Rutherford

Rutherford v. United States

Good Law
242 F. App'x 427
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitJune 13, 2007No. 06-15442California412 words

Opinion

Lead Opinion

*428 MEMORANDUM ***

Robert Rutherford appeals the district court’s denial of his 28 U.S.C. § 2255 motion to vacate, set aside, or correct his sentence. We affirm.

Rutherford’s claims relating to the ex parte hearing and to the trial court’s rejection of his motion to substitute counsel were decided by this court on direct review. See United States v. Hermanek, 47 Fed.Appx. 439 (9th Cir.2002). Rutherford has not carried his burden of showing that the ends of justice would be served by a redetermination of the claims previously decided on the merits on direct appeal. See Polizzi v. United States, 550 F.2d 1133, 1135-36 (9th Cir.1976); Molina v. Rison, 886 F.2d 1124 (9th Cir.1989).

We reject Rutherford’s ineffective assistance of counsel claim because his trial attorney’s failure to call Patricia Davis as a witness at trial was a defensible, tactical decision. Fully informed, defense counsel decided against presenting Davis as a witness because he had concerns about how she would stand up to cross examination. Rutherford has not established that defense counsel’s tactical decision fell below an objective standard of reasonableness. See Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668,…

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