Opinion ID: 39521
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Clearly-Established Federal Law Relating to Kittelson's Confrontation and Due Process Arguments

Text: 59 Kittelson argues that the trial court limited both his right to challenge the testimony of the State's witnesses and his right fairly to present the testimony of his own witnesses. Whether rooted directly in the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment or in the Compulsory Process or Confrontation clauses of the Sixth Amendment, the Constitution guarantees criminal defendants a meaningful opportunity to present a complete defense. United States v. Scheffer, 523 U.S. 303, 329 n. 16, 118 S.Ct. 1261, 140 L.Ed.2d 413 (1998) (internal citations and quotations omitted). The Sixth Amendment right to present a complete defense encompasses a defendant's rights under the Confrontation Clause to rebut the State's evidence through cross-examination. See Webb v. Texas, 409 U.S. 95, 93 S.Ct. 351, 34 L.Ed.2d 330 (1972) (per curiam); Washington v. Texas, 388 U.S. 14, 87 S.Ct. 1920, 18 L.Ed.2d 1019 (1967); Taylor v. Illinois, 484 U.S. 400, 410, 108 S.Ct. 646, 98 L.Ed.2d 798 (1988); see also Crane v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 683, 690, 106 S.Ct. 2142, 90 L.Ed.2d 636 (1986) (Whether rooted directly in the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, or in the Compulsory Process or Confrontation clauses of the Sixth Amendment, the Constitution guarantees criminal defendants a meaningful opportunity to present a complete defense.) (internal citations and quotations omitted). The State does not contest that either the broad Sixth Amendment right to put on a full defense or the Confrontation Clause right to rebut the State's evidence are clearly established through longstanding Supreme Court precedent. 60 Although the right to cross-examination is not absolute, it is effectively denied when a defendant is prohibited from expos[ing] to the jury the facts from which jurors, as the sole triers of fact and credibility, could appropriately draw inferences relating to the reliability of the witness. Davis, 415 U.S. at 318, 94 S.Ct. 1105; see Chambers v. Mississippi, 410 U.S. 284, 295, 93 S.Ct. 1038, 35 L.Ed.2d 297 (1973). The absence of proper confrontation at trial calls into question the ultimate integrity of the fact-finding process. Chambers, 410 U.S. at 295, 93 S.Ct. 1038. The right to cross-examination includes the opportunity to show that a witness is biased, or that the testimony is exaggerated or unbelievable. Pennsylvania v. Ritchie, 480 U.S. 39, 51-53, 107 S.Ct. 989, 94 L.Ed.2d 40 (1987). [A] denial of cross-examination without waiver ... would be constitutional error of the first magnitude. Smith v. Illinois, 390 U.S. 129, 131, 88 S.Ct. 748, 19 L.Ed.2d 956 (1968) (internal quotation marks omitted). 61 The Confrontation Clause does not guarantee defendants cross-examination to whatever extent they desire. Bigby v. Dretke, 402 F.3d 551, 573 (5th Cir.2005). A trial judge has discretion to impose reasonable limits on cross-examination based on concerns about `harassment, prejudice, confusion of the issues, the witness' safety, or interrogation that is repetitive or only marginally relevant.' See Davis v. Alaska, 415 U.S. 308, 315, 94 S.Ct. 1105, 39 L.Ed.2d 347 (1974); Delaware v. Van Arsdall, 475 U.S. 673, 679-80, 106 S.Ct. 1431, 89 L.Ed.2d 674 (1986). Whether the exclusion of evidence is of a constitutional dimension depends on the trial court's reason for the exclusion and the effect of the exclusion. In determining whether the exclusion of evidence violates a defendant's confrontation rights, the Supreme Court has identified the following factors for a reviewing court to consider: the strength of the prosecution's overall case; the importance of the witness's testimony in the prosecution's case; whether the testimony was cumulative; the presence or absence of evidence corroborating or contradicting the testimony of the witness on material points; and the extent of cross-examination otherwise permitted. Van Arsdall, 475 U.S. at 684, 106 S.Ct. 1431; Scheffer, 523 U.S. at 308, 118 S.Ct. 1261 (exclusions of evidence are unconstitutional if they significantly undermine fundamental elements of the accused's defense); see also United States v. Valenzuela-Bernal, 458 U.S. 858, 867, 102 S.Ct. 3440, 73 L.Ed.2d 1193 (1982). 62 Before a court may grant relief on the basis of a violation of the Confrontation Clause, the court must apply harmless error analysis. See United States v. Stewart, 93 F.3d 189, 194 (5th Cir.1996) (The correct inquiry is whether, assuming that the damaging potential of the cross-examination were fully realized, a reviewing court might nonetheless say that the error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.) (quoting Van Arsdall, 475 U.S. at 684, 106 S.Ct. 1431). In a habeas proceeding, the more relaxed harmless error review applies. See Brecht v. Abrahamson, 507 U.S. 619, 623, 113 S.Ct. 1710, 123 L.Ed.2d 353 (1993) (establishing habeas harmless error standard that prohibits relief unless the constitutional error had a substantial and injurious effect reached by the jury and noting that a constitutional trial error is not so harmful as to entitle a defendant to habeas relief unless there is more than a mere reasonable possibility that it contributed to the verdict); see also Nixon v. Epps, 405 F.3d 318, 329 n. 13 (5th Cir.2005) (noting that a federal court must use the more lenient Brecht review, regardless whether the state court ever conducted a harmless error analysis) (citing Hogue v. Johnson, 131 F.3d 466, 499 (5th Cir.1997)). A federal court may grant habeas relief based on an erroneous state court evidentiary ruling only if the ruling violates a specific federal constitutional right or is so egregious that it renders the petitioner's trial fundamentally unfair. Brown v. Dretke, 419 F.3d 365, 376 (5th Cir.2005) (citing Castillo v. Johnson, 141 F.3d 218, 224 (5th Cir.1998) (additional citations omitted)). 63 Few rights are more fundamental than that of an accused to present witnesses in his own defense. In the exercise of this right, the accused, as is required of the State, must comply with established rules of procedure and evidence designed to assure both fairness and reliability in the ascertainment of guilt and innocence. Chambers, 410 U.S. at 298, 93 S.Ct. 1038 (citations omitted); Washington v. Texas, 388 U.S. 14, 19, 87 S.Ct. 1920, 18 L.Ed.2d 1019 (1967). When cross-examining a witness, the defendant must be permitted to test both the witness's credibility and the witness's knowledge of the facts bearing on the defendant's guilt or innocence. Sixth Amendment at Trial, 91 GEO. L.J. 584, 593-94 (2003) (footnotes and citations omitted). A defendant does not have an unfettered right to offer testimony that is incompetent, privileged, or otherwise inadmissible, Taylor, 484 U.S. at 410, 108 S.Ct. 646, but a restriction on the defendant's right to introduce testimony may not be arbitrary or disproportionate to the purpose it is designed to serve. 64 C. The State Court's Application of Clearly-Established Federal Law to Kittelson's Confrontation and Due Process Claims 65 The prosecution had no evidence of the allegation against Kittelson other than T.D.'s accusation. Excluding the evidence of Jana's recanted testimony left Kittelson unable fully to cross-examine T.D. and Officer Tate, the two critical prosecution witnesses, and unable fully to present evidence from Jana, the only defense witness present with T.D. when the alleged incident occurred and when T.D. made her outcry. Because of the limits on cross-examination, the jury was left with the impression that Jana had also accused Kittelson, but was deprived of the information about Jana's recantation. The trial court's determination, far from being a standard, discretionary ruling, doubly harmed Kittelson. On the specific and unusual facts presented by this record, the harm was of a constitutional dimension; the state habeas court's determination that Kittelson received a fundamentally fair trial in which he was allowed to present a complete defense was an unreasonable application of clearly-established federal law. Cf. Wilkerson v. Cain, 233 F.3d 886, 891 (5th Cir.2000) ([T]he imperative of protecting a defendant's right to effective cross-examination is even more critical where, as here, the witness is crucial to the prosecution's case.). 66 A review of the record before the state habeas court reveals that Officer Tate testified that he had sent both T.D. and Jana to be interviewed by CPS. Officer Tate's testimony created the impression that Jana had also accused Kittelson of abuse. The state court and the district court discounted this by noting that Jana's presence with T.D. on the night of the alleged event and when T.D. made her outcry a month later could have explained Officer Tate's decision to arrange to have Jana interviewed. This analysis ignores Officer Tate's later testimony that such interviews occur when there is [sic] sexual abuse charges involved. This analysis also ignores the fact that the jury heard that there was a third child present when T.D. first made her outcry, but Tate did not arrange to have that child interviewed by CPS. Tate's testimony did create an impression that Jana had also accused Kittelson of sexual misconduct. The trial court's refusal to allow defense counsel to ask Tate why he had arranged to have Jana interviewed violated the Sixth Amendment. 67 The state court also unreasonably applied federal law on due process in finding no constitutional error in the trial court's refusal to permit Kittelson to cross-examine Officer Tate or to elicit testimony from Jana about her recanted allegation. In an unreported hearing, the trial court granted the State's motion in limine and entered the order excluding Kittelson from eliciting any testimony about Jana's recanted accusation. The testimony of Jana's accusation and recantation was not cumulative. A review of the record the state habeas court had before it makes clear that this excluded evidence was paramount to Kittelson's defense. The evidence supported the defense theory that T.D. was influenced falsely to accuse Kittelson by another child's description of sexual abuse and the desire to avoid a reprimand. Kittelson was unable to present the evidence that right after T.D. and Jana heard Christine's description of abuse she had experienced, and right after the babysitter's scolding, both girls accused Kittelson of improperly touching them a month earlier, but Jana recanted that same day. None of the factors articulated by the Supreme Court in Van Arsdall, 475 U.S. at 684, 106 S.Ct. 1431, supported the State's limine argument. 68 The limit on examining Officer Tate also violated due process because Kittelson was not able to present his defense. The State does not argue, and the record does not support, that the trial court was concerned about the prejudicial effect of the jury hearing testimony to the effect that Kittelson had been accused by multiple children. The State's argument that Kittelson was allowed to present a complete defense by eliciting other testimony from Jana and from Parker, the babysitter, does not fairly consider the evidence that was presented to the jury or the evidence that was not presented. The jury heard that Jana was the same age as T.D., had been present with T.D. on the night of the event and when T.D. made her accusation, and, with T.D., was interviewed by CPS. The jury did not hear that Jana had recanted her accusation against Kittelson the same day she and T.D. made the accusations. The testimony that Jana was limited to providing — that she would have heard T.D. leave the tent the night of the alleged abuse — did not directly affect T.D.'s credibility, which was critical to the case. By keeping the information about Jana's recanted accusation from the jury, even after the Officer Tate's testimony created the impression that Jana was also a victim, the trial court violated Kittelson's Sixth Amendment rights. The state habeas court's refusal to rectify this constitutional violation constituted an unreasonable application of clearly-established Supreme Court law on the Confrontation and Due Process Clauses. 69 Kittelson also argued that the trial court violated his right of confrontation by denying him the right to cross-examine T.D. about two previous allegations of sexual abuse she had made against other people, which may have been either disbelieved, unproved, or considered harmless. Kittelson cites to Redmond v. Kingston, 240 F.3d 590 (7th Cir.2001), a federal habeas case in which the petitioner, who was convicted of statutory rape, successfully argued that the state court violated his Sixth Amendment confrontation right by denying cross-examination of the complaining witness about a prior false allegation made against another man. The Seventh Circuit held that the exclusion was an unreasonable application of the Supreme Court's confrontation doctrine. 240 F.3d at 591. When that unexceptionable rule is applied as it was here to exclude highly probative, noncumulative, nonconfusing, nonprejudicial evidence tendered by a criminal defendant that is vital to the central issue in the case (the accuser's credibility), the defendant's constitutional right of confrontation has been infringed. Id. at 592. The court rejected the argument that other impeachment evidence carried the same probative weight as evidence of the false prior charge. [T]he fact that the girl had led her mother, a nurse, and the police on a wild goose chase for a rapist merely to get her mother's attention supplied a powerful reason for disbelieving her testimony eleven months later about having sex with another man, by showing that she had a motive for what would otherwise be an unusual fabrication. Id. at 593. 27 70 The record as to T.D.'s accusation that some other man had improperly touched her is scant. Although the trial judge instructed the prosecution to obtain a copy of the police report, the record does not show that it was provided to the defense. The State argues that such a prior accusation must be false or recanted before it is admissible. The record, however, does not show that Kittelson attempted to offer the evidence only to show that T.D. was in the habit of making false accusations of sexual abuse. The evidence also supported Kittelson's defense theory by showing that T.D. had a motive to make up such an accusation in order to gain attention and sympathy, as she had received once before, and to show that once T.D.'s accusation had been reported to the police, she was afraid to recant. 71 This case turned entirely on the T.D.'s word against Kittelson's. His only defense was to show that she made up the accusation. The defense argued that T.D. heard a big girl talk about sexual abuse, and, after being reprimanded by a babysitter, made up a story about being abused, which she became afraid to recant after her mother had already filed a police report. The Supreme Court has instructed that [b]ias may be induced by a witness' like, dislike, or fear of a party, or by the witness' self-interest. Proof of bias is almost always relevant because the jury, as finder of fact and weigher of credibility, has historically been entitled to assess all evidence which might bear on the accuracy and truth of a witness' testimony. United States v. Abel, 469 U.S. 45, 52, 105 S.Ct. 465, 83 L.Ed.2d 450 (1984). With no ability to show that Jana had been similarly influenced to accuse Kittelson but promptly recanted, and with no ability to correct the impression that both Jana and T.D. had accused him of sexual contact on the same night, Kittelson essentially had no defense. In a case that turned entirely on the credibility of the complaining witness, the state courts' restriction on Kittelson's ability to challenge that credibility violated his clearly-established confrontation and due process rights and cannot be considered harmless. 28 The state habeas court's unreasonable application of clearly-established federal law had a substantial and injurious influence on the jury's verdict. Relief under § 2254 is warranted.