Background
Collin Zachary LaFreniere sought to appeal a district court order denying relief on his petition filed under Section two thousand two hundred fifty-four of Title twenty-eight of the United States Code. The underlying case involved claims of ineffective assistance of counsel.
The court’s reasoning
The court independently reviewed the record and concluded that the petitioner did not make the requisite showing that reasonable jurists could find the district court’s assessment of the constitutional claims debatable or wrong. The court determined that reasonable jurists could not debate the district court’s finding that the habeas court did not unreasonably apply the Strickland standard or unreasonably determine the facts. The court noted that when a state court has addressed an issue raised in a Section two thousand two hundred fifty-four petition, federal courts may not grant relief unless the state adjudication resulted in a decision contrary to or involving an unreasonable application of clearly established federal law.
We have independently reviewed the record and conclude that LaFreniere has not made the requisite showing.
Per Curiam Opinion
What it means going forward
The appeal is dismissed, leaving the district court’s denial of the habeas petition in place. No certificate of appealability was issued.