Opinion ID: 159782
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: State Court’s Factual Finding

Text: In seeking collateral review in the state courts, Appellant argued that his relationship with trial counsel completely deteriorated after he learned that Mr. Richard Davis, Appellant’s lawyer in a previous conviction and a public defender in the same office where Ms. Jordan was employed, might be testifying against Appellant at the habitual criminal phase of his trial. Appellant maintained that this perceived impropriety led him to “fear that counsel was disloyal to him,” thus rendering the representation constitutionally defective. The state court held a hearing on this collateral challenge and heard testimony from both Appellant and Ms. Jordan. Ms. Jordan testified that her relationship with Appellant deteriorated dramatically after Appellant learned that -9- Mr. Davis might be called as a witness in his habitual criminal proceedings. Ms. Jordan also testified that it became “impossible” to have a reasoned discussion with Appellant, and that Appellant had become uncooperative. Appellant testified that Mr. Davis’ role in the habitual criminal proceedings made him unable to trust Ms. Jordan and led him to believe he was being “railroaded.” As a result, Appellant testified, “I didn’t even want to participate in my own trial, to tell you the truth.” The state district court denied Appellant’s petition for collateral relief. With regard to the ineffective assistance claim, the court recognized the fact that “the defendant ceased all substantive participation in the trial,” but found both Appellant’s testimony and his claims of ineffective assistance “incredible.” The court specifically rejected Appellant’s claim that the potential conflict of interest destroyed his confidence in Ms. Jordan: “The court finds illogical the defendant’s testimony that he lost confidence in trial counsel when she raised the conflict of interest.” Moreover, the court found that Appellant’s dislike of Mr. Davis “should have been manifest earlier if it was in fact the basis for the defendant’s personal conflict.” Thus, the court concluded that Appellant’s behavior was not the result of a complete breakdown in communication between Appellant and Ms. Jordan. - 10 - The state court explicitly rejected Appellant’s testimony, and it impliedly rejected Ms. Jordan’s testimony that a breakdown had occurred. The state district court had been briefed on the Soto Hernandez claim, and it rejected this and any other arguments of ineffective assistance. It is therefore apparent that the state court made a factual finding to that effect because it denied Appellant relief. Thus, § 2254(d)(1) does not negate our presumption of correctness.