Opinion ID: 27763
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Failure to Realize the Extent of Ogan's Mental Health Problems

Text: 33 In his federal habeas petition, Ogan claimed that his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to recognize the extent of his mental health problems. The district court ruled that this claim was procedurally defaulted. The court noted that although Ogan presented a claim to the state habeas court that pertained to trial counsel's failure to retain a mitigation expert, he did not raise the present claim, which focuses on the effect that his mental health problems may have had on his ability to guide his own defense. Thus, the court determined that the ineffective assistance claim regarding his mental health problems would be dismissed under Texas law as an abuse of writ. 6 34 A review of the record reveals that Ogan did not raise this claim with the Texas courts. Ogan's claim in his state habeas application pertained to trial counsel's failure to have a mitigation expert testify, not counsel's failure to recognize that his participation in his defense was colored by his alleged mental illness. Because Ogan is now proceeding on a different theory than that advanced in the state habeas court, we find this ineffectiveness of habeas counsel claim to be unexhausted. Whitehead v. Johnson, 157 F.3d 384, 387 (5th Cir.1998). (The exhaustion requirement is satisfied when the substance of the federal habeas claim has been fairly presented to the highest state court.... A federal court claim must be the `substantial equivalent' of one presented to the state courts if it is to satisfy the `fairly presented' requirement.); see also Dispensa v. Lynaugh, 847 F.2d 211, 217 (5th Cir.1988) (stating that this circuit has consistently held that a federal habeas petitioner has failed to exhaust his state remedies when he relies on a different legal theory than he did in state court or when he makes the same legal claim to a federal court but supports the claim with factual allegations that he did not make to the state court). Furthermore, Ogan has wholly failed to demonstrate cause or prejudice for his default. Accordingly, Ogan is not entitled to a COA on this claim.