Griffin

Griffin v. Prosper

Good Law
267 F. App'x 672
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitFebruary 22, 2008No. 07-15405California305 words

Opinion

lead Opinion

MEMORANDUM **

This is an appeal from the denial of a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus brought under 28 U.S.C. § 2254 . The only issue certified for appeal is whether the prosecutor committed Griffin error when he remarked that the defendant did not testify and there was “no evidence that he didn’t do it.” The prosecutor’s remark was a fair response to the defense counsel’s suggestion that the defendant’s not guilty plea was evidence that he did not commit the crime. See U.S. v. Robinson, 485 U.S. 25, 32 , 108 S.Ct. 864 , 99 L.Ed.2d 23 (1988). Furthermore, the remark was not “manifestly intended to call attention to the defendant’s failure to testify,” or “of such a character that the jury would naturally and necessarily take it to be a comment on the failure to testify.” Hovey v. Ayers, 458 F.3d 892, 912 (9th Cir.2006) (citing Lincoln v. Sunn, 807 F.2d 805, 809 (9th Cir.1987) (internal quotation marks omitted)). Therefore the California court’s decision affirming the conviction was not contrary to or an unreasonable application of federal law. See 28 U.S.C. § 2254 (d).

Griffin also raises a sufficiency of the evidence argument with respect to his convictions under Cal. Pen.…

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