Opinion
No. 07-36096.
Argued and Submitted October 6, 2010.
Filed April 25, 2011.
Anthony David Bornstein, Esq., Federal Public Defender's Office, Portland, OR, for Petitioner-Appellant.
Office of the Oregon Attorney General, Salem, OR, for Respondent-Appellees.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Oregon, Owen M. Panner, District Judge, Presiding. D.C. No. CV-05-00829-PA.
This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent except as provided by 9th Cir. R. 36-3.
Randy Fisher maintains the Oregon Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision ("the Board") `violated his due process rights when it refused to grant him early parole eligibility. The district court denied habeas relief, and we affirm.
In 2001, Fisher requested a hearing with the Board to determine his eligibility for parole. See Cir.Rev. Stat. § 163.105(2). The mandatory language of § 163.105 provides Fisher with a constitutionally protected liberty interest in early parole eligibility, of which he cannot be deprived without due process. Miller v. Oregon Bd. of Parole, 642 F.3d 711 (9th Cir. 2011) (filed concurrently with this disposition). The Board conducted a hearing, but denied Fisher's application for early parole eligibility.
In Swarthout v. Cooke, ___ U.S. ___ 131 S.Ct. 859, 178 L.Ed.2d 732 (2011), the Supreme Court held that the due process entitlements in the context of parole are "minimal": advance access to records; notice and opportunity to be heard; and a statement of the reasons why parole is denied are all that are required. 562 U.S. at 4-5. Fisher concedes he was afforded these minimum required procedural due process protections, so there is no basis for overturning the Board's denial.
Because Fisher is not entitled to habeas relief, we decline to address whether his claims were procedurally defaulted. 28 U.S.C. § 2254(b)(2); Cassett v. Stewart, 406 F.3d 614, 623-24 (9th Cir. 2005).