Wetzel v. State of Utah

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit

Wetzel v. State of Utah

Opinion

F I L E D United States Court of Appeals Tenth Circuit UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS MAR 24 1997 TENTH CIRCUIT PATRICK FISHER Clerk

JON T. WETZEL,

Petitioner-Appellant, No. 96-4081 v. (D.C. No. 94-CV-1112-S) (D. Utah) STATE OF UTAH,

Respondent-Appellee.

ORDER AND JUDGMENT *

Before BRORBY, EBEL and KELLY, Circuit Judges.

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); 10th Cir. R. 34.1.9. The case is therefore

ordered submitted without oral argument.

* This order and judgment is not binding precedent except under the doctrines of law of the case, res judicata and collateral estoppel. The court generally disfavors the citation of orders and judgments; nevertheless, an order and judgment may be cited under the terms and conditions of 10th Cir. R. 36.3. Mr. Wetzel, a Utah state prisoner, is currently serving a life sentence for

the murder of his wife. On November 16, 1994, Mr. Wetzel filed a petition for a

writ of habeas corpus alleging he was denied equal protection of the law and due

process when he was sentenced before the presentence report was completed. The

magistrate judge recommended Mr. Wetzel's petition be denied on the grounds

that "[i]n a case not involving imposition of the death penalty, failure to allow

access to a presentence report does not violate a defendant's constitutional rights."

After reviewing Mr. Wetzel's rambling objections to the magistrate judge's report

and recommendation, the district court denied his petition for a writ of habeas

corpus. Thereafter, the district court denied Mr. Wetzel's petition for a certificate

of probable cause stating:

The court finds no merit to [Mr. Wetzel's] habeas petition and likewise no justification for an appeal of this court's denial of the petition for a writ of habeas corpus. The issues raised are frivolous and without substance. The issues raised by [Mr. Wetzel] in his objection to the report and recommendation of the magistrate judge were unintelligible and extraneous to those advanced in his original petition.

We agree.

In his Application for a Certificate of Probable Cause in this court, Mr.

Wetzel argues he was denied equal protection of the law under the Fourteenth

-2- Amendment. 1 Apparently Mr. Wetzel is reiterating his contention that it was error

for him to be sentenced before his presentence report was completed. However,

failure to disclose the presentence report prior to sentencing does not violate a

defendant's right to due process, nor does it otherwise violate the Constitution or

laws of the United States. See United States v. Ainesworth, 716 F.2d 769, 772

(10th Cir. 1983); United States v. Stidham, 459 F.2d 297, 299 (10th Cir.), cert.

denied, 409 U.S. 868 (1972). Hence, Mr. Wetzel's contention is without merit.

We AFFIRM the district court's denial of a certificate of probable cause.

AFFIRMED.

Entered for the Court

WADE BRORBY United States Circuit Judge

1 Mr. Wetzel also argues his sentence is unconstitutional because of an ex post facto law. However, Mr. Wetzel did not properly raise this issue in the district court. We do not consider issues that were not addressed to the district court, absent compelling reasons not present in this case. Crow v. Shalala, 40 F.3d 323, 324 (10th Cir. 1994). See Singleton v. Wulff, 428 U.S. 106, 120 (1976) ("It is the general rule, of course, that a federal appellate court does not consider an issue not passed upon below.").

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Reference

Status
Unpublished