Court Opinion

ID: 9495711
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 16:08:51.365544+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:57:09.853893
License: Public Domain

CLAY, Circuit Judge,
concurring.
Because my view of the issue that I would otherwise find meritorious — the jury instruction issue, has been rejected by our circuit, I concur in the majority opinion in its entirety. However, I write separately to reiterate my belief that a jury instruction which leaves the jury with the impression that it could not consider imposing a life sentence without first unanimously rejecting a death sentence is unconstitutional. See Henderson v. Collins, 262 F.3d 615, 623-29, 636-37 (6th Cir.2001) (Clay, J., dissenting). Although my view of this issue was rejected by the majority in Henderson, and therefore cannot serve as a basis upon which to grant Petitioner relief in the instant case, I continue to be of the mind that such jury instructions violate the Constitution for all of the reasons set forth by my dissent in Henderson. See id. With respect to Petitioner’s other assignments of error, I agree with the majority opinion that those issues lack merit.