Robert Lee Hong v. Secretary Dept. of Corrections

Robert Lee Hong, a state prisoner proceeding pro se, appeals the denial of his petition for a writ of habeas corpus, under 28 U.S.C. § 2254. Hong argues — consistent with a certificate of appealability issued by the district court — that he was entitled to post-conviction relief because: (i) his trial attorney rendered constitutionally ineffective assistance during the closing arguments of his state court trial when he failed to object to alleged witness vouching by the prosecutor; and (ii) a portion of his total state court sentence— 400 years for 80 counts of conviction for possessing…