Thornhill

Thornhill v. Blacketter

Good Law
337 F. App'x 621
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitJune 15, 2009No. 08-35497California393 words

Opinion

Lead Opinion

MEMORANDUM **

Stanley Thornhill appeals the district court’s denial of his petition for habeas corpus relief. See 28 U.S.C. § 2254 . We affirm.

Thornhill asserts that he was denied his constitutional rights under the Sixth and Fourteenth Anendments to the United States Constitution as clearly established by the Supreme Court 1 when the state trial court excluded certain evidence at trial. 2 We have carefully reviewed the record and agree with the district court that the state trial court did not commit constitutional error when it excluded certain items of evidence for the purposes for which they were proffered, that is, essentially to show motive or bias, or, inaccuracy of a witness’ statements. Athough Thornhill now suggests other purposes for which the evidence could have been of *623 fered, we cannot say that the state trial court erred when it ruled on the basis of Thornhill’s tender at the time of the state court proceedings. It was entitled so to do. See Heyne v. Caruso, 69 F.3d 1475, 1481 (9th Cir.1995) (setting out general requirement for an offer of proof); United States v. Sims, 617 F.2d 1371, 1377 (9th Cir.1980) (stating that proponent must make the basis for…

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