Payne v. Thompson, 79-1625

Decision Date21 May 1980
Docket NumberNo. 79-1625,79-1625
Citation622 F.2d 254
PartiesWillis E. PAYNE, Petitioner-Appellant, v. Vinson THOMPSON, Warden; Attorney General of Tennessee, Respondents-Appellees.
CourtU.S. Court of Appeals — Sixth Circuit

Marvin B. Berke, Berke, Berke & Berke, Chattanooga, Tenn. (Court-appointed), for petitioner-appellant.

William M. Leech, Jr., Atty. Gen. of Tennessee, William P. Sizer, II, Charles L. Lewis, Asst. Attys. Gen., Nashville Tenn., for respondents-appellees.

Before EDWARDS, Chief Judge, and WEICK and KENNEDY, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM.

Appellant Payne appeals from a summary judgment entered by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee denying his petition for a writ of habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2254 (1976).

Our review of this record indicates that at his state court trial, appellant was convicted by a jury on charges of murder and rape of an eight-year old girl and sentenced to death by electrocution upon each of those charges; these death sentences were subsequently commuted by the Governor of the State of Tennessee to consecutive sentences of life imprisonment. The same review of this record also shows that there was ample evidence to warrant the state trial judge in submitting the issue of appellant's guilt or innocence to the jury. Although appellant argued before the District Court and argues before us a total of nine issues, we believe only three warrant discussion.

After appellant was arrested and had been administered Miranda warnings and had had a lawyer appointed for him, he was required by the police to submit to the taking of samples and hair and semen from his person. This procedure was carried out at a hospital by a physician but the lawyer who had been appointed for him was not advised of the intention of the police in this regard and was not present.

The District Judge relied upon Schmerber v. California, 384 U.S. 757, 86 S.Ct. 1826, 16 L.Ed.2d 908 (1966), in holding that the taking of evidence under the conditions involved was not a federal constitutional violation and that appellant had no right to refuse the taking of the samples. Our reading of Schmerber bears out the District Judge's conclusion. The taking of this evidence took place before appellant was indicted for the crimes concerned and while we believe his lawyer should have been advised of the police's intention in this regard, we do not think that a federal constitutional violation...

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  • Lackey v. State
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    ...to refuse a defendant's request for examination by a particular psychiatrist and to substitute an alternative expert. In Payne v. Thompson, 622 F.2d 254 (6th Cir. 1980), cert. denied 449 U.S. 1063, 100 S.Ct. 788, 66 L.Ed.2d 607 (1981), the court "Nor can we find a federal constitutional vio......
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  • Alvord v. Wainwright
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    ...in this case. See United States ex rel. Smith v. Baldi, 344 U.S. 561, 568, 73 S.Ct. 391, 395, 97 L.Ed. 549 (1953); Payne v. Thompson, 622 F.2d 254, 255 (6th Cir.1980); cf. United States v. Taylor, 437 F.2d 371, 383-84 n. 6 (4th Cir.1971) (Sobeloff, J., concurring and dissenting). See Sectio......
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