Sanwick v. Carver, 10th Cir. (1999)
Sanwick v. Carver, 10th Cir. (1999)
DEC 14 1999
PATRICK FISHER
Clerk
PAUL SANWICK,
Petitioner-Appellant,
v.
SCOTT CARVER, Warden, Utah State
Prison,
No. 99-4075
(D. Utah)
(D.Ct. No. 94-518-B)
Respondent-Appellee.
____________________________
ORDER AND JUDGMENT *
Before BRORBY, EBEL, and LUCERO, Circuit Judges.
After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined
unanimously that oral argument would not materially assist the determination of
this appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2); 10th Cir. R. 34.1(G). The case is
therefore ordered submitted without oral argument.
This order and judgment is not binding precedent except under the doctrines of
law of the case, res judicata and collateral estoppel. The court generally disfavors the
citation of orders and judgments; nevertheless, an order and judgment may be cited under
the terms and conditions of 10th Cir. R. 36.3.
*
Appellant Paul Sanwick appeals the district courts decision dismissing his
habeas corpus petition, filed pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 2254, as procedurally barred.
We deny Mr. Sanwick a certificate of probable cause 1 and dismiss his appeal.
The State of Utah charged Mr. Sanwick with ten counts of rape and sexual
abuse of his two minor daughters. Mr. Sanwick entered a plea of guilty to one
count of first degree felony rape in exchange for dismissal of the remaining
counts. See State v. Sanwick, 713 P.2d 707, 708 (Utah 1986). The state trial
court sentenced him to five years to life. Id. Mr. Sanwick filed a direct appeal
claiming the trial court improperly relied on hearsay statements and precluded
him from confronting his two daughters at sentencing. Id. The Utah Supreme
Court affirmed his sentence. Id. at 709.
Mr. Sanwick next filed a Motion for Court to Refuse Unlawful Plea with
the trial court, renewing his argument that the court improperly relied on
Mr. Sanwick, who originally filed his petition May 20, 1994, and prior to
enactment of the Anti-Terrorism Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, did not request a
certificate of probable cause, and the district court made no ruling thereon. Under our
Emergency General Order of October 1, 1996, we deem the district courts failure to issue
a certificate of probable cause within thirty days after filing the notice of appeal as a
denial of a certificate. See United States v. Riddick, 104 F.3d 1239, 1241 n.2 (10th Cir.
1997), overruled on other grounds, United States v. Kunzman, 125 F.3d 1363 (10th Cir.
1997). Accordingly, we construe the appeal as Mr. Sanwicks request to this Court for a
certificate of probable cause. Id.
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The court, upon its own motion, and on such notice as it directs, may
dismiss an appeal or petition for review if the court lacks jurisdiction; or
may summarily affirm the judgment or order which is the subject of review,
if it plainly appears that no substantial question is presented; or may
summarily reverse in cases of manifest error.
Mr. Sanwick admitted as much in his petition: All issues presented herein were
presented in first [state] appeal and/or Motion for Court to Refuse Unlawful Plea.
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he was indicted and pled guilty to second degree felony rape not first degree
felony rape; and (3) the court applied the first degree felony rape statute ex post
facto and unconstitutionally because the state only charged him with second
degree felony rape. Likewise, he reiterated his argument the court
unconstitutionally sentenced him based on inaccurate testimony and without
allowing him to examine his daughters at sentencing. He also renewed his
argument stating his guilty plea was unknowing, involuntary and induced while
under the influence of psychotropic drugs. Lastly, Mr. Sanwick requested an
evidentiary hearing on his petition.
Mr. Sanwick now appeals the district courts decision. Because Mr.
Sanwick filed his habeas petition before enactment of the Anti-Terrorism
Effective Death Penalty Act, we apply pre-amendment standards of review.
Jackson v. Shanks, 143 F.3d 1313, 1317 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, 119 S. Ct. 378
(1998). We review the legal basis for the district courts dismissal of Mr.
Sanwicks petition de novo. Id. In so doing, we afford deference to the state
courts construction of state law. Id.
Mr. Sanwick begins his appeal by asserting the district court erred in
determining the state trial court dismissed his motion as procedurally barred.
Instead, Mr. Sanwick contends the Utah Supreme Court the last state court
rendering a judgment in his case dismissed it on its merits and not on procedural
default. Mr. Sanwick premises this contention on the Utah Supreme Courts
decision which, citing Rule 10(e), determined he failed to present a substantial
question for review. He relies on a Utah Supreme Court case, Hernandez v.
Hayward, 764 P.2d 993, 996 (Utah Ct. App. 1988), which states [s]ummary
affirmance under Rule 10 is a determination of the appeal on its merits. Because
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the last state court decided his case on the merits, he contends his claims are not
procedurally.
In order to establish cause and prejudice, Mr. Sanwick must show some
objective factor external to the defense impeded [his] efforts to comply with the
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States procedural rule. Murray v. Carrier, 477 U.S. 478, 488 (1986). Examples
under this standard include a showing the factual or legal basis for a claim was
not reasonably available to him or some interference by officials made
compliance impracticable. Id. Mr. Sanwick laments he met the cause and
prejudice requirement by showing the state arbitrarily transformed his Motion
for Court to Refuse Unlawful Plea into a motion to withdraw his plea. He claims
this caused him prejudice by not allowing him to invoke numerous constitutional
rights entangled in the plea arrangement. We find Mr. Sanwicks contention
strained as it merely invokes the semantics of how he titled his motion and does
not focus on how the states mere assessment of his motion could in any way
impede his efforts to comply with state procedural requirements.
the charge for which he received his conviction and sentence. When an appellant,
such as Mr. Sanwick, asserts his sentence should be reversed because of a
particular error, and the record does not permit us to evaluate it, we will generally
refuse to consider it. See United States v. Vasquez, 985 F.2d 491, 495 (10th Cir.
1993). In this case, where Mr. Sanwick is collaterally attacking the voluntariness
of his guilty plea, we find his conclusory statement he lacked information on the
crime charged, without more, insufficient to meet his burden of establishing
cause for his procedural default.
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