Opinion ID: 156526
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: introduction

Text: Gregory D. English and Laveita O. Ogden (“Petitioners”) brought separate habeas corpus petitions pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254 in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma. Petitioners each argued, inter alia, that they were being detained in violation of the Constitution because they had been denied the effective assistance of counsel at trial. Wardens R. Michael Cody and Neville Massey (“Respondents”) moved the district court in each proceeding to deny the petitions on the grounds of procedural bar. According to Respondents, Petitioners defaulted their ineffective assistance of trial counsel claims when they failed to raise them on direct appeal to the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. Relying on this court’s decision in Brecheen v. Reynolds, 41 F.3d 1343, 1363-64 (10th Cir. 1994), the district court judges in each case -2- concluded Petitioners’ claims of ineffective assistance of trial counsel were not procedurally barred. Respondents sought permission pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1292(b) to bring interlocutory appeals of the district court orders. The district court in each case entered a § 1292(b) order and we allowed both appeals. 1 These cases require this court to once again consider whether federal courts must respect an Oklahoma procedural bar which precludes review of claims of ineffective assistance of trial counsel not raised on direct appeal.