Opinion ID: 1040865
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: McKinney’s “other” dual juries claims

Text: In addition to the “courtroom layout” claim, McKinney makes several arguments in federal court that the use of the dual juries denied him his right to a fair trial. McKinney claims the dual juries prejudiced him, because: (1) Defendants presented antagonistic defenses, which led to prejudicial leading questions, limited cross-examination, and Bruton violations; and (2) the procedure necessitated increased security and the use of a leg brace during trial. The State argues that McKinney procedurally defaulted these claims by failing to fairly present them to the state court. We agree. 1. McKinney failed to exhaust his “other” courtroom layout claims. McKinney’s Arizona Supreme Court briefing did not set forth the operative facts or federal legal theory for any dual juries claim apart from the “courtroom layout” claim. The same is true of the PCR Petition. While the PCR Petition makes a general appeal to McKinney’s right to “due process” and a “fair trial,” this is insufficient to exhaust. See Castillo, 399 F.3d at 998; Hiivala, 195 F.3d at 1106. Accordingly, MCKINNEY V. RYAN 15 McKinney failed to exhaust any potential claim arising out of the trial court’s use of dual juries, except the “courtroom layout” claim. McKinney argues that his claims were exhausted, because Hedlund raised the claims to the Arizona Supreme Court. However, “[t]he questions raised by [McKinney] involve constitutional privileges which are personal to him, and therefore an appeal by his co-defendant can not exhaust [his] remedies in the state courts.” Williams v. Nelson, 431 F.2d 932, 932–33 (9th Cir. 1970) (per curiam).5 Accordingly, McKinney failed to exhaust these claims because he failed to raise them personally to the state court. 2. McKinney’s unexhausted dual juries claims are procedurally defaulted. “A claim is procedurally defaulted ‘if the petitioner failed to exhaust state remedies and the court to which the petitioner would be required to present his claims in order to meet the exhaustion requirement would now find the claims procedurally barred.’” Beaty, 303 F.3d at 987 (quoting Coleman v. Thompson, 501 U.S. 722, 735 n.1 (1991)). McKinney’s dual jury claims are procedurally defaulted, because he is barred “under Arizona law from going back to state court.” Id.; see also Ariz. R. Crim. P. 32.2(a), 32.4(a).6 5 Contrary to McKinney’s argument, the subsequent case, Harris v. Superior Court of the St. of Cal., Los Angeles Cnty., 500 F.2d 1124, 1126 (9th Cir. 1974) (en banc), did not affect this portion of Williams. 6 Arizona Rules of Criminal Procedure 32.2(a) and 32.4(a) provide alternate bases for our conclusion that McKinney’s claims would now be barred. Rule 32.2(a)(3) precludes “any claim that could have been brought on direct appeal or in a prior PCR petition.” Henry v. Ryan, ___ 16 MCKINNEY V. RYAN “Nonetheless, we will review the merits if [McKinney] can show cause and prejudice or, alternatively, a fundamental miscarriage of justice.” Beaty, 303 F.3d at 987. While McKinney mentioned these exceptions in his briefing, he made no argument that they apply to excuse the procedural default of his dual juries claims. At oral argument, when asked whether he could show cause, McKinney argued that he could establish cause under Martinez v. Ryan, 132 S. Ct. 1309 (2012). McKinney’s invocation of Martinez suggests that McKinney argues that the ineffective assistance of his PCR counsel constitutes cause to overcome the procedural default of his other dual juries claims. However, it is wellsettled that ineffective assistance of PCR counsel does not establish cause. See Coleman, 501 U.S. at 753–57. While Martinez created a “narrow exception” to this rule, 132 S. Ct. at 1315, the Martinez exception does not apply to McKinney’s dual juries claims. The Supreme Court made clear that the exception applies only when the underlying constitutional claim is ineffective assistance of trial counsel. Id. Thus, McKinney cannot show cause and his dual juries claims are procedurally defaulted.