Opinion ID: 422085
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Contentions of Parties on Appeal

Text: 9 Knights contends that (1) the trial judge denied Knights' constitutional right to confront witnesses in declining to recuse himself from presiding over the post-trial motion when the central issue of the motion revolved around events outside the record to which the trial judge was a witness; (2) Knights was denied due process of law by the prosecution's failure to disclose that juvenile proceedings were pending against two key state witnesses at the time they testified at the trial; and (3) Knights was denied due process of law by the prosecution's failure, prior to trial, to disclose statements of witnesses favorable to Knights and statements allegedly made by Knights. 10 The State contends that (1) Knights was barred from litigating in state court his claim that the trial judge should have recused himself because it was not timely made, and because of this procedural default he was likewise barred from habeas corpus review; (2) the prosecution did not fail to disclose information that was favorable to Knights at his state court trial; and (3) habeas corpus relief is not required based on Knights' claims of the prosecution's suppression of favorable evidence. 11