PATTERSON v. GOMEZ

No. 99-15530.

223 F.3d 959 (2000)

Mitchell Alfred PATTERSON, Petitioner-Appellant, v. James H. GOMEZ, Director, Respondent-Appellee.

United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit.

Filed August 16, 2000.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Charles M. Bonneau, Sacramento, CA, for petitioner-appellant.

Stan Cross, Deputy Attorney General, Sacramento, CA, for respondent-appellee.

Before: SNEED, PREGERSON, and FLETCHER, Circuit Judges.


FLETCHER, Circuit Judge:

Petitioner Mitchell Alfred Patterson appeals the denial of his petition for a writ of habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2254. Petitioner asserts that an instruction requiring the jury to presume him sane at the guilt phase of his murder trial violated the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. We hold in the circumstances of this case that the instruction was constitutional error, and that the error was not harmless. We therefore...

Let's get started

Leagle.com

Welcome to the leading source of independent legal reporting
Sign on now to see your case.
Or view more than 10 million decisions and orders.

  • Updated daily.
  • Uncompromising quality.
  • Complete, Accurate, Current.

Listed below are the cases that are cited in this Featured Case. Click the citation to see the full text of the cited case. Citations are also linked in the body of the Featured Case.

Cited Cases

  • No Cases Found

Listed below are those cases in which this Featured Case is cited. Click on the case name to see the full text of the citing case.

Citing Cases