Opinion ID: 2980499
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Purported State Exhaustion

Text: Along with his underlying argument that the motion to remand exhausted his ineffective assistance claims, Woods has submitted briefs that were filed by Woods and by the State in the Michigan trial court in support and opposition of Woods’s post-conviction motion for relief from judgment, which he contends also demonstrate exhaustion. In its brief opposing relief from judgment, the State argued that the claim of failure to investigate Brewington was presented during oral argument in the Michigan Court of Appeals. Woods contends the State’s admission that this issue was presented during oral argument necessarily means it was exhausted. We disagree. Briefs filed in the Michigan Court of Appeals must contain a clear, concise, and separately numbered list of the questions to be considered on appeal. M.C.R. 7.212(C)(5). Issues not placed in the statement of questions presented are waived. Van Buren Twp. v. Garter Belt, Inc., 673 N.W.2d 111, 134 (Mich. Ct. App. 2003). However, that court retains discretion to hear such waived issues under certain circumstances, so it is true that Woods could have argued this claim before the state appellate court during oral argument. See id. Regardless, this is not the procedurally appropriate way to pursue a claim in the Michigan Court of Appeals, and cannot satisfy the fair-presentation requirement without evidence that court actually considered the claim. See Black, 1996 WL 266421, at . The opinion from the Michigan Court of Appeals limited its consideration to the questions presented in Woods’s appellate brief and, relying only on the record, concluded that Woods had not demonstrated his counsel was defective. Woods, No. 136731, at 3. The opinion does not evince any consideration of whether counsel was deficient for failing to investigate Brewington. See id. Thus, like the district court, we conclude that Woods has failed to exhaust state-court remedies with regard - 18 - No. 09-1071 Darryl Woods v. Raymond Booker, Warden to the ineffective assistance of counsel claim he now presents.