Blackmore (Adrienne) v. State

 When reviewing the district court's resolution of an
ineffective-assistance claim, we give deference to the court's factual
findings if they are supported by substantial evidence and not clearly
wrong but review the court's application of the law to those facts de novo.
Lacier v. Warden, 121 Nev. 682, 686, 120 P.3d 1164, 1166 (2005). Here,
the district court conducted a hearing and heard arguments from counsel
before denying Blackmore's petition. The district court found, among
other things, that "[b]ased on the evidence developed at the Grand Jury, it
was reasonable for counsel to advise [Blackmore] that a jury could have
found the intent necessary to convict [her] of the crime of attempted
murder." The district court also found that Blackmore was aware of the
potential sentencing consequences, that "[t]he sentences of her co-
defendants are wholly irrelevant," and that she entered her guilty plea
voluntarily. The district court determined that trial counsel was not
deficient and that Blackmore failed to demonstrate prejudice. See Hill v.
Lockhart, 474 U.S. 52, 58-59 (1985); Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S.
668, 687-88, 694 (1984); Kirksey v. State, 112 Nev. 980, 987, 923 P.2d
1102, 1107 (1996); see also Cullen v. Pinholster, 563 U.S. „ 131 S.
Ct. 1388, 1408 (2011) ("Surmounting Strickland's high bar is never an
easy task." (quotation marks omitted) (alteration omitted)). We conclude
that the district court's findings are supported by substantial evidence, see
Riley v. State, 110 Nev. 638, 647, 878 P.2d 272, 278 (1994), and the district
court did not err by rejecting Blackmore's claims without conducting an
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evidentiary hearing, see generally Hargrove v. State, 100 Nev. 498, 503,
686 P.2d 222, 225 (1984). Accordingly, we
ORDER the judgment of the district court AFFIRMED.
J.
Hardesty
cc: Hon. Elizabeth Goff Gonzalez, District Judge
Christopher R. Oram
Attorney General/Carson City
Clark County District Attorney
Eighth District Court Clerk
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