Opinion
CASE NO. C06-1075-JCC.
August 31, 2007
ORDER
This matter comes before the Court on Petitioner's motion for habeas relief pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254. (Dkt. No. 4.) The Court stayed one of Petitioner's habeas claims pending resolution of Burton v. Stewart, 127 S.Ct. 793 (2007). (Dkt. No. 27.) Having determined that no additional briefing is necessary, the Court hereby LIFTS the stay on Petitioner's habeas claim, ADOPTS Magistrate Judge Theiler's Report Recommendation ("R R" (Dkt. No. 20)) as to that claim, and DISMISSES the habeas petition.
I. BACKGROUND
Petitioner is currently serving a state sentence imposed in 2001 following his guilty plea to one count of assault in the first degree (Count I), and one count of assault of a child in the second degree (Count II). (Record ("R.") (Dkt. No. 18) Ex. 1.) The victims were a woman and her then five-year-old son. The trial court imposed an exceptional sentence of 220 months on Count I (the high end of the relevant standard range being 184 months) and 75 months on Count II, to run concurrently. The court concluded, "[t]he presence of [the child] during the commission of the assault on his mother constitutes a substantial and compelling reason to impose an exceptional sentence upward." The Washington Court of Appeals issued its mandate on May 15, 2003, finalizing Petitioner's conviction. (R. Ex. 8.)
Petitioner filed the instant habeas petition on August 2, 2006. He argued, inter alia, that his exceptional sentence violated Blakely v. Washington, 542 U.S. 296 (2004). (Dkt. No. 4 at 3-6.) Recommending dismissal of that claim, the R R relied on Schardt v. Payne, 414 F.3d 1025, 1038 (9th Cir. 2005), which held that Blakely does not apply retroactively to a conviction that was final before its publication. (R R 5-7 (Dkt. No. 20).) After the R R was issued, but before this Court issued an order accepting the R R's recommendations, Petitioner filed a motion requesting that the Court stay its decision until the United States Supreme Court issued a decision in Burton v. Waddington, 126 S.Ct. 2352 (2006) (decided in Burton v. Stewart, 127 S.Ct. 793 (2007)). The Supreme Court granted certiorari in Burton to determine whether Blakely announced a new rule of constitutional law and, if so, whether it applied retroactively on collateral review. Burton, 127 S.Ct. at 794. Because the outcome of Burton could significantly impact Petitioner's Blakely claim, the Court granted the stay applicable to that claim only. As to Petitioner's remaining habeas claims, the Court adopted the R R and dismissed them along with his Objections.
On August 20, 2007, in compliance with this Court's order, Petitioner notified the Court of the Supreme Court's decision in Burton, which ultimately did not decide the issue of Blakely's retro activity. (Dkt. No. 29.) Instead, the Supreme Court ruled that the district court did not have jurisdiction over the habeas claim, and vacated and remanded to the district court with directions to dismiss the habeas petition. Burton, 127 S.Ct. at 794.
II. THIS COURT'S ACTION IN LIGHT OF BURTON
The motion to stay was granted pending resolution of Burton. (Dkt. No. 27 at 3-4). Burton has now been decided. Although the Supreme Court did not rule on Blakely's retroactivity, there is binding Ninth Circuit precedent on this very issue. The Ninth Circuit's decision in Schardt that Blakely "does not apply retroactively to a conviction that was final before that decision was announced," 414 F.3d at 1038, forecloses Petitioner's Blakely claim.
III. CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, the Court LIFTS the stay on Petitioner's sole remaining habeas claim, ADOPTS the R R (Dkt. No. 20) as to that claim, and DISMISSES the habeas petition. The Clerk is DIRECTED to send copies of this Order to Petitioner and to counsel for Respondent.
SO ORDERED.