John M. Little v. B. J. Rhay, Superintendent, Washington State Penitentiary, Walla Walla, Washington

Good Law
439 F.2d 765·1971 U.S. App. LEXIS 11179
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitMarch 24, 197126622California342 words

Opinion

Opinion

Little appeals from the denial, without an evidentiary hearing, of his application for a writ of habeas corpus. Convicted of aiding and abetting the possession of narcotics, Little argues that the heroin introduced at his trial was the fruit of an illegal search and seizure.

The availability of a full record of the state hearing on the motion to suppress and the lack of a substantial dispute as to the evidentiary facts render an evidentiary hearing unnecessary. 28 U.S.C. § 2254 (d); Townsend v. Sain, 372 U.S. 293, 314 , 83 S.Ct. 745 , 9 L.Ed.2d 770 (1963); Rainsberger v. Fogliani, 380 F.2d 783, 785 (9th Cir. 1967).

Little argues that the use of an ex parte affidavit signed by the arresting officers in a prior habeas proceeding before the Supreme Court of Washington abridged his right of confrontation. Whatever the merits of that view, the alleged error did not infect the District Court’s independent review of the state record because the district judge declined to consider the supplemental affidavit.

The rule of Chimel v. California, 395 U.S. 752 , 89 S.Ct. 2034 , 23 L.Ed.2d 685 (1969), does not apply to this 1959 search. See Williams v. United States, 397 U.S. 986 , 90 S.Ct.…

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