Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Cook v. Schriro (9th Cir. - Feb. 20, 2008)

Sometimes you can tell just by reading the facts that the defendant has been sentenced to death. And you can totally see why.

Such is the case here.

Given both the facts and the panel -- which included Judges Callahan and O'Scannlain -- no one's going to be surprised at the result in the Ninth Circuit. And it doesn't even take long. Ten weeks after the oral argument, there's a 43-page opinion that affirms the denial of the habeas petition. Which is pretty darn speedy, especially for the Ninth.

One more thing. Don't represent yourself at trial in a death penalty case when you totally did it. You'll be terrible. And will die. Which Daniel Wayne Cook will likely shortly discover.