Singh

Singh v. Woodford

Good Law
202 F. App'x 948
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitOctober 20, 2006No. 05-15425California366 words

Opinion

Lead Opinion

MEMORANDUM **

Michael Manjeet Singh appeals from the district court’s judgment denying his 28 U.S.C. § 2254 petition challenging his conviction by a jury for three counts of first-degree murder. We have jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1291 and 2253. We review de novo the district court’s denial of a habeas petition. Gill v. Ayers, 342 F.3d 911, 917 (9th Cir.2003). We review the petition under the provisions of the Anti-terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (“AEDPA”) because Singh filed his petition after the statute’s effective date, April 24,1996. Id.

Singh contends that he was denied due process when the state trial court excluded an anonymous, tape-recorded third-party confession to the murder. He also contends that the trial court’s evidentiary ruling precluded him from presenting a defense and denied him his right to a fair trial.

Even assuming that the trial court erred by excluding the anonymous tape-recorded confession, Singh is not entitled *949 to habeas relief. The state court’s conclusion that any error resulting from the exclusion of the tape was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt was not contrary to clearly established federal law, nor was the conclusion…

Sign in to read the full opinion

Create a free account to read the complete opinion text, citation history, and good-law status for this case.