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411 F.2d 263

Docket No. 10125.

Lee Roy Ortiz v. J. E. Baker, Warden

Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals · decided 1969-05-26

2 counsel of record

Key passage — most relied on by later courts

“(t)he attack on the instruction raises no federal constitutional question.”

quoted by 1 later decision, including Davis v. Greer

Applies 28 U.S.C. § 2254 (Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996)

Relies on Townsend v. Sain · Larry G. Linebarger v. State of Oklahoma and Ray H. Page, Warden · Dennis Maxwell v. John W. Turner, Warden, Utah State Prison

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Opinion by Per Curiam · Decided 1969-05-26

How this case has been cited

Cited by 15 later decisions — most recently August 1991

9 federal appellate · 1 district ·

801969197019801990decided

Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

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Ronald K. Griffith, Denver, Colo. (Yegge, Hall, Treece & Evans, Denver, Colo., were with him on the brief), for appellant.

Joseph F. Baca, Sp. Asst. Atty. Gen. (James A. Maloney, Atty. Gen., was with him on the brief), for appellee.

Before BREITENSTEIN, HILL and SETH, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM.

¶1

The appellant, a state prisoner, contends that the district court erred in denying habeas relief without an evidentiary hearing. At a pre-Miranda jury trial in a New Mexico state court, he was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. The conviction was affirmed by the New Mexico Supreme Court. State v. Ortiz, 77 N.M. 316, 422 P.2d 355.

¶2

A confession was introduced at the state trial. Prior to its introduction, the state court held a hearing out of the presence of the jury to determine its admissibility. The defense called two doctors, one of whom was a psychiatrist. The defendant himself testified. Full and complete opportunity was given to develop all the facts, including the mental competency of the accused. The record so made was reviewed by the state Supreme Court which held that the confession was properly received.

¶3

The argument now presented is that the accused was not mentally competent to either waive counsel or make a voluntary confession. Attack is made on the reasoning of the state trial court and the generality of its findings. Whatever problems may have arisen therefrom were removed by the state Supreme Court which considered and rejected the claims of mental incompetency.

¶4

The federal habeas court considered the record in the state proceedings, including the trial transcript, and concluded that all the factual allegations of the habeas petition were 'accorded a full and fair hearing in the state proceedings and were resolved on the merits.' We have reviewed the same record and we agree. The state court hearing met the requirements of Townsend v. Sain, 372 U.S. 293, 83 S.Ct. 745, 9 L.Ed.2d 770, and of 28 U.S.C.Sec. 2254(d). The factual determinations of the state courts are fairly supported by the record. No showing is made that the material facts were not adequately developed at the state hearing. In the circumstances no evidentiary hearing was required in the habeas court. Maxwell v. Turner, 10 Cir., 411 F.2d 805.

¶5

The attack on the instructions raises no federal constitutional question. See Poulson v. Turner, 10 Cir., 359 F.2d 588, 591, and Linebarger v. Oklahoma, 10 Cir., 404 F.2d 1092, 1095.

¶6

Affirmed.

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