Michael Combs v. Ron Broomfield

FOR PUBLICATION UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT MICHAEL STEPHEN COMBS, No. 19-99010 Petitioner-Appellant, D.C. No. 2:05- cv-04777-ODW v. RON BROOMFIELD, California State OPINION Prison at San Quentin, Respondent-Appellee. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Central District of California Otis D. Wright II, District Judge, Presiding Argued and Submitted February 12, 2025 Pasadena, California Filed March 12, 2026 Before: Consuelo M. Callahan, Bridget S. Bade, and Patrick J. Bumatay, Circuit Judges. Opinion by Judge Bade 2 COMBS V. BROOMFIELD SUMMARY * Habeas Corpus / Death Penalty The panel affirmed the district court’s denial of Michael Stephen Combs’ 28 U.S.C. § 2254 habeas corpus petition challenging his conviction and death sentence for willful, deliberate, and premediated first-degree murder. The district court granted a certificate of appealability on Combs’ claims (including numerous subclaims) of ineffective assistance of counsel (IAC) during the penalty phase. Combs also argued cumulative error. He requested that the panel expand the certificate of appealability. Because the California Supreme Court summarily denied Combs’ claims on the…