Opinion ID: 222859
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: state and federal post-conviction proceedings

Text: The Washington Supreme Court affirmed the convictions and sentence on direct appeal. See Woods, 23 P.3d at 1079. The Supreme Court denied certiorari. See Woods v. Washington, 534 U.S. 964, 122 S.Ct. 374, 151 L.Ed.2d 285 (2001). Woods then filed a personal restraint petition (PRP) in the Washington Supreme Court. Woods raised eighteen claims for relief, including an ineffective assistance of counsel (IAC) claim, a Brady claim, a claim that the jury had been improperly prohibited from viewing certain evidence, and a claim that newly discovered evidence required a new trial. The Washington Supreme Court denied Woods's petition. See In re Woods, 114 P.3d at 611. Woods next filed a federal habeas petition. The State's answer raised a number of procedural-bar defenses, including a claim that Woods had not properly exhausted his claims. The district court bifurcated the briefing to first determine whether any of Woods's claims were procedurally barred. On the basis of this first round of briefing, the district court concluded that some portions of Woods's IAC claims and Brady claims were procedurally barred. The court then considered Woods's remaining claims on the merits, and ultimately dismissed the petition in its entirety. Woods filed a timely notice of appeal and moved for a COA on all of his claims. The district court granted a limited COA, the scope of which we address below.