Court Opinion

ID: 9493441
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 15:08:15.910071+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:55:50.622789
License: Public Domain

DUBINA, Circuit Judge,
concurring specially:
I concur in Chief Judge Anderson’s well-reasoned opinion for the court. I write specially simply to point out that on remand, I doubt the petitioner will be able to present sufficient evidence to demonstrate “actual innocence.” Based on my experiences as a former trial judge, I find petitioner’s conclusory allegations of “actual innocence” to be totally inconsistent with what occurs at a guilty plea. Moreover, it is troubling to me that petitioner waited over five years after his conviction to file his federal habeas petition. This delay is inconsistent with a claim of actual innocence.
Nevertheless, I agree with Chief Judge Anderson that this record is not developed sufficiently for us to make these factual findings in the first instance. That is a function of the district court.