Opinion ID: 65351
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Federal District Court Habeas Corpus Proceeding

Text: Day subsequently filed a federal writ petition asserting the same grounds for relief as sought in her state application and again submitting Galaznik's affidavit. The federal district court referred Day's petition to a magistrate judge for findings of fact, conclusions of law, and recommendations for the disposition of the case. The Magistrate Judge recommended that the ineffective assistance claim be dismissed because: [Day's] contention that an expert would have provided favorable testimony was speculative and insufficient to demonstrate that there was a reasonable probability that the result would have been different if an expert had been hired to testify at trial. Furthermore, Dr. Galaznik did not state that he was available and willing to testify at [Day's] trial. See id. [citing Alexander v. McCotter, 775 F.2d 595, 602 (5th Cir.1985)]. As a result, [Day] has not shown she suffered prejudice because counsel did not call a medical expert to testify. Additionally, [Day] has failed to demonstrate a reasonable probability that the result of the trial would have been different, but for counsel's unprofessional error in not reading all of the medical records and in failing to cross examine the State's experts. She has not show[n] that counsel's performance was deficient or that she was prejudiced. Day objected to the Magistrate Judge's report and recommendation, contending that her case was materially indistinguishable from the facts presented in Draughon v. Dretke, 427 F.3d 286 (5th Cir.2005), a capital habeas appeal in which a panel of this Court affirmed a district court's determination that a state court unreasonably applied Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984), to a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel. The district court declined to consider Draughon, stating merely that the standards for death penalty cases are not applicable to this non-death penalty case. The district court then adopted the Magistrate Judge's recommendations and dismissed the petition.