Opinion ID: 213796
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: timeliness under aedpa's statute of limitations

Text: Respondents next argue that the district court erred in proceeding to its procedural bar analysis before first examining whether any of Cooper's claims were untimely under AEDPA's statute of limitations. Respondents contend that the timeliness analysis precedes and renders unnecessary the procedural bar analysis. Respondents are incorrect. Because the court concluded Cooper had not properly raised his claims in state court (i.e., they were procedurally defaulted based on failure to comply with state court procedural rules), it did not need to address whether Cooper had also failed to comply with the federal statute of limitations. The procedural default issue was dispositive, so the court did not need to consider alternative reasons for dismissing the petition. However, respondents are correct that, because we reverse and remand on three of Cooper's claims, the district court will have to address the State's timeliness argument before it may grant relief on any of those claims. See Daniels v. United States, 532 U.S. 374, 381, 121 S.Ct. 1578, 149 L.Ed.2d 590 (2001) (Procedural barriers, such as statutes of limitations and rules concerning procedural default and exhaustion of remedies, operate to limit access to review on the merits of a constitutional claim.). Because we reverse many of the district court's procedural default findings (as explained below), whether any of Cooper's claims run afoul of AEDPA's statute of limitations is a separate issue that must be addressed in the first instance by the district court on remand. See Whalem/Hunt v. Early, 233 F.3d 1146, 1148 (9th Cir.2000) (en banc) (noting that sorting out issues related to timeliness and tolling are highly fact-dependent, and [ ] the district court is in a better position to develop the facts and assess their legal significance in the first instance).