Opinion ID: 1129992
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Issues Previously Litigated

Text: A The district court denied 110 of the 319 postconviction claims Rodriguez raised in his Crim.P. 35(c) motion, [9] holding that Rodriguez could not raise claims that he previously raised on direct appeal and which this court previously resolved in People v. Rodriguez, 794 P.2d 965 (Colo.1990) ( Rodriguez IV ), and Rodriguez v. Dist. Ct., City & Cty. of Denver, 719 P.2d 699 (Colo.1986) ( Rodriguez I ). On this appeal, Rodriguez specifically asserts the following issues, which are comprised of or contain claims which the district court disposed of as previously litigated: 5, 6, 9, 10, 66, 79, 90, 91, 92, 96, 106, 115, 135, 136, 137, 138, 150, and Rodriguez' argument that the inadequacy of the record on appeal denied him effective assistance of counsel. [10] In Issue 1 of this appeal, Rodriguez attempts to salvage the remaining claims which the district court disposed of as previously litigated, asserting that the district court's ruling that Mr. Rodriguez had already had appellate review of many claims in his postconviction motions was erroneous. Rodriguez' Opening Brief at 32-37. We conclude that Rodriguez' failure to specifically reassert on this appeal all of the claims which the district court disposed of as previously litigated on direct appeal constitutes a conscious relinquishment of those claims which he does not reassert. Accordingly, we address only those postconviction claims that Rodriguez specifically reasserts on this appeal. B Rodriguez has no constitutional right to postconviction review; rather, any right he has is statutory. People v. Wiedemer, 852 P.2d 424, 438 (Colo.1993). We presume the validity of the judgment of conviction and place upon Rodriguez the burden to establish his right to relief by a preponderance of the evidence. See People v. Naranjo, 840 P.2d 319, 325 (Colo.1992). Rule 35 proceedings are intended to prevent injustices after conviction and sentencing, not to provide perpetual review. People v. Hampton, 187 Colo. 131, 133, 528 P.2d 1311, 1312 (1974). Accordingly, Rodriguez cannot use a proceeding under Rule 35 to relitigate matters fully and finally resolved in an earlier appeal. See People v. Johnson, 638 P.2d 61, 63 (Colo.1981); People v. Trujillo, 190 Colo. 497, 500, 549 P.2d 1312, 1314 (1976); Morse v. People, 180 Colo. 49, 52, 501 P.2d 1328, 1329 (1972); People v. Bradley, 169 Colo. 262, 265, 455 P.2d 199, 200 (1969); ABA Standards for Criminal Justice, Postconviction Remedies § 22-6.1(a) at 22-62 (2d ed. 1986). [11] An issue is fully and finally litigated when the highest court of the state to which a defendant could appeal as of right has ruled on the merits of the question. ABA Standards § 22-6.1(a) at 22-62. Moreover, an argument raised under Rule 35 which does not precisely duplicate an issue raised on appeal will be precluded if its review would be nothing more than a second appeal addressing the same issues on some recently contrived constitutional theory. People v. Bastardo, 646 P.2d 382, 383 (Colo.1982). The United States Supreme Court has defined the concept of same grounds for the purposes of successive applications for postconviction relief by federal prisoners: By ground, we mean simply a sufficient legal basis for granting the relief sought by the applicant. For example, the contention that an involuntary confession was admitted in evidence against him is a distinct ground for federal collateral relief. But a claim of involuntary confession predicated on alleged psychological coercion does not raise a different ground than does one predicated on alleged physical coercion. In other words, identical grounds may often be proved by different factual allegations. So also, identical grounds may often be supported by different legal arguments, or be couched in different language, or vary in immaterial respects. Sanders v. United States, 373 U.S. 1, 16, 83 S.Ct. 1068, 1077, 10 L.Ed.2d 148 (1963) (citations omitted); see also People v. Scheer, 184 Colo. 15, 19, 518 P.2d 833 (1974) (holding that previous Crim.P. 35 attacks on the voluntariness, coercion, and adequacy of advisement of defendant's guilty plea precluded raising a similar attack alleging that defendant did not understand the nature of the charge). We use this standard to assist our review of those claims which the district court disposed of as having been previously litigated. C In his Crim.P. 35(c) motion, Rodriguez raised numerous claims challenging the constitutionality of the capital sentencing statute, § 16-11-103, 8A C.R.S. (1986), under which he was sentenced. The district court held that our decisions in People v. Tenneson, 788 P.2d 786 (Colo.1990), and People v. Davis, 794 P.2d 159 (Colo.1990), cert. denied, 498 U.S. 1018, 111 S.Ct. 662, 112 L.Ed.2d 656 (1991), disposed of Rodriguez' claims. R., v. 1 at 209-10. In Issue 3, Rodriguez challenges the propriety of the district court's ruling, and, in Issues 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 87, he collectively reasserts his attack on the death statute. Our decisions in Tenneson, 788 P.2d at 789-92, and Davis, 794 P.2d at 170-74, upheld the constitutionality of section 16-11-103 and rejected the argument that the death penalty violates the Cruel and Unusual Punishment and Due Process Clauses of the United States and the Colorado Constitutions. We see no reason to overrule that precedent. Accordingly, we reject the arguments raised in Issues 3, 6, 7, 8, and 87. [12] In Davis, we held that a court is not constitutionally required to provide proportionality review of a death sentence or to inquire as to whether the punishment imposed on the defendant is disproportionate to the punishment imposed on others convicted of the same offense. 794 P.2d at 173-74. We see no reason to set this precedent aside. Accordingly, we reject Issues 5 and 9.