F I L E D
United States Court of Appeals
Tenth Circuit
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
DEC 11 1997
TENTH CIRCUIT
PATRICK FISHER
Clerk
JOHN E. DOWELL,
Petitioner - Appellant,
v.
No. 97-3231
(D.C. No. 97-3079-DES)
DAVID R. MCKUNE; ATTORNEY
(District of Kansas)
GENERAL FOR THE STATE OF
KANSAS,
Respondents - Appellees.
ORDER AND JUDGMENT *
Before ANDERSON, MCKAY and LUCERO, Circuit Judges.
Petitioner appeals the district court’s order dismissing without prejudice his
petition for writ of habeas corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254. The district
court concluded that petitioner failed to exhaust available state remedies on the
claims presented in federal court. The district court also found that petitioner
failed to make a substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional right and
*
The case is unanimously ordered submitted without oral argument pursuant to Fed. R.
App. P. 34(a) and 10th Cir. R. 34.1.9. This order and judgment is not binding precedent, except
under the doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. The court generally
disfavors the citation of orders and judgments; nevertheless, an order and judgment may be cited
under the terms and conditions of 10th Cir. R. 36.3.
therefore declined to issue a certificate of appealability. See 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(2).
After a careful review of the record on appeal, it is unclear whether
petitioner did, in fact, satisfy the exhaustion requirement. This determination is
irrelevant, however, because we conclude that regardless of whether the claims
were exhausted, they are all without merit. See 28 U.S.C. § 2254(b)(2)
(authorizing denial of petition on the merits notwithstanding a failure to exhaust).
Petitioner raises four issues on appeal. He claims that he was convicted
under an unconstitutional state statute, denied a speedy trial, denied effective
assistance of counsel, and convicted on the basis of perjured testimony. None of
these issues has merit.
Petitioner was convicted in the state of Kansas of aggravated incest for
engaging in “any lewd fondling, as described in subsection (a)(1) of K.S.A. 21-
3503." Kan. Stat. Ann. § 21-3603(a)(2)(B). Petitioner contends that § 21-
3503(a)(1) is unconstitutionally vague, citing to State v. Conley, 531 P.2d 36
(Kan. 1975). Although Conley did hold that § 21-3503 contained
unconstitutionally vague language, the legislature subsequently modified the
statute and the modified language was held to be constitutional by the Supreme
Court of Kansas. State v. Voiles, 601 P.2d 1121, 1124 (Kan. 1979) (citing State
v. Wells, 573 P.2d 580 (Kan. 1977)).
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Petitioner contends that he was denied the right to a speedy trial pursuant to
Kan. Stat. Ann. § 22-3402(1), (4) and §§ 22-4301 to -4303 because of the length
of time his case was under appellate review. Because the statutes cited by
petitioner are not applicable to the appellate process, we reject this claim.
Petitioner claims that he was denied effective assistance of counsel by both
trial and appellate counsel for their failure to assert the unconstitutionality of the
statute and the denial of the right to a speedy trial. Because we hold that neither
claim is meritorious, petitioner cannot demonstrate either deficient performance
of counsel or prejudice. See Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 687 (1984).
Finally, petitioner argues that a prosecution witness committed perjury.
The credibility of witnesses is a determination to be made by the jury, and we will
not second-guess this determination. See United States v. Youngpeter, 986 F.2d
349, 353 (10th Cir. 1993).
We DENY petitioner’s application for a certificate of appealability and
DISMISS the petition with prejudice.
The mandate shall issue forthwith.
ENTERED FOR THE COURT
Carlos F. Lucero
Circuit Judge
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