Opinion ID: 754313
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Failure to Pursue a Diminished Capacity Defense and Jury Instruction

Text: 17 Mr. Jackson next asserts that trial counsel's failure to present evidence concerning the effect of intoxication on Mr. Jackson's intent and failure to seek an intoxication instruction during the guilt phase of his trial was unreasonable because competent evidence supported a finding that Mr. Jackson was hypoglycemic, borderline mentally retarded, and extremely drunk the night of the robbery. Yet, trial counsel's defense was that Mr. Jackson was not present and did not participate in the robbery. Pursuing a diminished capacity defense would have been inconsistent with Mr. Jackson's complete denial of involvement in the robbery. Trial counsel's decision not to present inconsistent defense theories does not constitute ineffective assistance. See Nelson v. Nagle, 995 F.2d 1549, 1554 (11th Cir.), reh'g denied, 7 F.3d 242 (1993). Similarly, counsel's failure to seek an intoxication instruction was reasonable, because the instruction would have conflicted with his chosen trial strategy. See United States v. Cox, 83 F.3d 336, 341 (10th Cir.1996). Counsel's decision to not pursue an intoxication defense or instruction was reasonable, and thus not deficient. 18 C. Failure to Object to the Trial Court's Denial of Jury's Request to Review Transcripts 19 Mr. Jackson further questions trial counsel's failure to object to the trial court's denial of the jury's request to review certain transcripts during its deliberations, arguing that without review of the transcripts the jury was left to speculate about the testimony of key witnesses. How counsel's failure to object constitutes deficient performance or how it prejudiced Mr. Jackson is not apparent. We do not even know if transcriptsof the trial testimony existed, and even construing the jury's request as one for a read-back of certain testimony by the court reporter, counsel could have reasonably believed that allowing the requested read-backs would have unduly focused the jury's attention on the testimony of those witnesses, no small concern considering the jury requested review of inculpatory identification and eyewitness testimony. See Trial Transcript Tape 22, 23 (jurors' request to review transcripts of testimony of Sue Baby Ross, William Seals, Brian Spence, and Feldon Jackson); Routly v. Singletary, 33 F.3d 1279, 1289 (11th Cir.1994), cert. denied, 515 U.S. 1166, 115 S.Ct. 2627, 132 L.Ed.2d 867 (1995). Moreover, even had Mr. Jackson's counsel objected and raised this issue on appeal, it is unlikely the New Mexico Supreme Court would have disturbed the trial court's decision to keep such testimony from the jury. See, e.g., Rule 5-610(A) NMRA 1998 (Michie 1997) (allowing for reading of testimony upon jurors' request in the discretion of the court); State v. Montoya, 86 N.M. 316, 523 P.2d 814, 815 (App.1974) (holding court's decision to allow testimony read back lies in the discretion of the trial judge). Thus, counsel's failure to object was neither deficient nor prejudicial. 20 D. Failure to Move for Mistrial or Juror Disqualification 21 Mr. Jackson also argues that his trial counsel unreasonably failed to move for mistrial or disqualification of a juror who was exposed to media coverage of Mr. Jackson's trial. The record reflects, and Mr. Jackson admits, that the juror was not directly exposed to media coverage of the trial but was instead informed by members of her family that they had seen her and the other jurors on a television news show. See Trial Transcript Tape 9; I R. doc. 68 at 19-20. Nonetheless, Mr. Jackson argues that the juror's note informing the trial judge of this information implies the juror was exposed to pretrial publicity, disregarded the court's instructions to avoid publicity, and contaminated other jurors. The record indicates, however, that the juror was simply informed by her family that her image was shown on television, and there is no indication that she personally viewed or heard the broadcast. Absent evidence to the contrary, we presume that the juror followed the court's repeated instructions to avoid trial publicity. See United States v. Rivera, 778 F.2d 591, 600 (10th Cir.1985), cert. denied, 475 U.S. 1068, 106 S.Ct. 1384, 89 L.Ed.2d 609 (1986); Trial Tapes 1, 3, 7 and 9. Moreover, Mr. Jackson's reliance on Government of Virgin Islands v. Weatherwax, 20 F.3d 572 (3rd Cir.1994), is misplaced, as Mr. Jackson has presented no evidence that the juror was actually exposed to the broadcast. See id. at 577. Thus, counsel's failure to seek removal or mistrial was neither prejudicial nor deficient under Strickland. 22 E. Failure to Raise Issues on Appeal as Individual and Cumulative Error 23 Mr. Jackson finally argues that trial counsel unreasonably failed to raise a multitude of unfavorable evidentiary rulings on appeal as both individual and cumulative error. The Sixth Amendment, however, does not require an attorney to raise every nonfrivolous issue on appeal. See Banks v. Reynolds, 54 F.3d 1508, 1515 (10th Cir.1995) (citing Jones v. Barnes, 463 U.S. 745, 751, 103 S.Ct. 3308, 3312-13, 77 L.Ed.2d 987 (1983)). It is completely reasonable, and in fact advisable, for appellate counsel to eliminate weak but arguable claims and pursue issues on appeal which are more likely to succeed. See Tapia v. Tansy, 926 F.2d 1554, 1564 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, 502 U.S. 835, 112 S.Ct. 115, 116 L.Ed.2d 84 (1991). Absent counsel's omission of an obvious winner on appeal, we are not inclined to second-guess appellate counsel's decision to eliminate arguable but weak claims. See United States v. Cook, 45 F.3d 388, 394-95 (10th Cir.1995). 24 We agree with the magistrate and district court that Mr. Jackson has asserted no obvious winners in this petition. In fact, Mr. Jackson's petition fails to assert any authority indicating the evidentiary issues omitted by counsel were individually meritorious, and we have found none. See id. at 392-93. Accordingly, appellate counsel's failure to raise them individually was not deficient. Moreover, because Mr. Jackson has failed to establish that any of the omitted evidentiary rulings were individually erroneous, counsel's failure to raise them as cumulative error was similarly not deficient. See Jones v. Stotts, 59 F.3d 143, 147 (10th Cir.1995).