Court Opinion

ID: 2964373
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2015-09-21 21:24:42.169283+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:09:44.852364
License: Public Domain

USCA1 Opinion

	

                                [NOT FOR PUBLICATION]

                            UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
                                FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT

                                 ____________________

        No. 96-1246

                                   ROBERT LEBLANC,

                                     Petitioner,

                                          v.

                                    RONALD DUVAL,

                                     Respondent.

                                 ____________________

                     APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

                          FOR THE DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS

                     [Hon. Nancy J. Gertner, U.S. District Judge]
                                             ___________________

                                 ____________________

                                        Before

                                Selya, Cyr and Boudin,
                                   Circuit Judges. 
                                   ______________

                                 ____________________

            Robert LeBlanc on brief pro se.
            ______________
            Scott  Harshbarger,  Attorney  General,  and Gregory  I.  Massing,
            __________________                           ____________________
        Assistant Attorney General, on brief for appellee.

                                 ____________________

                                   OCTOBER 16. 1996
                                 ____________________

                 Per Curiam.   We have carefully  examined the record  in
                 __________

            this  case,  including the  briefs  of  the  parties and  the

            opinion of  the district  court below.   Essentially  for the

            reasons given  by the district court in  its opinion, LeBlanc
                                                                  _______

            v. Duval, 900 F. Supp.  538 (D.Mass. 1996), we agree  with the
               _____

            district  court's   conclusion  that  the   jury  instruction

            constituted harmless error and that petitioner was not denied

            effective  assistance  of counsel.    Accordingly,  the order

            denying petitioner's  request  for habeas  corpus  relief  is

            affirmed.1
                     1
            ________

                                
            ____________________

               1The  "Antiterrorism  and Effective  Death Penalty  Act of
               1
            1996"  (Pub. L. 104-32) was signed into law while this appeal
            was pending.  We need not determine to  what extent the Act's
            amendments  govern  this  case  since, even  under  the  more
            expansive  scope of review prior  to the Act,  LeBlanc is not
            entitled to relief.

                                         -2-