Appellant was a defendant in a pending California felony case, having been arrested in April of 1998, and charged two days later. He had not yet received a preliminary hearing at the time of the briefing in this case. The case had been repeatedly continued for a variety of unclear reasons. His state petitions were summarily denied. The federal court denied his habeas petition, and this appeal followed. Here, the Ninth Circuit reversed the denial of the habeas petition. Petitioner’s Sixth Amendment right to a speedy trial was violated. He was subjected to oppressive pretrial incarceration and the passage of so much time hindered his ability to defend himself.