Opinion ID: 165060
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Other Grounds Raised in Habeas Application

Text: -14- A judge of this court granted a COA on the issue whether Mr. Rudolph was subjected to double jeopardy. This panel must now determine whether he is entitled to a COA on any other issue raised in his habeas application. “A certificate of appealability may issue . . . only if the applicant has made a substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional right.” 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(2). To be entitled to a COA on the two issues (insufficiency of the evidence and prosecutorial misconduct) “[w]here [the] district court has rejected [his] constitutional claims on the merits,” Mr. Rudolph “must demonstrate that reasonable jurists would find the district court's assessment of the constitutional claims debatable or wrong.” Slack v. McDaniel, 529 U.S. 473, 484 (2000). This court has determined that because “AEDPA’s deferential treatment of state court decisions must be incorporated into our consideration of a habeas [applicant’s] request for COA,” Dockins v. Hines, 374 F.3d 935, 938 (10th Cir. 2004), we will grant a COA “only if reasonable jurists could debate whether the [applicant] might be eligible for habeas relief – i.e., . . . whether the state court’s decision on the merits of the [applicant’s] constitutional claim was unreasonable or ran contrary to clearly established federal law,” id. at 937. To be entitled to a COA on the seven issues that the district court found procedurally barred, Mr. Rudolph must “show[], at least, that jurists of reason would find it debatable whether the [application] states a valid claim of the denial of a constitutional right and that -15- jurists of reason would find it debatable whether the district court was correct in its procedural ruling.” Slack, 529 U.S. at 484. We recognize that in determining whether to issue a COA, a “full consideration of the factual or legal bases adduced in support of the claims” is not required. Miller-El v. Cockrell, 537 U.S. 322, 336 (2003). Instead, the decision must be based on “an overview of the claims in the habeas [application] and a general assessment of their merits.” Id. After reviewing Mr. Rudolph’s brief, we conclude that he has failed to “demonstrate that reasonable jurists would find the district court’s assessment of the constitutional claims [of insufficiency of the evidence and prosecutorial misconduct] debatable or wrong.” Slack, 529 U.S. at 484. Regarding the seven claims that the district court found procedurally barred, we conclude that he has failed to “show[], at least, that jurists of reason would find it debatable whether the [application] states a valid claim of the denial of a constitutional right and that jurists of reason would find it debatable whether the district court was correct in its procedural ruling.” Id. We will not consider any issues contained in Mr. Rudolph’s appellate brief that were not presented to the district court. See Walker v. Mather (In re Walker), 959 F.2d 894, (10th Cir. 1992). For substantially the same reasons provided in the district court’s July 22, 2003, Order, we deny Mr. Rudolph’s -16- request for a COA on the issues other than double jeopardy raised in his habeas application.