Court Opinion

ID: 9498806
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 17:28:33.645311+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:59:04.834876
License: Public Domain

*971CLAY, Circuit Judge,
dissenting.
It is entirely inappropriate to reach the merits of Petitioner’s case when this Court knows full well that Petitioner’s court-appointed counsel has abdicated his duties as Petitioner’s legal representative. Counsel admitted as much in briefs to this Court, during oral arguments, and again in a letter to the panel.
This Court ordered appointment of counsel to assist Petitioner in his appeal to this Court of the district court’s refusal to vacate or set aside his convictions and sentence pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2255. Attorney Spiros Cocoves was thereby appointed in March 2005; counsel’s appointment was pursuant to the Criminal Justice Act, 18 U.S.C. § 3006A et seq. See Janice E. Yates, Chief Deputy Clerk, Letter to Spiros P. Cocoves, March 4, 2005 (“Thank you for accepting the court’s appointment to represent petitioner .... [T]he court appreciates your undertaking to provide the representation afforded by the Criminal Justice Act .... ”). This appointment is understood to create the usual attorney-client relationship between counsel and the indigent petitioner, with all the ethical considerations and duties of representation attendant thereto. See Ferri v. Acker-man, 444 U.S. 193, 205, 100 S.Ct. 402, 62 L.Ed.2d 355 (1979) (“[T]he essential office of appointed defense counsel is akin to that of private counsel ....”)
Petitioner’s brief in this case conforms to the technical requirements of Sixth Circuit rules. Significantly, however, the brief, although signed by counsel, is not a brief by counsel. Counsel admitted as much in the brief itself. In footnote 1 on page 3 of Petitioner’s brief, counsel states that “[t]he bulk of this brief has been prepared by [Petitioner], with counsel assisting to conform the brief to the mandates of the federal appellate rules and this Court’s local rules.” (Pet’r Br. 3.) It is further apparent from a reading of the brief that counsel formatted the brief, wrote a statement of the case, and perhaps wrote the prefatory sections for summary of argument and standard of review. The argument section, however; was apparently not prepared by counsel. The argument section proceeds in a pro se fashion, with very little legal structure and analysis.
Counsel for Petitioner further admitted his abdication of his role as Petitioner’s attorney during oral arguments to this Court. Counsel stated that he did not substantively draft the brief but “reviewed what [Petitioner] said against the record” and “made sure that the claims that [Petitioner] advanced were proper.” Oral Arguments Before the Sixth Circuit, No. 04-3863, Feb. 1, 2006. Surely this is not the advocacy involving independent professional judgment which we demand of counsel when claims are, at minimum, .nonfrivolous, which counsel has admitted they are in the instant case. Counsel admitted that this was “not the way I normally do things,” but excused himself by stating that the order appointing Mr. Cocoves as counsel was somehow unusual or out of the ordinary. Id. Counsel refers to the order granting Petitioner a certificate of appealability in this matter, in which this Court stated that “counsel is hearby appointed to assist in the briefing of these issues.” See Pough v. United States, No. 04-3863 (6th Cir. Jan. 12, 2005). Counsel inexplicably argues that he interpreted this order as placing him in a role somewhat analogous to “standby counsel” to Petitioner. Oral Arguments. Counsel repeated this contention after oral arguments in a letter to the panel:
Because the order did not state that counsel was to be appointed to represent Mr. Pough, I read the order to mean that my role was to ensure that all filings comported with the Court’s rules regarding format and that it otherwise *972present [sic] the issues, with Mr. Pough providing the bulk of the written work.
Spiros Cocoves, Letter to the Honorables Eric L. Clay, Ronald Lee Gilman, and James L. Ryan, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, February 2, 2006.
I have reviewed the order appointing counsel and found nothing unusual or different about this order versus other orders from this Court appointing counsel under the Criminal Justice Act. The order granting the certificate of appealability states that “counsel is hereby appointed to assist in the briefing of these issues.” Pough v. United States, No. 04-3863 (6th Cir. Jan. 12, 2005). Moreover, I have reviewed the letter sent from the Clerk’s office to Mr. Cocoves confirming his appointment, which thanks counsel for “accepting the court’s appointment to represent the petitioner ... [under] the Criminal Justice Act.” Letter to Spiros P. Cocoves. Again, counsel’s appointment was entirely standard. Surely, if counsel felt that the appointment was somehow unusual, counsel had an affirmative obligation to request clarification or confirmation from this Court. Counsel himself appears uncomfortable with his performance in this representation, stating during oral argument that he “probably [has] more agreement than I should have with what the Court’s saying [about his representation].” Oral Arguments.
The majority opinion sets forth a rather startling and audacious Apologia for counsel’s totally inadequate performance as a lawyer on Petitioner’s behalf — a performance which should perhaps best be characterized as an “absence of performance.” The majority opinion jumps through all manner of hoops in an attempt to obfuscate the obvious fact that Petitioner’s counsel has admitted, on more than one occasion, and in writing, that he did not prepare Petitioner’s brief on appeal to this Court but, on the contrary, merely formatted the brief drafted by Petitioner so that it would be in a form acceptable for filing with the clerk’s office. The fact that Petitioner’s counsel subsequently submitted a rule 28(j) letter, based not on counsel’s work but as a follow-up to a brief drafting process in which counsel did not participate, except to format Petitioner’s pro se brief, does not in the least mitigate counsel’s abdication of his professional responsibility.
The majority opinion reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of the significance of the role of counsel in our adversary process. Once this Court appointed counsel for Petitioner, Petitioner was entitled to competent counsel who would represent Petitioner based upon an acceptable level of independent judgment, professional skill, and diligence. The majority opinion seeks to excuse counsel’s abdication of his role as Petitioner’s counsel based upon the irrelevant rationale that Petitioner has had several attorneys represent him in the past and because the majority seems to believe that letters from Petitioner to his prior counsel identify Petitioner as a difficult client. Based upon the majority’s rationale, the quality of representation to which a person is entitled would depend to some extent on that person’s personal characteristics as a client. Actually, none of the things mentioned by the majority have anything to do with the issue of whether our panel should have vacated attorney Cocoves’ appointment and appointed a new lawyer who would have actually been willing and able to draft an appellate brief on Petitioner’s behalf. In fact, the majority, in its anxiousness to excuse Petitioner’s counsel’s lack of performance, even engages in the puzzling conjecture, without any factual basis or foundation, that “Pough obtained the legal assistance that he desired.”
Until and unless counsel approaches this Court to say that Petitioner has somehow *973prevented counsel from doing his job, counsel has a professional obligation to lend his analytical skills and legal knowledge, not just his formatting capabilities, to advance Petitioner’s arguments. Attorney Cocoves’ own bar demands as much. See Ohio Code Prof. Resp. Ethical Canon 7-19 (“The duty of a lawyer to his client and his duty to the legal system are the same: to represent his client zealously within the bounds of the law.”) I believe that the circumstances surrounding counsel’s role are very clear. By counsel’s own admission, counsel had little role in preparing Petitioner’s brief and framing Petitioner’s arguments on appeal. Until and unless counsel makes a motion to this Court asking to be relieved of his responsibilities as counsel of record, counsel is under a professional obligation to advance Petitioner’s arguments. To file and sign a brief with this Court which admits on its face that counsel did little more than format the brief belies counsel’s duty as an attorney, violates Court rules and canons of ethics, and undermines this Court’s authority. It was this Court, after all, which appointed counsel in the first instance.
I acknowledge that Petitioner is not constitutionally entitled to assistance of counsel on habeas. See generally Coleman v. Thompson, 501 U.S. 722, 756, 111 S.Ct. 2546, 115 L.Ed.2d 640 (1991). Yet this Court routinely appoints counsel in such cases where the Court determines that the assistance of counsel would aid the Court in its decision-making. Having made the determination to appoint counsel, the majority is wrong to convert the Court’s decision-making process into a sham and now conclude that it can decide the merits of this case without Petitioner being afforded the assistance of counsel. By doing so, the majority is, in essence, contradicting a prior order of this Court. See Pough v. United States, No. 04-3863 (6th Cir. Jan. 12, 2005).
I also believe that this Court is proceeding with neither a brief by counsel nor a proper pro se brief by Petitioner. From the materials before this Court, it is not apparent that Petitioner was on notice that he was acting as his own counsel. Normally, when a petitioner represents himself pro se before this Court, there is no doubt that the petitioner and petitioner alone is responsible for the quality of legal argument on appeal. Here, the odd sort of relationship envisioned by Mr. Cocoves does not appear to place Petitioner on notice that his briefing of the legal issues would be the end game, ie., that his attorney would not lend his legal knowledge and capabilities, as well as his independent professional judgment, to properly framing Petitioner’s issues on appeal. It hardly appears just to say to Petitioner, as this Court has, “We have appointed you counsel to help you in your appeal, you do not have to proceed pro se ” and then, when counsel fails to perform, turn around and say, as the majority does, “Never mind, your argument fails anyway, even though you were not on notice that you were representing yourself.” Even without the constitutional right to counsel on habeas, the “bait and switch” scenario created by the majority in this case certainly appears violative of due process.
Finally, the majority opinion expresses disagreement with the decision to have this opinion published on the questionable basis that Petitioner wrote a letter claiming that his safety in prison might be jeopardized by a published opinion. We as a Court do not make publication decisions, or indeed any decisions concerning the internal operations of the Court, based upon the unsupported and unsubstantiated allegations of an incarcerated prisoner. Interestingly, the majority, earlier in its opinion, itself rejects certain representations of Petitioner on the purported basis *974that “Pough could produce no facts to support his allegations.” Although the majority would have us accept at face value Petitioner’s representations concerning his safety, the majority opinion repeatedly questions Petitioner’s veracity and credibility in discussing the allegations Petitioner has raised in connection with the merits of his appeal. It would be quite another thing had a prison official or a legitimate law enforcement official represented to the Court that Petitioner’s safety might be jeopardized or asked that an opinion of this Court not be published for some reason that such officials regarded as credible. Tellingly, the majority opinion does not claim that any legitimate prison official or law enforcement official has ventured the opinion that publication in the instant case would jeopardize Petitioner’s safety. It would be quite an oddity if this Court should begin to govern its decisions based solely on the unverified and unverifiable representations of incarcerated prisoners.
I would remove counsel of record, appoint new counsel, and reschedule this case for briefing and oral argument. That would be the only course of action consistent with the interests of Petitioner and this Court, both in requiring Petitioner to be adequately represented (as the Court has already determined, under prior order, that this case merits representation by counsel) and in sustaining our own authority as a Court. This Court should not countenance an admitted lack of representation when this Court has ordered otherwise. The majority’s insistence on proceeding with this case under these circumstances is truly inexplicable. Because the majority insists on reaching the merits of this case without Petitioner receiving the assistance of counsel which this Court saw fit to appoint, I must dissent.