FILED
United States Court of Appeals
Tenth Circuit
February 24, 2009
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
Elisabeth A. Shumaker
Clerk of Court
FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT
PARRISH BOURNE,
Petitioner-Appellant,
v. No. 07-3228
(D.C. No. 05-CV-3363-JAR)
STATE OF KANSAS; ATTORNEY (D. Kan.)
GENERAL OF KANSAS,
Respondents-Appellees.
ORDER DENYING CERTIFICATE OF APPEALABILITY *
Before BALDOCK, BRORBY, and EBEL, Circuit Judges. **
Parrish Bourne, a Kansas state prisoner represented by counsel, seeks a
certificate of appealability (“COA”) to challenge the district court’s denial of his
28 U.S.C. § 2254 petition for habeas relief from his Kansas conviction for
aggravated arson. See id. § 2253(c)(1)(A). Mr. Bourne is entitled to a COA only
if he has “made a substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional right.” Id.
*
This order is not binding precedent except under the doctrines of law of the
case, res judicata and collateral estoppel. It may be cited, however, for its
persuasive value consistent with Fed. R. App. P. 32.1 and 10th Cir. R. 32.1.
**
After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined
unanimously that oral argument would not materially assist the determination of
this appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2); 10th Cir. R. 34.1(G). The case is
therefore ordered submitted without oral argument.
§ 2253(c)(2). To make such a showing, he must demonstrate that “reasonable
jurists could debate whether . . . the petition should have been resolved in a
different manner or that the issues presented were adequate to deserve
encouragement to proceed further.” Slack v. McDaniel, 529 U.S. 473, 484 (2000)
(internal quotation marks omitted).
In his counseled habeas petition, Mr. Bourne contends correctional officers
denied him access to his attorney during the week preceding trial, thereby
denying him his rights to (1) effective assistance of counsel and (2) a fair trial.
The facts he provides in support of these two grounds for relief are identical. The
federal district court construed both “grounds [to] allege that petitioner was
denied his right to counsel under the Sixth Amendment when he was unable to
consult with his defense counsel the week before his trial commenced.” Aplt.
App. at B-7.
In a thorough memorandum and order denying Mr. Bourne’s § 2254
petition, the district court set forth the facts and standard of review, and applied
the applicable law. In so doing, it observed:
Petitioner states that he was ‘unable, as a direct result of the
correctional officer’s actions, to pass on important information
regarding his upcoming jury trial.’ Yet, petitioner does not explain
what information he was prevented from relaying to his counsel, and
he fails to explain how this caused him to suffer harm at his trial.
Also, the record shows that petitioner was able to communicate
freely with his counsel in the previous weeks leading up to trial,
meaning that petitioner could have passed on this information to his
counsel at that time. And further, petitioner was able to
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communicate with his counsel on the Saturday before trial, and there
is nothing in the record to indicate that petitioner was unable to give
such information to his counsel at that time.
Id. at B-13 to B-14 (emphasis added).
Having carefully considered the record, Mr. Bourne’s arguments on appeal,
and the applicable law, we conclude, for substantially the same reasons stated in
the district court’s memorandum and order, that Mr. Bourne has failed to make
the requisite showing. We therefore DENY his request for a COA and DISMISS
the appeal.
Entered for the Court
David M. Ebel
Circuit Judge
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