Opinion ID: 2976796
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Motion for Leave to Conduct Discovery

Text: “Habeas petitioners have no right to automatic discovery.” Stanford v. Parker, 266 F.3d 442, 460 (6th Cir. 2001). Rule 6 of the Rules Governing Section 2254 cases, as it existed when Beuke filed his habeas petition, stated that “[a] party shall be entitled to invoke the processes of discovery . . . if, and to the extent that, the judge in the exercise of his discretion and for good cause shown grants leave to do so[.]” We review the district court’s denial of a discovery request for abuse of discretion. Stanford, 266 F.3d at 460. In his motion for leave to conduct discovery, Beuke presented numerous requests for documents and depositions. The evidence requested in the motion for leave to conduct discovery sought the same information requested in the motions to expand the record. The district court denied the discovery motion for the same reasons it denied the motions to expand the record, namely, because Beuke had not established that the requested discovery was unavailable during direct appeal, and because Beuke had not shown that the requested discovery would uncover evidence of a constitutional violation. For the same reasons we found that the district did not abuse its discretion by denying the motions to expand the record, we likewise find that the district court did not abuse its discretion by denying the motion for leave to conduct discovery. See Williams, 380 F.3d at 976 (finding that a district court did not abuse its discretion by denying a petitioner’s request to conduct discovery where the petitioner did not show “that the requested discovery could yield evidence enabling [him] to prevail on his [habeas] claim”). 10 Beuke objects to the district court’s statement that he should have introduced the proffered documents on direct appeal in state court, contending that these documents could not have been added to the state court record because the prosecution failed to provide these documents in violation of Brady. Even if we were to agree with Beuke on this issue, we nevertheless would conclude that the district court did not abuse its discretion by denying his motions to expand the record because the court did not rely solely on Beuke’s failure to introduce these documents on direct appeal, but relied as well on Beuke’s failure to demonstrate that these documents would have supported his habeas claims. Because we find the district court’s alternative basis to be a sufficient basis for denying the motions to expand the record, we conclude that the district court did not abuse its discretion. No. 96-3050 Beuke v. Houk Page 25