# Petition for Writ of Certiorari — In re Vasquez

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## Record

- **Collection:** Supreme Court brief
- **Document type:** Petition for Writ of Certiorari
- **Published:** January 1, 1992
- **Citation:** 505 U.S. 1239

## Text

92-265 *RILED.
: 4
ee AUG 7 1992
(DFEICE OE IHE CLERK
IN THE —

SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES

October Term, 1992

In re DANIEL VASQUEZ,
Warden of San Quentin
Prison and

DANIEL E. LUNGREN,
Attorney General of the
State of California

PETITION FOR WRIT OF MANDAMUS TO THE
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE
NINTH CIRCUIT (MARY M. SCHROEDER, BETTY B.
FLETCHER, AND STEPHEN S. TROTT, CIRCUIT
JUDGES) AND FOR WRIT OF PROHIBITION TO THE
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA (RUDI M.
BREWSTER, DISTRICT COURT JUDGE)

DANIEL E. LUNGREN, Attorney General
of the State of California

GEORGE WILLIAMSON, Chief Assistant
Attorney General

GARY W. SCHONS, Senior Assistant
Attorney General

LOUIS R. HANOIAN

Supervising Deputy Attorney General
HOLLY D. WILKENS

Deputy Attorney General

PAT ZAHAROPOULOS,

Supervising Deputy Attorney General

110 West A Street, Suite 700
San Diego, CA 92101
Telephone: (619) 237-7857

Attorneys for Petitioner

—

QUESTION PRESENTED

Can a state condemned inmate, who is
appealing the denial of a petition for
writ of habeas corpus, return to the
district court and reopen his "first”
habeas petition in order to raise
previously abandoned claims by way of a
FRCP Rule 60(b) motion, thereby avoiding
application of Rule 9(b) of habeas corpus
rules and this Court’s pronouncements on
abuse of the writ?

PARTIES

Warden Daniel Vasquez and California
Attorney General Daniel E. Lungren.

Bernard Hamilton, an inmate sentenced
to death under the laws of California, is

the subject of the underlying appeal.

- il. -

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
OPINIONS BELOW 3
JURISDICTION 2
STATEMENT OF THE CASE 6
REASONS FOR GRANTING THE WRIT 37
REMANDING AN APPEAL TO EXPAND
THE CLAIMS OF THE ORIGINAL WRIT
PETITION WITH KNOWN-ABANDONED
CLAIMS, DELAYS EXECUTION OF THE
STATE'S VALID JUDGMENT OF DEATH
AND PERMITS THE PIECEMEAL
LITIGATION AND GAMESMANSHIP
PRECLUDED BY RULE 9(B) OF THE
HABEAS RULES AND MCCLESKEY V.
ZANT 37
A. The Ninth Circuit
Remand For Purposes of
the District Court
Entertaining a Rule
60(b) Motion is
Contrary to the Law
Governing Habeas
Corpus Procedure and
in Excess of the
Appellate Court's
Jurisdiction 39
B. The Remand for a Rule
60(b) Motion is
_ Inconsistent With the
Prompt Resolution of
Hamilton's Appeal 48

Cs This Court is
Empowered to Grant
Petitioner Relief 53

- iii. -

TABLE OF CONTENTS

D. The State Has No Other
Adequate Remedy
Available to Redress
the Appellate Court’s
Jurisdictional Error

CONCLUSION

Page

56

- iv. -

TABLE OF AUTHORITIES

Page
Cases

Bankers Life & Casualty Co. v. Holland,
346 U.S. 379 (1953) Se

California v. Hamilton,
476 U.S. 1301 (1986) 7

Carriger v. Lewis,

a ee

Filed 7/28/92,

92 DAR 10417 (9th Cir. 1992) 43

Coleman v. Thompson,

501 U.S. _,

115 L.Ed.2d 640

111 S.Ct. 2546 (1991) 45

F.T.C. v. Dean Foods Co.,
384 U.S. 597 (1966) 54

Hamilton v. California,
488 U.S. 1047 (1989) 7

Hamilton v. Vasquez,
882 F.2d 1469 (9th Cir. 1989) 11

Harris v. Vasquez,
949 F.2d 1497 (9th Cir. 1991) 47

In re Blodgett,

2

116 L.Ed.2d 669

112 S.Ct. 674 (1992) 48, 50

Kerr v. United States Ct.
for N.Dist. of Cal.,

426 U.S. 394 (1976) 54

a V ° -=

TABLE OF AUTHORITIES

Cases

Maryland v. Soper (No. 1),
270 U.S. 9 (1926)

McCleskey v. Zant,
499 U.S... ,

113 L.Ed.2d 517

111 S.Ct. 1454 (1991)

Neuschafer v. Whitley,
860 F.2d 1470 (9th Cir. 1988)

Pennsylvania v. Finley,
481 U.S. 551 (1987)

People v. Hamilton,
41 Cal.3d 408

221 Cal. Rptr. 902
710 P.2d 981 (1985)

People v. Hamilton,
45 Cal.3d 351

247 Cal .Rptr. 31

753 P.2d 1109 (1988)

Pitchess v. Davis,
421 U.S. 482 (1975)

Roche v. Evaporated Milk Assn.,
319 U.S. 21 (1943)

Sawyer v. Whitley,
5 ‘
60 U.S.L.W. 4655 (6/22/92)

Will v. Calvert Fire Ins. Co.,
437 U.S. 655 (1978)

Page

54

40, 41

44

45

40

54

40, 41

54

- vi. -

TABLE OF AUTHORITIES

Statutes

U.S.C, Title 28, § 1651(a)

Rules

Rules Governing 2254 Proceedings
Rule 11

Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
Rule 60(b)

United States Supreme Court Rules

Rule 20.1

Page

38

37

IN THE
SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES

October Term, 1992

In re DANIEL VASQUEZ,
Warden of San Quentin
Prison and

DANIEL E. LUNGREN,
Attorney General of the
State of California

PETITION FOR WRIT OF MANDAMUS TO THE
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE
NINTH CIRCUIT (MARY M. SCHROEDER, BETTY B.
FLETCHER, AND STEPHEN S. TROTT, CIRCUIT
JUDGES) AND FOR WRIT OF PROHIBITION TO THE
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA (RUDI M.
BREWSTER, DISTRICT COURT JUDGE)

Petitioners pray that, pursuant
to the All Writs Act, (section 1651,
subdivision (a) of Title 28 of the United
States Code), a Writ of Mandamus be issued

in Hamilton v. Vasquez, Case Numbers 91l-

56251, 91-56252, and 91-56295, to compel
the United States Court of Appeals for the

Ninth Circuit (the Honorable Mary M.

a

Schroeder, Betty B. Fletcher, and Stephen
S. Trott, Circuit Judges), to vacate an
order permitting a remand to the district
court during the pendency of the appeal
from the denial of Hamilton's second and

fifth petitions for habeas corpus and a

writ of prohibition be issued in Hamilton

v. Vasquez, Case Numbers CV-86-2102-B and

90-0291-B, to prevent the United States
District Court for the Southern District
of California (the Honorable Rudi M.
Brewster, Judge), from conducting further
proceedings pursuant to that remand.

The remand by the Ninth Circuit
allows Hamilton to move the district court
pursuant to Rule 60(b) of the Federal
Rules of Civil Procedure for the purposes
of revisiting his "first" petition for
writ of habeas corpus in order to amend

that petition to bring additional claims

he declined to bring prior to an extensive

evidentiary hearing in the district court,

—— ae
and the issuance of a decision by the
district court.+! Permitting a motion
pursuant to Rule 60(b) during the pendency
of Hamilton's appeal is in excess of the
appellate court’s jurisdiction and
contrary to this Court’s decisions on
abuse of the writ and the prompt
resolution of appeals from denials of
habeas corpus in capital cases.

OPINIONS BELOW

Bernard Hamilton, the party to
the underlying appeal, is an inmate
sentenced to death under the laws of
California. A federal stay of execution
remains in effect. On August 23, 1991,

the United States District Court denied

1. An appeal is pending on the
denial of Hamilton's "first” amended
petition filed by his attorneys on
October 22, 1990. Hamilton was to bring
forward all of his known claims but
basically incorporated the claims of his
second and fifth pro per petitions.
Hamilton has filed seven petitions in
California state courts and five in
federal courts.

a £. «

Hamilton's second and fifth federal habeas
corpus petitions in a 93 page memorandum
Opinion. (Appendix A.) An appeal is now
pending before the Court of Appeals for
the Ninth Circuit. Hamilton's attorneys
have filed their opening brief, the time
for Hamilton to file a separate opening
brief in pro se has passed and petitioner
filed a responding brief in the Ninth
Circuit Court of Appeals on July 29,
1992.4

During the pendency of the
appeal, the Ninth Circuit issued a remand
on July 7, 1992, to the district court to
enable Hamilton to reopen habeas
proceedings under Rule 60, subdivision (b)

of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure

2. The pro se brief was due June
29, 1992. Petitioners received a 56
page pro se brief on July 31, 1992. A
motion to file the belated brief is
Currently pending before the Ninth
Circuit Court of Appeals.

a §, «
and amend his “first” petition to bring
additional claims. (See Appendix B.)

On July 17, 1992, petitioners
filed a motion to recall the mandate and
to reconsider the July 7, 1992 order
granting Hamilton’s motion for remand. On
July 31, 1992, the Ninth Circuit denied
that motion. The hearing on Hamilton's
Rule 60 motion in the district court is
now calendared for August 26, 1992.

JURISDICTION

Sections 1651, subdivision (a)
and 2254 of Title 28 of the United States
Code and Rule 20.1 of the United States
Supreme Court Rules give jurisdiction to
this Court.

Jurisdiction in the district
court over Hamilton's petition for writ of
habeas corpus was pursuant to sections
2241, subdivision (a) and 2254 of Title 28

of the United States Code.

. &

Jurisdiction in the Court of
Appeals over an appeal from the denial of
the petition for writ of habeas corpus is
pursuant to section 1291 of Title 28 of
the United States Code.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

A. Procedural Background

1. Direct Appeal

A jury convicted Hamilton of the
murder of Eleanore Buchanan and he was
sentenced to death on March 2, 1981. The
California Supreme Court set aside the
special circumstance finding and reversed
the penalty of death after a majority of
the court concluded that it was possible
Hamilton did not intend to kill Mrs.
Buchanan, as he may have removed her head
and hands to prevenc identification after
an accidental killing during the course of

kidnapping and robbing her. (People v.

Hamilton, 41 Cal.3d 408, 221 Cal. Rptr.

902, 710 P.2d 981 (1985) ("Hamilton I").)

a

Following California's petition
for writ of certiorari, this Court
remanded the case to the California
Supreme Court for reconsideration.

(California v. Hamilton, 476 U.S. 1301,

(1986).) On remand, Hamilton's conviction
and sentence of death were affirmed by the

California Supreme Court. (People v.

Hamilton, 45 Cal.3d 351, 247 Cal.Rptr. 31

753 P.2d 1109 (1988) (“Hamilton II”).)

On January 23, 1989, this Court
denied Hamilton’s petition for writ of

certiorari. (Hamilton v. California, 488

U.S. 1047 (1989).)

2. State Court Collateral Review

To date, Hamilton has filed
seven petitions for writ of habeas corpus
in the California Supreme Court
collaterally attacking his conviction and
sentence of death. His first petition for
writ of habeas corpus before the

California Supreme Court was filed on

“= =

January 23, 1986. (In _re Hamilton, Case

No. 25095.) The petition was denied on
March 13, 1986. A second petition for
writ of habeas corpus was filed with the
California Supreme Court on August 3,

1987. (In re Hamilton, Case No. S001870.)

The second petition was denied in the
opinion which decided Hamilton’s direct

appeal. (People v. Hamilton, supra, 45

Cal.3d 351.)

A third petition for writ of
habeas corpus was filed with the
California Supreme Court on May 27, 1988,

and denied on July 14, 1988. (In re

Hamilton, Case. No. S005806.) A fourth
petition for writ of habeas corpus was
filed with the California Supreme Court on
June 1, 1988, and denied on July 14, 1988.

(In re Hamilton, Case No. S005871.) A

fifth petition for writ of habeas corpus

was filed with the California Supreme

Court on May 5, 1989, and denied on June

= Ss. «

22, 1989. (In re Hamilton, Case No.

S010092.) A sixth petition for writ of
habeas corpus was filed with the

California Supreme Court on February 27,
1990, and denied on March 15, 1990. (I

re Hamilton, Case No. S014318.)

Hamilton's seventh petition for writ of
habeas corpus was denied by the California
Supreme Court on February 19, 1992. (1

re Hamilton, Case No. S024477.)

3. Federal Habeas Petitions

Hamilton has filed five federal
habeas corpus petitions. The first was
filed in the United States District Court
for the Southern District of California

hereinafter "district court”) on April 2,
Pp

1986. (Hamilton v. Vasquez, Case No. 86-
0809-T.) Hamilton raised claims of

ineffective assistance of counsel and
denial of the right of self-
representation. The petition was denied

on the merits on September 4, 1986. On

- 10. -

September 24, 1987, the Ninth Circuit
Court of Appeals vacated the judgment as
premature based on Hamilton's failure to
exhaust state court remedies. On
September 30, 1987, the petition was
dismissed without prejudice to refiling
the petition following exhaustion. The
issues in the petition were subsequently
raised in a third petition filed in
federal.court.

A second petition was filed in
the district court on October 9, 1986.

(Hamilton v. Vasquez, Case No. 86-2101-

B.) Hamilton claimed that shackling him
during trial violated his constitutional
rights. The petition was denied by the
district court on the merits on November
19, 1987. Following an appeal to the
Ninth Circuit, the case was remanded on
August 23, 1989, with directions to the
district court to review and consider the

entire state court record before ruling on

- ll. -

the petition. (Hamilton v. Vasquez, 882

F.2d 1469, 1473 (9th Cir. 1989).) The
claims in the second petition were
subsequently consolidated with Hamilton's
fifth federal habeas petition.

A third petition which raised
the same claims contained in Hamilton's
first federal petition was filed in the
district court on September 30, 1987. The
petition was dismissed by the district
court on August 31, 1988. (See Appendix
A, at p. 4.) Hamilton's subsequent appeal
to the Ninth Circuit was also dismissed on
September 7, 1990, as moot in light of the

Ninth Circuit ruling in Hamilton v.

Vasquez, 882 F.2d 1469 (9th Cir. 1989)

which remanded Hamilton's second federal
petition to the district court for further
proceedings.

A fourth petition was filed on
June 20, 1989, in the United States

District Court for the Northern District

a

- 12. -

of California claiming ineffective
assistance of counsel, denial of a fair
trial, denial of due process, and a denial
of access to the prison library. The
petition was transferred to the United
States District Court for the Sovthern
District of California. The district
court denied the petition on July 19,
1989, after finding that the grounds for
relief, either were, or should have been,
presented in previous petitions to the
court.

A fifth petition was filed in
the district court on March 7, 1990.

(Hamilton v. Vasquez, Case No. 90-0291-

B.) The fifth petition was consolidated
with Hamilton's second federal petition
(case number 86-2101-B) on June 8, 1990.

4. Hamilton's Waiver of Claims

Meanwhile, on October 17, 1989,

prior to Hamilton filing his “first”

- 13. =
amended federal habeas petition,='
petitioners brought a motion in the
district court to compel Hamilton to bring
forward, or waive, all known claims. On
March 8, 1990, pursuant to that motion,
the district court ordered Hamilton to
inform the court of any and all additional

habeas claims of which he was aware.

On June 8, 1990, Hamilton filed

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district court provided
additional counsel and also grant

Hamilton until August 8, 1990, to

3. The district court has held
that Hamilton's amended petition of
October 22, 1990, (consolidated second
and fifth federal petitions) constitutes
his “first” petition for purposes of
Rule 9(b) of the Rules Governing Section
2254 Proceedings regarding successive
and abusive petitions.

- 14. -
to state court and exhaust remedies as to
all unexhausted habeas claims. On August
2, 1990, at his request, Hamilton was
granted additional time, until August 20,
1990, to exhaust state court remedies on
any additional habeas claims.

Acting in his own behalf, on
August 16, 1990, Hamilton filed a notice
of abandonment of known habeas claims.
(Appendix C.) On August 21, 1990,
counsel for Hamilton informed the federal
court that they had failed to file any
identified and unexhausted claims in state
court.

In lieu of deeming all
unexhausted claims waived, the district
court granted Hamilton yet another
extension of time until October 22, 1990,
to permit him to pursue unexhausted claims
in state court. The district court also
stated that in the event Hamilton filed

Claims in state court, the federal

- 15. -

proceedings would be stayed until such
time as all the claims were exhausted in
state court.

In a September 18, 1990, order,
the district court explicitly notified

Hamilton that "as of October 22, 1990, he

would be deemed to have waived and

abandoned any and all habeas corpus claims
not_yet filed in state court and any

exhausted habeas claims not yet raised in
his federal petition.” (Appendix D.)

On October 18, 1990, Hamilton,
acting in his own behalf, amended his

fifth federal petition. (Hamilton v.

Vasquez, Case Nos. 86-2101-B; 90-0291-B. )

On October 22, 1990, Hamilton’s counsel
filed an amended and consolidated
petition. Neither Hamilton nor his
counsel pursued any additional claims in
state court, despite the passage of nearly
eight months, from February 26, 1990,

through October 22, 1990, wherein he was

i

- 16. -
repeatedly ordered by the court to do so
to avoid a waiver of claims.
On November 21, 1990, the

district court found that Hamilton had

intentionally waived and abandoned any and
all habeas claims not yet filed in state
court, and any exhausted claims not yet
filed in federal court, in accordance with
the district court’s previous order of
September 18, 1990. (Appendix. A., pp.
10-11.)

D« District Court Evidentiary
Hearing

On April 23, 1991, a three-week
evidentiary hearing commenced in district
court before the Honorable Rudi M.
Brewster, on issues of shackling and
ineffective assistance of counsel;
including defense investigation of
Hamilton's whereabouts and defenses.
Hamilton was transported from death row at
San Quentin state prison in Northern

California to the federal courthouse in

- 17. -
San Diego in early April, and was present
in court throughout the proceeding.

At the conclusion of the
evidentiary hearing, Hamilton moved to
have the hearing held open to enable him
to present additional claims. The
district court denied the request, citing
its previous orders requiring Hamilton to
pursue unexhausted claims in state court
and exhausted claims in federal court by
October 22, 1990, and its order finding
that Hamilton had in fact waived all such
Claims. (Appendix E, Evid. Hrg. X RT 189-
191.)

Extensive written briefs were
filed by the parties following the
evidentiary hearing. On July 1, 1991,
Hamilton requested a stay of the federal
proceedings and funds for investigation of
potentially meritorious claims. On August
20, 1991, the district court denied the

request for a stay. (Appendix F.)

- 18. -

On August 23, 1991, the district
court filed a 93 page opinion denying the
petition for writ of habeas corpus.
(Appendix A.) The district court denied
Hamilton's in pro per motion for
reconsideration on September 10, 1991.
Hamilton’s counsel’s motion to alter or
amend the judgment was denied on October
31, 1991. (Appendix G.)

On November 13, 1991, a
certificate of probable cause was granted
and a stay issued pending disposition of
Hamilton's appeal of the denial of the
petition for writ of habeas corpus before
the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

On March 17, 1992, Hamilton
filed a motion pursuant to Rule 60(b) of
the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
seeking to reopen the district court
proceedings and amend his habeas corpus
petition to bring additional claims. On

July 1, 1992, the district court issued an

- 19. - :
order stating it would entertain the’
motion if the Ninth Circuit remanded the
case for consideration of the motion.
(Appendix H.) On July 27, 1992, after
remand by the Ninth Circuit, the district
sonnet calendared the hearing on Hamilton’s
Rule 60(b) motion for Auyust 26, 1992.

(Appendix I.)

~ 6. Current Status of Appeal
Before the Ninth Circuit

Hamilton's appeal from the :
denial of his consolidated and amended
federal habeas petition is currently
pending before the Ninth Circuit Court of
Appeals in case numbers 91-56251, 91-
56252, and 91-56295. Hamilton’s counsel
have filed the opening brief in the Ninth
Circuit and petitioner responded on July
29, 1992. Hamilton’s counsel's reply
brief is due on August 19, 1992, and

Hamilton’s in pro se reply brief is due on

September 12, 1992.

- 20. -

Meanwhile, Hamilton filed a
request for a remand of his case to the
district court for purposes of having his
Rule 60 (b) motion heard by the district
court. On July 7, 1992, the Ninth Circuit
issued an order remanding the matter to
the district court for purposes of
Hamilton’s motion pursuant to Rule 60(b)
of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
(See, Appendix B.) While the order
provides that the parties are to continue
briefing the appeal as previously ordered,
the Ninth Circuit has not set any time
limitations on the consideration of the
motion in the district court. (Id.)
Moreover, the Ninth Circuit order
acknowledges that a full remand or further
orders may become necessary depending upon
events in the district court. (Id.)

On July 17, 1992, petitioners

filed a motion to recall the mandate which

issued immediately upon the issuance of

- 21. -
the order of remand and a_petition for
reconsideration of the remand order. The
Ninth Circuit denied the motion and
petition on July 31, 1992, (Appendix J)
and this petition for writ of mandamus and
prohibition follows.

B. Facts of the Crime.

On the evening of May 30, 1979,
24-year-old Eleanor Buchanan (the victim)
had dinner with her husband and two infant
sons, then left for school in their new
van. They had purchased the van about six
weeks earlier and her husband, a dental
Supply salesman, used it in his work
during the day, carrying literature and
Samples. He told his wife there was very
little gas in the van and not to add any
because he was taking it to the dealer the
next morning to replace the tank due to a

leak.*/ (RT 2079, 2077, 2099-2101, 2151.)

4. All locks and windows worked
and nothing was broken on the van when
Buchanan turned it over to his wife.

- 22. -

Mrs. Buchanan left for school at
6:30 p.m. She was wearing tan Levi's, a
striped beige and brown T-shirt, white
knee socks, bra, panties and a simulated
leather purse. (RT 2079, 2077, 2099-2101,
2151.)

Buchanan habitually locked the
van, which had valuables in it including
dental equipment from her husband’s work.
(RT 2146, 2150-2151, 2156, 2106, 2083.)

On May 30, 1979, she left her
math class early after obtaining xeroxed
class notes from fellow students because
an optional quiz was offered and she had
been absent for the birth of her
three-week-old son. Students saw her

walking towards the parking lot about 9:30

When respondent was arrested in it on
June 8th, the arm rest of the driver's
chair, the metal rod on the ceiling that
holds the curtain suspended behind the
driver and the wind wing on the
passenger's side were all broken. (RT
2086, 2106-2107, 2573, 2577.)

- 23. -
P-m. (RT 2160, 2162, 2171-2173,
2181-2183.)

At about 1:52 a.m. on May 31,
1979, Hamilton called Donna Hatch in
Terrell, Texas to Say he had gotten a van
and was leaving for Texas when he could
get gas. (RT 2363-2364, 2444-2445.)

There was a gasoline shortage
during this time and fuel was sold for
limited hours. Between 4:30 a.m. and
10:15 a.m. on May 31, 1979, Hamilton
purchased gas for the Buchanans’ van on
their Visa card at Roy's Service Station
off Highway 8 in El Cajon, California. He
Signed the invoice, “Terry Buchanan”. (RT
2206-2207, 2210-2211.)

About noon on the same day,
Eleanor Buchanan's headless, handless body
was found in the grass near a Cul-de-sac
off Pine Valiey Road near San Diego. The

Cul-de-sac was 200 yards off Interstate 8.

The body was in full rigor mortis with the

- 24. -
elbow in an upright position, completely
off the ground, when a deputy sheriff
arrived at the scene between 1:30 and 2:00
p-m. Two strings of twine were attached
around Buchanan's ankles and there were
dark blue pieces of lint sticking to her
blood. The body was clothed in a bra,
underpants and socks. The head and hands
were never found. (RT 2278-2279,
2289-2290. )

During the autopsy, it was
determined that a horizontal stab wound in
the abdomen was inflicted before death.
Three superficial wounds measuring up to
five inches on the abdomen were inflicted
after death. The pathologist could not
determine cause of death because of the
absence of the head, but ruled out natural
causes. He could not say whether the
hands were cut off while Eleanor Buchanan

was alive, but suspected she was dead

because there was not much hemorrhaging.

- 25. -
He could not say whether she was alive
when the head was cut and sawed off. (RT
2337, 2333.) Judging from the rigor
mortis, death occurred about 16 hours
before the autopsy, about midnight on May
30, 1979. (RT 2340-2341.)

Meanwhile, Hamilton continued to
drive down Interstate 8 from San Diego to
Texas. (RT 2216, 2223, 2258-2259,
2264-2265.) He arrived at Donna Hatch’s
home in Terrell, Texas, on the evening of
June 1, 1979. He was alone. The van was
dirty, had a broken arm on the driver's
Chair, a broken mirror and a broken wind
wing. (RT 2364-2368.)

Hamilton was on bail pending
trial on a robbery charge. (See RT 3563.)
He took Donna with him to get addresses
for his defense in that case. She saw the
Buchanans’ credit cards in the van and

Hamilton used them for food and gas. (RT

2369-2373, 2376.)

- 26. -

On June 3, 1979, Donna was in
the van with Hamilton and her daughter and
Saw a highway patrolman. When Donna sud-
denly turned, while talking to her little
girl, Hamilton told her not to make sudden
moves because they could get shot. She

asked why, but he gave no direct answer.

Hamilton stopped at a pay phone to call

his brother and his friend, Clifton. (RT
2376-2379.) Donna heard Hamilton tell his
brother he had flown to Texas. (RT 2380.)

Cliff Harris and Hamilton knew
each other ail their lives and were good
friends. (RT 2489.) Hamilton told Harris
he drove to Texas in a blue El Dorado.
Harris was watching TV as they spoke and
Saw a report that the headless body had
been found. He told Hamilton. (RT

2490-2492; 3594, 3596.)

Hamilton had changed when he

returned to the van after talking to

Clifton Harris. (RT 2380.) Donna asked

- 27. -
what was wrong. Hamilton said he thought
he killed a man. When they returned to
her home, Hamilton said he would let the
van sit a while to see if anyone paid
attention to it and that he needed Texas
license plates. He asked her to go to a
car lot with him to get the plates, but
She refused. (RT 2380-2381.)

The next day, Donna broke up
with Hamilton. Hamilton said if she had
changed her mind because he had lied about
his wife being dead, then he would kill
the ex-wife. (RT 2382.)

Hamilton called Donna on
Wednesday, June 6, 1979, to discuzs
bringing her back to California to testify
in his robbery case. (RT 2470-2471.) At
one point, a friend of Donna’s also got on
the phone. Hamilton said, "I’m going to
kill you and your friend, too. And you

won't know when I’‘1ll be around because I

don't have to be driving this van, I can

- 28. -
be in another vehicle.” (RT 2474.) Donna
never saw Hamilton after that phone call.
(RT 2471-2472, 2382-2384, 2475.)

Hamilton continued to use the
Buchanans‘ credit card. It was stipulated
he charged a saw, screwdriver and set of
wrenches at Babcock Auto Supply in
Terrell, Texas, on June 6, 1979,
(2518-2519), and a butcher knife and two
hanks of twine at Moses five and ten cent
store on June 7, 1979. (RT 2519-2520.)

At about 8:30 a.m. on June 8,
1979, Hamilton entered Stuckey's
restaurant in Marietta, Oklahoma. He
charged food on Buchanans’ Visa, picked up
part of his food order and ran out as the
manager was calling for authorization on
the purchase. The manager called law
enforcement authorities and described

Hamilton and the van. (RT 2746-2747,

2755-2757.)

- 29. -

That afternoon, Hamilton was
stopped by Oklahoma officers and they ran
a VIN number check. They learned the van
belonged to a homicide victim. The
officers arrested Hamilton on the local
charges. (RT 2598-2599.)

On the way to jail, Hamilton
passed a poster offering a $500.00 reward
for David L. Wall, alias “Spider”. (RT
2578, 2581.)

On June 9, 1979, San Diego
police officers questioned Hamilton in

Oklahoma after reading him his Miranda

rights. Hamilton said he got the van from
Fran, a white woman who had left her
husband for “Spider”, and that he knew

"Spider" for six years.’ Fran and Spider
p i Pp

3. Neither Hamilton's parents (RT
2048, 2078), nor friends (RT 2489-2734)
ever heard of “Spider”. “Fran” was
Eleanor Buchanan's nickname. It was
written on the school papers she was
carrying on the night she disappeared
and also in an unmailed birth
announcement she had in her purse. (RT
2116-2117.)

—

- 30. -
were in Shreveport. They gave him the van
and her charge cards to use for food and
gasoline. (CT 2846-2848, 2854, 2862.)

Hamilton said he saw no blood in
the van and the blood on his shoe was his
own. (RT 2945-2946, 2904.) A crimi-
nalist testified at trial that the blood
on Hamilton's shoe was type O, like
Eleanor Buchanan's. (RT 2127.) Hamilton
was type A. (RT 3112, 3110, 3114.) The
criminalist further testified the blood on
the shce could not have come from the
van's carpeting as it had no blue fibers
in it. (RT 2127, 4017-4018.)

The police showed Hamilton a
photograph of Eleanor Buchanan during
questioning and asked if that were Fran.
He said it looked like her but Fran was a
little skinnier. Asked what Fran was
wearing when she and Spider picked him up

to leave San Diego, Hamilton said the only

- 31. -
time he saw her, she wore light jeans and
a beige non-leather purse. (RT
2873-2875.)

En route to San Diego Hamilton
was disturbed about the arrest for murder
and kept saying it was not going to stick
because all the police had was a body they
could not identify and a run-away wife.
(RT 2950.)

Shortly after Hamilton’s return
to San Diego, Terry Buchanan received a
letter with Hamilton’s return address in
county jail. It said, "You are probably
full of grief when you should be highly
pissed-off . . .” because Fran was not
dead but had left with Spider end was
smoking Sherman sticks. Buchanan turned
the letter over to the District Attorney's
Office. (RT 2140-2145.)

Hamilton hinted to a local
girlfriend in letters and during a jail

visit that she should call Terry Buchanan

- 32. =
and the press, posing as Eleanor Buchanan,
and tell them she was alive. (RT
3618-3621.)

On January 24, 1980, Hamilton
was talking about his case to another
prisoner. The prisoner said, “Who are you
trying to convince, Hamilton, me or
yourself?” Hamilton replied, "Well, I did
it, but they'll never prove it.” (RT
3023, 3030.) The prisoner reported the
conversation to a guard. (RT 3032.)

While transporting Hamilton
between the jail and courtroom for trial,
a deputy sheriff was tightening Hamilton's
security chains. Hamilton said, "You go
ahead and have your fun, I‘1ll have mine
later.” The guard responded, “I thought
you already had your fun?” Hamilton
replied, “Yeah, and I‘1ll kill you and a

lot more, too, and you may be first on my

list.” (RT 3327-3329.)
/

- 33. -

Defense

Hamilton testified that he saw
the Buchanans’ van parked on the street
with Eleanor’s purse on the passenger seat
just after midnight on May 31, 1979, and
took it. (RT 3608, 3439.) He never saw
the victim dead or alive. (RT 3438. )*
Hamilton believed she was killed by the
man who found the body, Harry Piper.
Hamilton said he must have dumped the body
and then pretended to find it. (RT 2428. )

Rebuttal

Harry Piper had two crushed
vertebrae and could not lift anything at
the time he found the body. (RT 3981.)
Furthermore, his car was parked over the

drag mark, so the body was there when he

6. However, he told police
officers during questioning that the
victim wore light colored jeans when she
left with Spider (RT 2875) and she was
in fact wearing tan levis when she left
for school the night she disappeared.
(RT 2100-2109.)

i eecineaanaaaeaniiaaae eae

- 34. -
drove up. (Trial Exh. T and RT 3718,
3879.)

Penalty Phase

Hamilton had five prior felony
convictions for forgery, burglary, and
auto theft. (RT 4478-4479.)

On November 7, 1976, he robbed
and beat Ruth Story, an elderly woman who
was walking down a Linda Vista Street with
a cane. (RT 4448-4452, 4552.) She was
hospitalized and had reconstructive
plastic surgery on her face. Five years
later, she was still in pain and unable to
chew even hamburger. (RT 4455,
4471-4472.) Ina letter to Ms. Story
dated November 17, 1978, Hamilton stated

he did not know her personally. (RT

4527-4528, 4530.) Eleven days later, the
district attorney received a letter from
Hamilton claiming the victim used to pay

him for sexual services from 1967-1969,

when he was a minor. (RT 4541.)

- 35. -

In February, 1979, after
spending the night in a motel with Rosie
Blackman, whom Hamilton had seen
frequently for three months, he punched
and kicked her all over her body. She
made no attempt to strike back. (RT 4429,
4434-4437.) A few weeks later, he came up
to her at work as she was cleaning her
taxi cab and repeatedly kicked her head
and body. Her supervisor called the
police. (RT 4435-4436.)

While in custody on October @&.
1980, Hamilton refused to go to court and
assumed a fighting stance when deputies
entered his cell. He had to be physically
carried down the corridor. He yelled
obscenities, threatened to fight the
deputies and spit in the face of one of
the officers. (RT 4400-4422.)

Penalty Defense

Hamilton, then 29 years old, had

essentially a good home life as the sixth

- 36. -
of eight children. His father is a
Baptist minister. (RT 4587.) He has two
sons, then eight and nine year old living
in Los Angeles with his ex-wife. (RT
4606-4608.) Relatives and family friends
asked the jury to spare his life.

(See also, People v. Hamilton, supra, 45

Cal.3d at 357-362, guilt phase facts; 364-

366, penalty phase facts. )

— — —_ a “i

—r |

~s

/
/
/

~ 37. +

REASONS FOR GRANTING THE WRIT

REMANDING AN APPEAL TO EXPAND
TEE CLAIMS OF THE ORIGINAL WRIT
PETITION WITH KNOWN-ABANDONED
CLAIMS, DELAYS EXECUTION OF THE
STATE'S VALID JUDGMENT OF DEATH
AND PERMITS THE PIECEMEAL
LITIGATION AND GAMESMANSHIP
PRECLUDED BY RULE 9(B) OF THE
HABEAS RULES AND MCCLESKEY V.
ZANT

The writs of mandamus and
prohibition should be issued because the
Ninth Circuit's remand sanctions the use
of Rule 60(b) of the Federal Rules of
Civil Procedure by a condemned state
inmate as vehicle for raising claims which
were previously abandoned, thereby
rendering a nullity this Court’s recent
jurisprudence on abuse of the writ.
Petitioner has no other adequate remedy
available to prevent litigating a matter
which is in excess of the jurisdiction of
the Court of Appeals and the district
court.

On February 26, 1990, the

district court granted petitioner’s

- 38. -

October 17, 1989, motion to have Hamilton
bring his known claims or abandon them.
After many opportunities to return to the
state court, petitioner abandoned his
claims by not including them in his
amended petition on October 22, 1990,
proceeding to a three-week evidentiary
hearing, decision and appeal. Yet, on
July 7, 1992, the Ninth Circuit remanded
the case to the district court so that
Hamilton could present his known-abandoned
claims by way of a FRCP Rule 60 motion.

Pursuant to section 165l(a) of
Title 28 of the United States Code and
United States Supreme Court Rule 20.1,
petitioners Vasquez and Lungren
respectfully request this Court to issue a
Writ of Mandamus directing the United
States Court of Appeals for the Ninth
Circuit (Justices Schroeder, Fletcher and

Trott), to vacate, in its entirety, the

order of July 7, 1992, remanding Hamilton

- 39. -

v. Vasquez, to the district court and a

writ of prohibition to the United States
District Court (Judge Rudi M. Brewster) to
cease proceedings on the Rule 60(b)
motion.
A. The Ninth Circuit
Remand For Purposes of
the District Court
Entertaining a Rule
60(b) Motion is
Contrary to the Law
Governing Habeas
Corpus Procedure and
in Excess of the
Appellate Court's
Jurisdiction
The success of Hamilton’s Rule
60(b) motion would render meaningless the
limitations in habeas corpus. upon
deliberate abuse of the system for
purposes of delay. It is this very
possibility which gives rise to the
absolute principle of law that the Federal
Rules of Civil Procedure do not, and
cannot, apply to habeas corpus proceedings

when they are inconsistent with habeas

corpus rules. (Rule 11, Rules Governing

- 40. -

2254 Proceedings; Pitchess v. Davis, 421

U.S. 482, 489-490, (1975).)

This Court has held that Rule 60
of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure is
not applicable to habeas corpus when the
effect of applying the rule would be to
alter the statutory exhaustion requirement

of section 2254 of Title 28 of the United

States Code. (Pitchess v. Davis, supra,
421 U.S. 482.) As in Pitchess, Hamilton's

motion for relief under Rule 60 would
circumvent the wealth of legal authority
designed to prevent attempts to abuse the
writ and engage in piecemeal litigation.

(See, e.g., McCleskey v. Zant, 499 U.S.

, 113 L.Ed.2d 517, 111 §.Ct. 1454

(1991); Sawyer v. Whitley, U.S. P

60 U.S.L.W. 4655, (6/22/92); Rule 9(b)
Rules Governing 2254 Proceedings. )
Rule 9(b) of the Rules Governing

Section 2254 Proceedings provides for the

dismissal of subsequent petitions which

- 41. -

present new or different grounds, when the
failure to assert those claims in prior
petitions constitutes an abuse of the
writ. When the government pleads abuse of
the writ in a second or subsequent habeas
petition, it is incumbent on the
petitioner to show “cause” for failing to
raise the claim and "prejudice” from the
failure.

In the absence of a showing of
“cause and prejudice”, the petitioner must
Show a fundamental miscarriage of justice
would result if the claim is not

entertained. (McCleskey v. Zant, supra,

113 L.Ed.2d 517.) A miscarriage of
justice requires the petitioner to show
that a constitutional violation has
probably caused the conviction of someone

actually innocent of the crime or penalty.

(Sawyer v. Whitley, supra, 60 U.S.L.W.

4655.)

- 42. -

When the district court denied
Hamilton's motion to alter or amend the
judgment and motion for new evidentiary
hearing, the effect was to require
Hamilton to file a subsequent petition for
any additional relief sought. Hamilton
now seeks to avoid the stringent law

applicable to abusive and successive

petitions by reopening habeas proceedings
in the district court via Rule 60(b) even
though an appeal is currently pending
before the Ninth Circuit. By even
entertaining that motion, the Ninth
Circuit and district court sanction its
use to expand the scope of a fully
litigated federal petition. In so doing,
the lower court creates the potential for
the use of Rule 60 to avoid this Court's
pronouncements concerning abuse of the

writ. A prisoner would avoid the

7. Use of Rule 60(b) to reopen
district court proceedings without a
showing of cause and prejudice, or

- 43. -

necessity of showing cause and prejudice,
or miscarriage of justice simply by the
use Of Rule 60. The Ninth Circuit should
not have permitted Hamilton an opportunity
to circumvent these basic and absolute
prerequisites to additional habeas claims
being raised.

Since being sentenced to death
Over a decade ago, Bernard Hamilton has
enjoyed protracted delay while the
district court repeatedly ordered him to
exhaust and bring known claims. Hamilton
expressly and personally waived known
claims not raised in the district court
proceedings despite repeated opportunities
to bring his claims.

On October 17, 1989, Hamilton
was put on notice to bring forward all

known claims by petitioner's motion.

miscarriage of justice is being
sanctioned by the Ninth Circuit in more
than this case. (See, Carriger v.
Lewis, F.2d , Filed 7/28/92, 92
DAR 10417 at p. 10418 (9th Cir. 1992).)

- 44, -

(Neuschafer v. Whitley, 860 F.2d 1470,

1482 (9th Cir. 1988).) The district court
granted the motion on March 16, 1990. On
June 8, 1990, Hamilton’s two habeas
attorneys identified 38 issues and
Hamilton was ordered to pursue all
unexhausted claims in the state court, or
those claims would be waived or abandoned.
The district court’s order expressly
Stated petitioner would “voluntarily,
knowingly, and intelligently [have] waived

and abandoned” all unexhausted claims not

filed in state court and all exhausted
claims not filed in federal court by
October 22, 1990. All of the claims which
are the ultimate basis for the Rule 60(b)
motion were clearly known, or should have
been known, to Hamilton before his amended
petition was ultimately filed in federal
court on October 22, 1990. Accordingly,
the subject of Hamilton's 60(b) motion

must be raised in a subsequent petition.

wa - 45. -
The Rule 60(b) motion is
predicated on a claim that habeas counsel

misinterpreted McCleskey v. Zant. The

very basis of the motion serves to
illustrate why the Rule 60(b) motion is a
manipulative device. Mistake of habeas
counsel cannot excuse the purposeful
withholding of a known claim absent a
showing of cause and prejudice by
Hamilton. Hamilton has no right to
counsel in his collateral attack on the

state’s judgment of conviction. (Coleman

v. Thompson, 501 U.S. , 115 L.Ed.2d

640, 111 S.Ct. 2546 (1991); Pennsylvania

v. Finley, 481 U.S. 551 (1987).)

Accordingly, his counsel's purported
mistake cannot serve as “cause” for his
failure to bring his claims in a timely
manner during proceedings on his "first”
petition. Since it is obvious that
Hamilton cannot clear the hump of cause

and prejudice for a subsequent petition,

- 46. -
he attempts to manipulate inapplicable
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure to
achieve the desired delay.

If Hamilton is permitted to
litigate his counsel’s “mistake of fact”
in the district court in the context of a
Rule 60(b) motion, he is circumventing,
and thereby eliminating, the requirement
of cause and prejudice which applies in
habeas corpus litigation. Moreover, the
prompt resolution of Hamilton's appeal is
being delayed to accommodate a claim of
mistake by counsel which is patently
absurd. Hamilton and his counsel were
repeatedly warned that a failure to raise
known claims would constitute a waiver of

those claims. The issuance of McCleskey

v. Zant merely served to confirm the

propriety of the district court’s repeated

orders to exhaust and bring known claims

or those claims would be waived.

-~ 47. -
Even if counsel actually

misunderstood the holding in McCleskey,

there is no explanation for counsel's
failure to understand the repeated and
clear orders of the district court .2!
Indeed, the underpinnings of Hamilton's
Rule 60(b) motion rests with the premise
that habeas counsel believed it could
ignore the repeated warnings and orders of
the district court with impunity.

Separate and apart from the holding in

McCleskey, such disregard for the express

orders of a court cannot be condoned or
rewarded.
Permitting a Rule 60(b) motion

to be entertained in the district court

8. The purported mistake of habeas
counsel in understanding the effect of
McCleskey also suggests that McCleskey
represents some unanticipated new
development in the law. To the
contrary, the Ninth Circuit has
concluded that McCleskey is not a new
rule of law subject solely to
prospective application. McCleskey
applies retroactively. (Harris v.

Vasquez, 949 F.2d 1497 (9th Cir. 1991).)

- &. -
has the effect of eliminating the
applicable habeas rules and decisions of
this Court pertaining to abuse of the
writ. This Court should not permit the
Ninth Circuit to allow an end run around
the habeas corpus procedures which
safeguard the states from endless
litigation and the attendant absence of
finality in their judgments.
B. The Remand for a Rule

60(b) Motion is

Inconsistent With the

Prompt Resolution of

Hamilton's Appeal

This Court has explicitly stated
a rule that whenever there is a stay in
effect against a state enforcing a
judgment of death, the federal courts have
a “duty to take all steps necessary to
ensure a prompt resolution of the matter,
consistent with its duty to give full and

fair consideration to all the issues

presented in the case.” (In re Blodgett,

502 U.S. » 216 L.8d.24 669, 112 8.Ct.

- 49. -

674 (1992).) The remand by the Ninth
Circuit is unrelated to the court’s
consideration of the issues presented in
Hamilton's appeal. Indeed, the remand
affords Hamilton an opportunity to
improperly expand the issues in the
appeal.

Resolution of Hamilton's appeal
should not be delayed in order to permit
him to pursue additional claims in the

district court. (In re Blodgett, supra.)

An appellate court's effort to await
combined consideration of a continual
stream of litigation from a condemned
prisoner invariably results in prejudice
to the state from protracted delay. (See,

In re Blodgett, supra, 116 L.Ed.2d. at p.

674.)
This Court has stated with

unmistakable clarity that adherence to its

decision in McCleskey v. Zant and prompt

enforcement by the district court and

- 50. -

courts of appeal of that decision, will
obviate in many cases the basis for the
Ninth Circuit‘’s perceived need to
accommodate multiple filings. (In _re

Blodgett, supra, 116 L.Ed.2zd at p. 674.)

Similarly, adherence to the decision in

McCleskey by the Ninth Circuit would ‘

necessarily obviate the need to
accommodate Hamilton's Rule 60(b) motion
through a remand to the district court.

Although the remand from the
Ninth Circuit was limited, and the appeal
briefing has been ordered to proceed as
scheduled, the delay attendant with the
remand is undeniable. As the order of
remand provides:

“, . » The district court
shall keep this court advised on
an ongoing basis as to the
hearing schedule it sets and any
actions it takes on the motion.”

“, . . Depending upon the
action taken by the district
court in respect to the 60(b)
motion, this court may make
further orders that might take
the form of a full remand, a
further briefing order, or a

- 51. -

combination. This court in this
appeal will provide whatever
Opportunity is necessary to all
parties to respond to the
district court’s actions on the
60(b) motion.” (Appendix B,
emphasis added. )

The remand necessarily entails
briefing, motions and argument before the
district court on the Rule 60(b) motion.
It may entail the taking of evidence.
Invariably, Hamilton's appeal will be
delayed, despite completion of appellate
briefing by the parties, due to the
necessity of resolving the 60(b) motion in
the district court. Indeed, no time
constraints for consideration of the Rule
60(b) motion are contained in the Ninth
Circuit's limited remand. The prompt
resolution of Hamilton's appeal has now
taken a back seat to the litigation of a
motion which should not even be
entertained inasmuch as it is totally

inconsistent with Rule 11 of the Rules

Governing 2254 Proceedings and this

- 52. -

Court’s decisions in McCleskey and

Blodgett.

The Ninth Circuit order
permitting a Rule 60(b) motion in this
matter violates both the letter and spirit
of the law and is unmistakably contrary to

both McCleskey and Blodgett.

- Hamilton has had his proverbial
day in court for well over a decade now.
From the time of his arrest he has engaged
in delay tactics. Indeed, the district
court, after hearing witnesses during the
evidentiary hearing, observed the
following about Hamilton's pre-trial
requests:

“{Tjhe court is left with

the inescapable conclusion that

[Hamilton] was using every

tactic available to him to

create delay.” (ER 171.)

Hamilton is still bent on delay.

At this point, delay is through deliberate

piecemeal litigation. The Ninth Circuit

has cleared the path for needless delay.

- 53. -

Absent intervention by this Court,

Hamilton's appeal will ping-pong between

the district court and the appellate

court, one issue at a time for the

remainder of his natural life.

If this Court fails to act, the

Ninth Circuit remand order will serve as a

blueprint for the circumvention of this

Court’s express and repeated holdings

condemning piecemeal litigation and undue

delay in

C.

writs of
inferior
of Title

i.e. the

capital habeas litigation.

This Court is
Empowered to Grant
Petitioner Relief

This Court is empowered to issue
mandamus and prohibition to
courts pursuant to section 1651
28 of the United States Code,

All Writs Act. While Rule 20.1

of the United States Supreme Court Rules

cautions

that issuance of the writ is a

matter of “sound discretion sparingly

exercised,” the writ may be issued to

- 54. -
secure justice in the absence of any other

adequate remedy. (Maryland v. Soper (No.

1), 270 U.S. 9, 29, (1926).)

The authority of this Court to
exercise mandamus extends to those cases
that are within its appellate
jurisdiction, despite the fact no appeal

has yet been perfected. (Roche v.

Evaporated Milk Assn., 319 U.S. 21, 25

(1943); F.T.C. v. Dean Foods Co., 384 U.S.

597, 603 (1966).) Mandamus may not be
used as a substitute for an appeal. (Kerr

v. United States Ct. for N.Dist. of Cal.,

426 U.S. 394, 403 (1976).)

Mandamus is appropriate both to
confine an inferior court to the lawful
exercise of its prescribed jurisdiction
and to compel the court to exercise its
authority when it has a duty to do so.

(Roche v. Evaporated Milk Assn., supra,

319 U.S. at 26; Will v. Calvert Fire Ins.

Co., 437 U.S. 655, 661 (1978).) The party

- 55. -
seeking mandamus must show that the right
to issuance of the writ is "clear and

indisputable.” (Bankers Life & Casualty

Co. v. Holland, 346 U.S. 379, 384 (1953);

Kerr v. United States District Court for

N.Dist. of Cal., supra, 426 U.S. at 403.)

Petitioners have met these
Criteria for issuance of a writ of
mandamus to the Ninth Circuit. The Ninth
Circuits remand in the midst of an appeal
to permit Hamilton to bring a motion with
the effect of reopening proceedings before
the district court and circumventing
habeas corpus law governing abuse of the
writ presents an exceptional circumstance
and merits relief. This Court offers the
only available forum to redress the abuse
of discretion by the Ninth Circuit.
(Supreme Court Rule 20.1.)

/

/

- 56. -

D. The State Has No Other

Adequate Remedy

Available to Redress

the Appellate Court's

Jurisdictional Error

The State has a compelling
interest in the finality of habeas corpus
litigation. Permitting litigation in the
district court during the pendency of
Hamilton's appeal for the purpose of
circumventing the applicable restrictions
on abuse of the writ denies the State's
rights which cannot be adequately
redressed after the burden of litigating
waived claims.

An extraordinary writ from this
Court is the sole means of preventing a
remand for a manipulative and
inappropriate mid-appeal motion in the
district court with the attendant waste of
prosecutorial and judicial resources, and

delay in a capital case. During the

pendency of Hamilton's appeal, there is no

= $7. -

final decision which would permit
petitioners to seek review by certiorari.
/
/
/

/

/

- 58. -

CONCLUSION

For the reasons set forth above,
Petitioners respectfully request this
Court grant a Writ of Mandamus to the
United States Court of Appeals for the
Ninth Circuit, (Circuit Judges Schroeder,
Fletcher and Trott) and a writ of
prohibition to the district court (Judge
Rudi Brewster).

DATED this 7th day of August, 1992.

Respectfully submitted,

DANIEL E. LUNGREN, Attorney General
of the State of California

GEORGE WILLIAMSON, Chief Assistant
Attorney General

GARY W. SCHONS, Senior Assistant
Attorney General

LOUIS R. HANOIAN
Supervising Deputy Attorney General

HOLLY D. WILKENS,
D ty Attorney General

AK

PAT ZAHAROPPULOS, ;
Supervising Deputy Attorney General

Attorneys for Petitioner

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Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/brief%3Amicro_IA40386011_1125%3A1. Public record. Not legal advice.
