Opinion ID: 4037937
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Legal Standards and Issues

Text: To obtain a COA, Mr. Twobabies must make “a substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional right,” 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(2), and “that reasonable jurists could debate whether . . . the petition should have been resolved in a different manner or that the issues presented were adequate to deserve encouragement to proceed further,” Slack v. McDaniel, 529 U.S. 473, 484 (2000) (internal quotation marks omitted). The Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (“AEDPA”) governs federal habeas review of state court decisions. See 28 U.S.C. § 2254. When, as here, the § 2254 applicant presented his federal law issues in the state court proceedings and the merits of those issues were adjudicated there, a federal court may grant habeas relief only if the state court decision “was contrary to, or involved an unreasonable application of, clearly established Federal law, as determined by the Supreme Court of the United States,” 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d)(1), or “was based on an -2- unreasonable determination of the facts in light of the evidence presented in the State court proceeding,” id. § 2254(d)(2). “When a federal claim has been presented to a state court and the state court has denied relief, it may be presumed that the state court adjudicated the claim on the merits in the absence of any indication or state-law procedural principles to the contrary.” Harrington v. Richter, 562 U.S. 86, 99 (2011). If the § 2254 applicant has not overcome the presumption, we apply deferential AEDPA review to the claim. Id. Mr. Twobabies argues he is entitled to a COA because the trial court committed federal constitutional violations when it (1) excluded evidence; (2) limited his ability to cross-examination a witness; (3) admitted hearsay statements; and (4) allowed photographs and testimony that were unduly prejudicial. He also argues (5) prosecutorial misconduct deprived him of his right to a fair trial; (6) he received ineffective assistance from his trial counsel; and (7) cumulative error deprived him of the right to due process. Mr. Twobabies raised the same seven arguments on direct appeal before the OCCA. Because the OCCA denied relief, we presume it decided Mr. Twobabies’ federal claims on the merits, even where it did not do so expressly. See id. at 99-100. Because Mr. Twobabies has not overcome this presumption, the district court’s review of his claims is subject to AEDPA deference. See id. Liberally construing Mr. Twobabies’ pro se arguments, see United States v. Pinson, 584 F.3d 972, 975 (10th Cir. 2009), we consider each of his claims and conclude that reasonable jurists could not debate the district court’s denial of his habeas application. -3-