Status of Appeal 9/6

Hello Everyone,

We were notified a few days ago by Brandon's attorney that Brandon was granted his request for a Certificate of Appealability which means that the appeal will be allowed to go forward. Even though his last appeal and request for oral arguments were denied, we will be allowed to stay on this path to the 9th Circuit Court. This is good news! The judge had the option to deny us and had he done so, we would have been forced to petition the 9th Circuit Court separately which could have added many months to Brandon's wait for a decision at the next level.

Now we move forward, still holding our collective breath and praying for release. We saw Brandon last weekend. He's waiting anxiously for an order of art supplies (limited items are allowed by the prison from a prison-approved vendor) and the CA heat wave has made his cell seem even smaller than its 9x12 dimensions, especially since he shares it with another inmate. (Inmates have fans only, no air conditioning.) Still he's hanging in there and sends his love and appreciation to all of you.

Warmest Regards,
Gene and Janice Hein