, 485 U.S. at 630 n. 3.
The Michigan Supreme Court has not considered the question . . . In order to determine the Michigan law, we thus turn to the decisions of the Michigan intermediate courts, which are binding authority in federal courts in the absence of any Michigan Supreme Court precedent. West v. American Telephone & Telegraph Co., 311 U.S. 223, 61 S. Ct. 179, 85 L. Ed. 139 (1940) ; Fidelity Union Trust Co. v. Field, 311 U.S. 169, 61 S. Ct. 176, 85 L. Ed. 109 (1940); Woodruff v. Tomlin, 616 F.2d 924 (6th Cir.), cert. denied, 449 U.S. 888, 101 S. Ct. 246, 66 L. Ed. 2d 114 (1980). The law of Michigan is controlled by a decision of the Michigan Court of Appeals until the Michigan Supreme Court or another panel of the Michigan Court of Appeals rules otherwise. In re Hague, 412 Mich. 532, 552, 315 N.W.2d 524 (1982); People v. McDaniels, 70 Mich.App. 469, 473, 245 N.W.2d 793 (1976); Hackett v. Ferndale City Clerk, 1 Mich.App. 6, 11, 133 N.W.2d 221 (1965).
In light of our ruling today, the case will be remanded to allow Petitioner to establish actual innocence. Because Petitioner's right to sit on a jury was restored when charged, nothing on the current record indicates that the government can establish guilt on the § 922(g) charge. If this were the end of the inquiry, Petitioner would be entitled to the relief requested and we would grant the writ of habeas corpus and vacate his original plea agreement4 . However, establishing actual innocence on the § 922(g) charge alone is insufficient to grant the relief requested.