FILED
United States Court of Appeals
Tenth Circuit
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS April 21, 2009
TENTH CIRCUIT Elisabeth A. Shumaker
Clerk of Court
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff - Appellee, No. 08-6251
v. (W.D. Oklahoma)
OLIVER KEITH BROWNER, (D.C. No. 5:07-CV-00782-D)
Defendant - Appellant.
ORDER DENYING CERTIFICATE OF APPEALABILITY
Before HARTZ, EBEL, and O’BRIEN, Circuit Judges.
Oliver Keith Browner pleaded guilty in the United States District Court for
the Western District of Oklahoma to conspiracy to distribute cocaine base, in
violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846. Mr. Browner filed a pro se motion under 28 U.S.C.
§ 2255, asserting that his guilty plea was rendered involuntary by his trial
counsel’s ineffective assistance. He contended that his trial counsel’s failure to
subpoena evidence “left [him] with no option, but [to] plead guilty.” R. Vol. 1 at
70. After holding an evidentiary hearing at which Mr. Browner and his trial
counsel testified, the district court denied relief. Mr. Browner now asks us to
issue a certificate of appealability (COA). See 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(1)(B)
(requiring COA to appeal denial of § 2255 motion). We deny a COA and dismiss
the appeal.
A COA will issue “only if the applicant has made a substantial showing of
the denial of a constitutional right.” Id. § 2253(c)(2). This standard requires “a
demonstration that . . . includes showing that reasonable jurists could debate
whether (or, for that matter, agree that) 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 other words, an applicant must show that
the district court’s resolution of the constitutional claim was either “debatable or
wrong.” Id. In determining whether to issue a COA, a “full consideration of the
factual or legal bases adduced in support of the claims” is not required. Miller-El
v. Cockrell, 537 U.S. 322, 336 (2003). Instead, the decision must be based on “an
overview of the claims in the habeas petition and a general assessment of their
merits.” Id.
The district court has set out its factual findings and legal analysis in a
thorough and carefully reasoned opinion determining that trial counsel had not
provided deficient representation under Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668
(1984), by failing to subpoena documents and witnesses that Mr. Browner
believes would have aided in his defense. The district court also determined that
Mr. Browner had failed to establish prejudice within the meaning of Hill v.
Lockhart, 474 U.S. 52, 59 (1985), because he had not shown a reasonable
probability that he would have proceeded to trial rather than plead guilty but for
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error committed by trial counsel. The district court’s decision could not be
debated by reasonable jurists.
Mr. Browner appears to be making some additional arguments in support of
his COA application, but we decline to consider them because he did not raise
them in district court.
We DENY the application for a COA and dismiss the appeal.
ENTERED FOR THE COURT
Harris L Hartz
Circuit Judge
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