Opinion ID: 1310866
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: introduction

Text: In 2001, Bradway was charged with first degree murder by means of lying in wait. The special circumstance of lying in wait was also charged, making Bradway eligible for a penalty of death or life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. See Cal. Penal Code §§ 189, 190.2(a)(15). In the trial court, Bradway successfully moved to dismiss the lying in wait special circumstance as impermissibly vague, but the California Court of Appeal overturned that ruling and reinstated the special circumstance charge. People v. Superior Court (Bradway I), 129 Cal. Rptr. 2d 324 (Cal. Ct. App. 2003). The appellate court found some overlap in the two statutes, but held that the lying in wait special circumstance required specific intent to kill, while the first degree murder statute did not. Id. at 333. Bradway was then convicted and sentenced to life without parole. Relief under the same vagueness claim was denied in subsequent state habeas proceedings and by the district court in this federal habeas action. The district court held that California sufficiently distinguished the lying in wait special circumstance from the the lying in wait first degree murder statute. It accordingly rejected Bradway's vagueness challenge. We review that decision de novo. Reynoso v. Giurbino, 462 F.3d 1099, 1108 (9th Cir. 2006). Because Bradway fails to demonstrate that the distinction drawn by California courts is either contrary to, or an unreasonable application of, clearly established federal law, we affirm.