Opinion ID: 3019708
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: ineffective assistance of trial counsel for

Text: failing to object to the competency of the Toro brothers, (2) violation of Medina’s federal due process rights when the trial court failed to conduct a sua sponte inquiry into the competency of the Toro brothers; (3) ineffective assistance of trial counsel for failing to introduce medical records; (4) ineffective assistance of counsel for failing to object to improper prosecutorial 21 remarks; and (5) ineffective assistance of trial and appellate counsel in relation to the trial court’s admonishments of trial counsel in front of the jury. Id. at 538 n.6. The District Court noted, however, that the Magistrate Judge’s Report and Recommendation (“R&R”) “disregards his pro se claim that the trial court violated his due process rights when it failed to conduct a sua sponte inquiry into the competency of the Toro brothers.” Id. Because “[t]he parties did not object to the Magistrate Judge’s characterization of Medina’s claims in their objections, and Medina actually adopted [the Magistrate Judge’s] characterization of his claims in his objections to the R&R,” the District Court did not consider whether the failure of the trial court to conduct a sua sponte competency hearing violated due process. Id. Pursuant to Rule 8(b) of the Rules Governing Section 2254 Cases, a district court is not required to determine de novo whether a magistrate judge erred in failing to consider a claim in his or her report and recommendation if no objection was made by a party on that ground. In his brief before this Court, Mr. Medina does not contend that his federal due process rights were violated by the failure of the trial court to conduct a sua sponte hearing regarding the competency of the Toro brothers. Furthermore, Mr. Medina did not file a protective cross-appeal challenging the failure of the District Court to consider his federal due process claims. See Henderson v. Carlson, 812 F.2d 22 874, 877-79 (3d Cir. 1987) (holding that “the failure of a party to object to a magistrate’s legal conclusions may result in the loss of the right to de novo review” in the district court – but not in the loss of the statutory right to appellate review). Accordingly, we conclude that this claim has been abandoned or forfeited. The District Court entered a final order on June 2, 2005, granting Mr. Medina’s petition for habeas corpus relief. It concluded that the state court’s dismissal of his claim that his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to object to the competency of Marcos Toro was an unreasonable application of clearly established federal law. Medina, 373 F. Supp. 2d at 549. The District Court also concluded that the failure of Mr. Medina’s trial counsel to object on competency grounds was prejudicial because “[a]bsent Marcos’s testimony, there is a reasonable probability that the jury would have a reasonable doubt regarding Medina’s guilt.” Id. at 552. The Commonwealth has timely appealed. This Court has jurisdiction over this appeal pursuant to 28 U.S.C.§ 1291 (1993) and § 2253(c)(i)(A) (Supp. 2006).