Dale Lincoln Duke v. Janie Cockrell, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Institutional Division

State prisoner Dale Lincoln Duke appeals the denial of his petition for writ of habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2254, in which he challenges his conviction pursuant to a plea of nolo contendere for aggravated sexual assault of a child younger than fourteen years of age. He complains that because he was not informed that successful completion of a sex offender program would require him to admit his guilt, his nolo plea was not voluntarily, knowingly, and intelligently made. Find.ing the requirement collateral to Duke’s plea, we must affirm.

BACKGROUND

Duke was indicted for aggravated sexual…