Opinion ID: 167733
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Failure to Challenge Career-Offender Classification

Text: 16 Mr. Taylor contends that his counsel failed to raise his [career-offender] enhancement in direct appeal when the plaintiff requested he do so. R. Vol. I Doc. 55 at 7. He acknowledges that at sentencing his attorney objected successfully to 2 out of 3 of the enhancements [proposed by the presentence report] but was unsuccessful in challenging his classification as a career offender. Id. The district court ruled that this ineffectiveness claim had no merit. 17 Defendant claims that both of his 1992 drug trafficking convictions are invalid because his civil rights were restored and further that his 1994 drug trafficking conviction was for a misdemeanor. He presents no evidence to support his former contention. His latter contention is conclusively refuted by the court documents admitted without objection at sentencing. . . . 18 Thus, defendant's classification as a career offender was correct. His counsel was not ineffective for failing to raise defendant's career offender status on direct appeal. 19 Id. Doc. 60 at 3-4. No reasonable jurist would have ruled otherwise.