Opinion ID: 787651
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Reasonableness of Delay Between First Round Petitions

Text: 16 The state also argues that the three-year delay between Chavis's first round California Court of Appeal and Supreme Court petitions was unreasonable, and therefore cannot be tolled. In contrast to the issue of what is pending, this is an appropriate situation in which to apply Carey v. Saffold, because we must decide whether Chavis had a pending petition during intervals between a lower court decision and a filing of a new petition in a higher court. Saffold, 536 U.S. at 222, 122 S.Ct. 2134. The Saffold Court held that a petition is considered pending during such intervals unless the petitioner unreasonably delayed filing a new petition at a higher level. Id. at 223, 225, 122 S.Ct. 2134. The Court then remanded for us to decide whether Saffold had unreasonably delayed. Id. at 226, 122 S.Ct. 2134. On remand, we held that because the California Supreme Court did not deny Saffold's petition as untimely, but rather on the merits and for lack of diligence in filing his initial petition, the delay in filing the California Supreme Court petition was not unreasonable. Saffold v. Carey, 312 F.3d 1031, 1035-36 (9th Cir.2002). 17 The state argues that we must determine the reasonableness of the three-year delay during Chavis's first round of state petitions, looking to state law. However, we rejected that approach on remand in Saffold, and held that the relevant inquiry is whether the state court denied the petition as untimely. Id. at 1034-36. 18 Under our decision in Saffold, because Chavis's November 1997 habeas petition to the California Supreme Court was denied on the merits, it was pending during the interval between the Court of Appeal decision and the Supreme Court petition and he is entitled to tolling. See id. When the California Supreme Court denies a habeas petition without comment or citation, we have long treated the denial as a decision on the merits. Hunter v. Aispuro, 982 F.2d 344, 348 (9th Cir.1992) (9th Cir.1992). Therefore, the California Supreme Court's summary denial was on the merits, and the petition was not dismissed as untimely. See id.; see also Delhomme v. Ramirez, 340 F.3d 817, 819, 820 n. 2 (9th Cir.2003) (noting that there was no indication that a state habeas petition was untimely where the California Supreme Court denied the petition without comment or citation). As a result, Chavis is entitled to tolling during his first round of state petitions. 4 19