Wallace v. Kirkegard et al, No. 6:2015cv00011 - Document 8 (D. Mont. 2015)

Court Description: ORDER ADOPTING FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS IN FULL, DISMISSING action WITH PREJUDICE. A certificate of appealability is DENIED. Signed by Judge Dana L. Christensen on 9/17/2015. Mailed to Wallace. (NOS, )

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Wallace v. Kirkegard et al Doc. 8 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF MONTANA HELENA DIVISION J:Jt..eo St:.? 1? Cte~k. U.s . 2015 District 0fD,strict C ~,. Mont Ourt •vnssouta ana Cause No. CV 15-11-H-DLC-JTJ GREGORY LYNN WALLACE, Petitioner, ORDER vs. LEROY KIRKEGARD, et al., Respondents. United States Magistrate Judge John T. Johnston entered his Findings and Recommendations in this case on June 29, 2015, granting Petitioner Gregory Wallace's Motion for Leave to Proceed in Forma Pauperis, and recommending denial of Wallace's petition for writ of habeas corpus as time-barred and procedurally defaulted without excuse. Wallace failed to timely object to the Findings and Recommendations, and so waived the right to de novo review of the record. 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1 ). The Court will therefore review the record for clear error. McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Commodore Bus. Mach., Inc., 656 F .2d 1309, 1313 (9th Cir. 1981). Clear error exists if the Court is left with a "definite and firm conviction that a mistake has been committed." United States v. Syrax, 235 F.3d 422, 427 (9th Cir. 2000). There is no clear error in Judge Johnston's -1- Dockets.Justia.com Findings and Recommendations and the Court adopts them in full. Because the parties are familiar with the facts of this case they will only be included here as necessary to explain the Court's order. There is no clear error in Judge Johnston's finding that Wallace's habeas petition is time-barred. A one-year limitations period applies to petitions filed by state prisoners under 28 U.S.C. § 2254. Wallace identifies no reason to apply one of the other "trigger" dates in 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(l), and the Court perceives none. Wallace's federal petition had to be filed by August 20, 2013, within one year of the date his conviction became final, but Wallace did not file until January 30, 2015. Therefore his claim is time-barred. Nor did Judge Johnston clearly err in finding that Wallace's habeas petition is procedurally defaulted without excuse. A federal habeas court generally will not hear claims that have never been fairly presented in state court. Wallace did not raise his claims in the trial court, nor did the Montana Supreme Court hear or decide the merits of any of the claims presented by Wallace. Consequently, all of Wallace's claims are subject to dismissal for procedural default. Ake v. Oklahoma, 470 U.S. 68, 74-75 (1985); Collier v. Bayer, 408 F.3d 1279, 1284 (9th Cir. 2005); Smith v. Baldwin, 510 F.3d 1127, 1139 (9th Cir. 2007) (en bane) (quoting Coleman v. Thompson, 501 U.S. 722, 735 n. 1 (1991). Further, Wallace has not -2- overcome procedural default by either making an adequate showing of cause and prejudice for his failure to exhaust his state court remedies, see Strickler v. Greene, 527 U.S. 263, 282 (1999), nor has he demonstrated actual innocence, see McCleskey v. Zant, 499 U.S. 467,494 (1991). IT IS ORDERED that Judge Johnston's Findings and Recommendations (Doc. 7) are ADOPTED IN FULL. This action is DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE. The Clerk of Court shall enter by separate document a judgment in favor of Respondents and against Petitioner. A certificate of appealability is DENIED. DATED this \1-~ay of Septembe Dana L. Christensen, Chief Judge United States District Court -3-

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