Mejia

Mejia v. Kane

Good Law
255 F. App'x 189
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitNovember 20, 2007No. 07-15228California347 words

Opinion

Lead Opinion

MEMORANDUM ***

Petitioner, who was convicted on his plea of nolo contendere of murder in the second degree, appeals the district court’s denial of his petition for habeas corpus relief. Petitioner challenges the denial of parole on the ground that there was not “some evidence” of his continued danger to the public.

Prior cases have held that to meet the due process standard there must be “some evidence” to support a decision to deny parole. See Irons v. Carey, 505 F.3d 846, 850-51 (9th Cir.2007); Biggs v. Terhune, 334 F.3d 910, 915 (9th Cir.2003). While Kane argues that clearly established Supreme Court law does not require that there be some evidence, we are in no position to overturn our prior cases. See United States v. Gay, 967 F.2d 322, 327 (9th Cir.1992).

In this case, there is some evidence of petitioner’s continued danger to the public. Petitioner has led a crime-filled life, during which he was responsible for the deaths of four people in the course of three separate crimes. The first homicide for which petitioner was responsible involved the murder of his wife. R. at 52 (explaining to the parole board that “[I] was playing around with a gun while I was drunk and shot…

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