Opinion ID: 148154
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Appellant's Federal Habeas Petition

Text: On December 14, 2006, Appellant filed a habeas petition with the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, which was transferred to the Northern District of Florida on May 31, 2007. Appellant claimed that the state trial court violated his Sixth Amendment right under the Confrontation Clause when it limited his cross-examination of Junior solely to avoid unfair prejudice to the State. R.E. Doc. 26 at 10. In her report and recommendation of July 24, 2008, the magistrate judge, conducting a de novo review of Appellant's Confrontation Clause claim, found that the state trial court did not violate Appellant's Sixth Amendment rights. The magistrate judge noted that to constitute a Confrontation Clause violation, the excluded testimony must have given the jury a different impression of Junior's credibility, and concluded that the excluded testimony in Appellant's trial would not have had such an effect. R.E. Doc. 26 at 32 ( Childers v. Floyd, No. 3:07-CV-243, 2008 WL 2945555, at , 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 56455, at  (N.D.Fla. July 24, 2008)). Specifically, the judge determined that Appellant had sufficient opportunity to reveal Junior's testimonial inconsistencies and the nature of Junior's plea bargain. R.E. Doc. 26 at 31-32. The court did not address Appellant's claim that avoiding prejudice to the state could not be the sole basis for limiting his rights under the Confrontation Clause. Over Appellant's objections, the district court adopted the report and recommendation in full on September 19, 2008. Childers v. Floyd, No. 3:07-CV-243, 2008 WL 4371322, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 70839 (N.D.Fla. Sept. 19, 2008). Appellant sought and was denied a certificate of appealability from the district court. On October 15, 2008, he filed for a certificate of appealability from this Court, which the Court granted six weeks later, with respect to one issue: Whether the district court erred in finding that Childer's [sic] right to confrontation was not unconstitutionally curtailed. R.E. Tab 10 at 1 ( Childers v. Floyd, No. 08-15590 (11th Cir. Dec. 30, 2008) (order granting certificate of appealability)). This court has jurisdiction over this appeal pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1291 and 2253.