COMMONWEALTH v. Christоpher HOLMES, Appellant. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Appellant, v. Rufus Whitfield, Appellee.
22 EAP 2004, 24 EAP 2004
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.
Argued Oct. 18, 2004. Resubmitted Nov. 21, 2006. Decided Oct. 16, 2007.
933 A.2d 57
Jason E. Fetterman, Hugh J. Burns, Philadelphia, for Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Mark Patrick Cichowicz, Karl Baker, Philadelphia, for Rufus Whitfield.
CAPPY, C.J., CASTILLE, SAYLOR, EAKIN, BAER, BALDWIN, FITZGERALD, JJ.
OPINION
Justice BAER.1
We granted review in these two cases to consider the interaction between a statute limiting the period of time during which a trial court may modify or rescind an order2 and the long-standing, inherent power of courts to correct patent errors in orders. See Commonwealth v. Cole, 437 Pa. 288, 263 A.2d 339 (1970). The two cases undеr review herein demonstrate a conflict in the application of authorities when trial courts attempt to exercise their inherent power to correct orders by vacating illegal sentences despite the expiration of the modification period provided by
The record reveals that at some point prior to October 1998 Holmes again was released on parole and eventually pleaded guilty and was sentenced on charges unrelated to the crimes
On May 9, 2002, the Commonwealth appealed the court‘s April 9, 2002 order, claiming that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to vacate its prior sentence.7 The Superior Court agreed in a published decision. Commonwealth v. Holmes,
While acknowledging that challenges to the legality of a sentence cannot be waived and that a court may raise sentence illegality sua sponte, the Superior Court cautioned that a trial court must first have jurisdiction to address the illegality, quoting our decisions in Robinson v. Commonwealth, Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, 525 Pa. 505, 582 A.2d 857, 860 (1990) (“Jurisdiction is the predicate upon which a consideration of the merits must rest.“), and Commonwealth v. Fahy, 558 Pa. 313, 737 A.2d 214, 223 (1999) (“Although legality of sentence is always subject to review within the PCRA, claims must still first satisfy the PCRA‘s time limits or one of the exceptions thereto.“).
The Superior Court rejected Holmes‘s argument that the trial court had inherent jurisdiction to correct patent and obvious errors in orders, distinguishing our decision in Commonwealth v. Jones, 520 Pa. 385, 554 A.2d 50 (1989), in which this Court approved a trial court‘s correction of an illegal sentence the day it was imposed.8 The Superior Court also
Holmes sought this Court‘s review, which we granted.10 Holmes relies on this Court‘s statement that “[t]rial courts never relinquish their jurisdiction to correct an illegal sentence.” Brief for Holmes at 5 (quoting Commonwealth v. Vasquez, 560 Pa. 381, 744 A.2d 1280, 1284 (2000)).11 He notes that while a violation of probation may trigger a new sentence, a violation of parole, as in the instant case, subjects a parolee to serve the balance of the original sentence. Compare
Initially, Holmes demonstrates that the sentence imposed could not be for a violation of probation because the trial court, in September 1997, revoked the probation imposed in May 1996. Thus, he could not have violated something that no longer existed. Consequently, he argues that the violation found in May 2001 related to his parole from the eleven and one-half to twenty-three-month sentence of incarceration imposed in September 1997. Accordingly, any sentence for that violation must be limited by the duration of the September 1997 sentence, twenty-three months. Citing Cole and Jones, Holmes contends that the trial court acted within its power to correct the obvious and patent mistake of sentencing him in excess of the original twenty-three-month sentence of September 1997 rather than recommitting him to serve the remainder of that sentence. Holmes also suggests that all illegal sentences are obvious and patent mistakes, citing numerous Superior Court cases for broad statements regarding courts’ power to address illegal sentences.
The Commonwealth responds that the Superior Court properly reversed the trial court. It contends that the trial court lost jurisdiction to correct the order when the thirty-day period sеt forth in Section 5505 expired in June 2001. It notes the distinction between the issue of waiver and jurisdiction, quoting our explanation of jurisdiction as “the power, right, or authority to interpret and apply the law.” Brief for Commonwealth (Holmes) at 12 (quoting Commonwealth v. Johnson, 542 Pa. 568, 669 A.2d 315, 321 (1995)). While acknowledging that a claim of sentence illegality may never be waived and may be addressed by a court sua sponte, it argues that the court must first have jurisdiction over the case to address the issue. Citing this Court‘s decision in Fahy, the Commonwealth contends that the only method for the trial court to have obtained jurisdiction to correct the sentence after the running of the thirty days would have been pursuant to the
While tacitly acknowledging the authority of courts to correct clerical errors in orders, the Commonwealth contends that the sentencing illegality in this case is not a clerical error and that the defendant misinterprets our decisions in Cole and Jones to suggest that they provide the inherent power to correct illegal sentences at any time. Consistent with our observation in note 8, supra, the Commonwealth observes that there wаs no jurisdictional question in Jones, when the court acted immediately to correct the erroneous sentence, and, accordingly, that case is easily distinguished from the case at bar. The Commonwealth also argues that Cole is distinguishable because it involved an obvious clerical error apparent from the face of the order. It asserts that the merits of Holmes‘s claim are not as clear.12
Before considering the merits of Holmes‘s claim, we first address the facts of the companion case, Commonwealth v. Whitfield, 24 EAP 2004. In May 1992, Rufus Whitfield pleaded guilty to auto theft, criminal conspiracy, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, and unauthorized use of a vehicle. He received sentences of probation of up to four years on several of these charges.13 On others, including
According to the trial court, Whitfield was paroled to a Community Corrections Centеr, from which he fled. He was arrested in October 1992 on a new theft charge. In June 1994, the court found a violation of the parole relating to the sentence imposed at CP# 9106-2343 and 9106-2344, but delayed sentencing. In February 1997, the trial court ordered Whitfield to serve the balance of the May 1992 sentence of eleven and one-half to twenty-three months of incarceration, and again released him on parole. The court noted that the probationary periods imposed in May 1992 in the other matters would expire in January 1998. Notes of Testimony, 2/19/1997, at 3.
In September 2001, after conviction on yet another charge, the court entered an order revoking Whitfield‘s “probation” on the original sentence imposed at CP# 9106-2343 and 9106-2344 and sentencing him to three and one half to seven years of incarceration. However, as noted, probation had never been imposed for those charges. Whitfield filed an untimely motion for reconsideration with the court on October 16, 2001, which was denied. Additionally, Whitfield filed a motion to vacate the sentence, arguing that no probation had been imposed at CP# 9106-2343 and 9106-2344, and thus that the sentence was illegal.14 The court also denied this motion in March 2002.
Whitfield appeаled to the Superior Court in April 2002, asserting that his sentence for a putative probation violation
In October 2002, notwithstanding the appeal pending in the Superior Court, the trial court determined that the sentence was illegal and entered an order vacating the sentence. The court explained:
At the time of [the hearing on September 26, 2001] this court inadvertently believed that the defendant was still on [its] probation. This court has recently obtained the notes of testimony from [the] February 19, 1997 hearing wherein it is indicated that the defendant would be finished with this [court‘s] probation on January 8, 1998.
Order, 10/8/02. Having received the relief sought, Whitfield subsequently withdrew his appeal to the Superior Court, as he was no longer aggrieved.
The Commonwealth then appealed asserting that the trial court did not have jurisdiction to vacate the sentence during the pendency of Whitfield‘s appeal to the Superior Court. In its Rule 1925(a) opinion, the trial court rejected the Commonwealth‘s claim that the court did not have power to correct its sentencing order. The trial court stated that courts never relinquish their power to correct illegal sentences, as it did here.
The Commonwealth, as appellant in Whitfield‘s case before this Court, claims that the alleged illegality in this case is not comparable to the clerical errors under Cole and Klein, and that the Superior Court erred in holding that a court may correct an illegal sentence at any time. The Commonwealth argues that not only had the thirty-day period for correction of orders under Section 5505 expired, but also that the court had been divested of jurisdiction when Whitfield appealed to the Superior Court. The Commonwealth further argues that the PCRA is the sole means for obtaining collateral relief. See
Whitfield asserts that the lower courts correctly determined that the trial court had jurisdiction to vacate the order.16 He argues that the court‘s action in this case falls within its
While acknowledging this Court‘s clear statements regarding the PCRA‘s jurisdictional prerequisites in Fahy and its progeny, Whitfield contends that “these cases did not consider whether such statutory jurisdictional requirements must give way to a trial court‘s inherent power to correct a manifest mistake in its order.” Brief for Whitfield at 9. He argues that the statutory requirements must yield to the inherent power of courts, citing Cole, 263 A.2d at 341, in which we stated “[b]oth before and since the passage of [the precursor to Section 5505], a court retains its inherent power to correct any patent mistakes in its orders.” He also notes that this Court held in Klein, 781 A.2d 1133, that a court has jurisdiction to correct a manifest sentencing error even after the filing of an appeal, notwithstanding Section 5505, which would otherwise divest a court of jurisdiction to correct such an order. Whitfield also argues that public policy requires the approval of the trial court‘s actions to correct an erroneous sentence to avoid squandering judicial resources in situations involving patent errors that would result in relief on collateral review.
The question presented by the parties, regarding the power of courts to correct allegedly illegal sentencing orders absent jurisdiction pursuant to
The trial courts in both cases before us clearly lacked jurisdiction, absent the exercise of the rarely used power of
In Cole, we considered the tension between the predecessor to Section 5505 and a court‘s inherent power, and held that the statute “was never intended to eliminate the inherent power of a court to correct obvious and patent mistakes in its orders, judgments and decrees.” Cole, 263 A.2d at 341. In that case, the trial court entered an order granting the defendant‘s motion for a new trial аnd arrest of judgment. Over three months after the entry of the order, well beyond the statutory jurisdictional period of thirty days, the trial court modified the order to dismiss the motion for arrest of judgment and to grant the motion for new trial. The defendant challenged, inter alia, the trial court‘s jurisdiction to amend the order based on the expiration of the thirty-day statutory period. This Court concluded that the trial court retained jurisdiction. We observed that “[t]he grant of a new trial [a]nd the grant of the motion in arrest of judgment were so clearly antagonistic that even the most casual reading of the order would disclose
More recently, in Klein, we again noted the inherent power to correct patent and obvious errors. Notably, we did not limit the inherent power to those errors evident on the face of the ordеr, but rather approved of a trial court‘s correction of a “patent defect or mistake in the record.” Klein, 781 A.2d at 1135 (emphasis added). In Klein, the trial court sentenced the defendant and credited him with thirty-three days of time served on June 23, 1999. On June 25, 1999, after the prison officials alerted the court to the fact that the defendant had only served one day, the trial court issued an order sua sponte directing “the Defendant to reappear for re-sentencing” on June 30, 1999. Prior to the June 30 re-sentencing, the defendant filed a notice of appeal of the June 23 sentencing order, thus terminating the trial court‘s jurisdiction. The trial court, on June 30, rejected the defendant‘s claim that the court did not have jurisdiction, and amended the order to indicate only one day of time served. This Court on review found the trial court‘s exercise of jurisdiction appropriate under Cole, even though the error was not obvious on the face of the order but emerged only in light of information provided by a third party.
Holmes‘s sentencing order, like the order in Cole, contained a patent mistake, a fact apparent from a review of the docket without resort to third-party information. The order stated, “parole is hereby revoked,” and thеn sentenced Holmes to serve “Not less than three (3) years nor more than six (6) years in the State Correctional Institution, to run concurrently with any sentence now serving.” Trial Court Order, 5/21/01. The Commonwealth has not disputed that the sentence imposed was in direct conflict with the longstanding precedent that a parole violator cannot be sentenced to a new
Similarly, Appellant Whitfield is entitled to the relief granted by the trial court under our caselaw upholding the inherent jurisdiction of courts to correct patent and obvious mistakes. The trial court imposed a new sentence of incarceration on Whitfield for a violation of probation even though probation was never imposed.18 While the mistake is not apparent based on the face of the order itself, one need only look to the Quarter Session notes in the record to see the mistake.
Although the defendants before this court warrant relief under the inherent power of courts to correct patent errors, we must also emphasize the limits of this power. This exception to the general rule of Section 5505 cannot expand to swallow the rule. In applying the exception to the cases at bar, we note that it is the obviousness of the illegality, rather than the illegality itself, that triggers the court‘s inherent power. Not all illegal sentences will be amenable to correction as patent errors. Moreover, the inherent power to correct errors does not extend to reconsideration of a court‘s exercise of sentencing discretion. A court may not vacate a sentencing order merely because it later considers a sentence too harsh or too lenient. The cases at bar are not cases where a court reconsidered the application of its sentencing discretion or its interpretation of a nuanced or ambiguous stаtutory
Justice CASTILLE and SAYLOR join the opinion.
Justice BALDWIN files a concurring opinion.
Justice FITZGERALD files a concurring opinion.
Justice EAKIN files a dissenting opinion in which Chief Justice CAPPY joins.
Justice BALDWIN, concurring.
I join the well-reasoned majority opinion in full with regard to Appellant Christopher Holmes. I also join the opinion with regard to Appellee Rufus Whitfield, but do so with reluctance. I write separately to express my concern regarding the single, and I believe critical, fact that distinguishes Whitfield‘s case from Holmes‘. In Whitfield‘s situation, the case was on appeal, subject to the Superior Court‘s jurisdiction, when the trial court modified its order. See Majority Opinion, at 63. Holmes’ case was not on appeal at that time. Therefore, his case was not subject to another court‘s jurisdiction at the time of the trial court‘s action. See Majority Opinion, at 60. In my opinion, in the circumstance where a case is on appeal and is thus under the appellate court‘s jurisdiction, the trial court is divested of all power, express or inherent, to modify its orders, no matter how patent and obvious. Jurisdiction, in this sense, is an all-or-nothing proposition. I recognize that this Court‘s decision in Commonwealth v. Klein, 566 Pa. 396, 781 A.2d 1133 (2001), reads otherwise.
In Klein, a jury found Maurice Klein guilty of simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, and accidents
On June 25, 1999, the York County prison officials contacted the trial court and clarified that Klein had indeed only served a single day in jail and was then released. The trial court issued an order requiring Klein to appear five days later for re-sentencing. However, between the date the order was issued and the date scheduled for re-sentencing, Klein filed a notice of appeal from the original sеntencing order with the Pennsylvania Superior Court. Id. The second sentencing hearing nevertheless went forward. At that hearing, Klein challenged the trial court‘s authority to modify the sentence, alleging that the trial court was without jurisdiction as the case was then on appeal. The trial court rejected Klein‘s argument and modified the order to reflect the accurate amount of time served before trial. Id. at 399, 781 A.2d at 1134.
On appeal, the Superior Court found that the June 25, 1999 order implicitly vacated the original sentencing order, as the court left no doubt that it would be re-sentencing Klein at the hearing. As such, the court further concluded that Klein improperly filed an appeal from the original sentencing order, which it held had been vacated. Id. This Court granted allowance of appeal and held that the June 25, 1999 order did not implicitly vacate the original sentencing order. First, we noted that this Court has never held that an order can be implicitly vacated. Id. at 400, 781 A.2d at 1135. Secondly, we found that the June 25, 1999 order did not vacate the previous order, but merely ordered Klein to appear for another sen-
Since we held that the sentencing order was not vacated, we were left to determine whether the trial court had jurisdiction to modify that order. In addressing this question, the following conflict became apparent:
The law is clear that a court may modify or rescind any order within 30 days after its entry, if no appeal has been taken.
42 Pa.C.S. § 5505 ;Pa.R.A.P. 1701(a) . Thus, where a Notice of Appeal has been filed, the trial court cannot act further in the matter. However, this rule must be read in conjunction, with a court‘s inherent powers “to amend its records, to correct mistakes of the clerk or other officer of the court, inadvertencies of counsel, or supply defects or omissions in the record, even after the lapse of the term.” Id. at 400, 781 A.2d at 1135 (quoting Commonwealth v. Cole, 437 Pa. 288, 292, 263 A.2d 339, 341 (1970)). In Cole, this Court held that a trial court has the inherent power to correct errors on the record that were “obvious and patent” even where the action was taken beyond the thirty-day statutory limit to modify orders. Cole, 437 Pa. at 292, 263 A.2d at 341. The Klein Court held the court‘s inherent powers, as described in Cole, permitted the trial court to modify the original sentencing order beyond the thirty day time limit codified in42 Pa.C.S. § 5505 , despite the fact that the case was properly on appeal. Klein, 566 Pa. at 401, 781 A.2d at 1135.
Given the opportunity, I would overrule Klein. However, where, as here, this Court is without the benefit of full briefing and argument from the parties, the jurisprudentially sound course of action is to wait for another day to address the extant viаbility of Klein. The conflict seemingly resolved in Klein was already discussed in Cole and decided in Commonwealth v. Tabb, 417 Pa. 13, 207 A.2d 884 (1965). Yet, the Klein Court neglected to discuss Tabb, or attempt to overrule it.
In Cole, the trial court granted both a new trial and a motion in arrest of judgment, and later amended its order to
The Klein Court, without discussion of the Tabb principle, simply resolved the conflict in favor of the trial court‘s longstanding powers. However, equally long-standing is the principle that once a case is properly on appeal, subject to the respective appellate court‘s jurisdiction, the trial court is divested of all powers, express or inherent, unless otherwise provided by a law or rule. See Harwood v. Bruhn, 313 Pa. 337, 170 A. 144 (1934). If the Tabb/Harwood rule is nоt upheld, it will be left to the each trial court to individually interpret its inherent powers when a case is on appeal. Pennsylvania Rule of Appellate Procedure 1701(b) enumerates the powers inherently held by the trial court after an appeal has been perfected. Under this rule, a trial court may:
(1) Take such action as may be necessary to preserve the status quo, correct formal errors in papers relating to the matter, cause the record to be transcribed, approved, filed and transmitted, grant leave to appeal in forma pauperis, grant supersedeas, and take other action permitted or required by these rules or other ancillary to the appeal or petition for review proceeding.
(2) Enforce any order entered in the matter, unless the effect of that order has been superseded as prescribed in this chapter.
(3) Grant reconsideration of the order which is the subject of the appeal or petition, if:
(i) an application for reconsideration of the order is filed In the trial court or other governmental unit within the time provided or prescribеd by law: and
(ii) an order expressly granting reconsideration of such prior order is filed in the trial court or other governmental unit within the time prescribed by these rules for filing a notice of appeal or petition for review of a quasijudicial order with respect to such order, or within any shorter time provided or prescribed by law for the granting of reconsideration.
A timely order granting reconsideration under this paragraph shall render inoperative any such notice of appeal or petition for review of a quasijudicial order theretofore or thereafter filed or docketed with respect to the prior order. The petitioning party shall and any party may file a praecipe with the prothonotary of any court in which such an inoperative notice or petition is filed or docketed and the prothonotary shall note on the docket that such notice or petition has been stricken under this rule. Where a timely order of reconsideration is entered under this paragraph, the time for filing a notice of appeal or petition for review begins to run anew after the entry of the decision оn reconsideration, whether or not that decision amounts to a reaffirmation of the prior determination of the trial court or other governmental unit. No additional fees shall be required for the filing of the new notice of appeal or petition for review.
(4) Authorize the taking of depositions or the preservation of testimony where required in the interest of justice.
(5) Take any action directed or authorized on application by the appellate court.
(6) Proceed further in any matter in which a nonappealable interlocutory order has been entered, notwithstanding the
filing of a notice of appeal or a petition for review of the order.
Whitfield‘s case was properly on appeal. The majority correctly applies Klein, as we are not asked by the parties to reconsider the conflict detailed above. Therefore, I hesitate to advocate overruling Klein in this case without the benefit of full briefing and argument by the parties before the entire Court. In the appropriate case, however, I perceive that Klein could not control. I am compelled, by the currеnt state of the law, to join the majority opinion with regard to Whitfield, although I do so reluctantly.
Justice FITZGERALD, concurring.
I agree with the majority‘s conclusion that trial courts retain the inherent authority to correct patent errors they have made, specifically and especially in the context of recognizing and rectifying illegal sentences where justice requires it. I therefore join the majority in the matter of Commonwealth v. Holmes.
With respect to Commonwealth v. Whitfield, however, I concur in the result only. I believe that the courts below ultimately reached the only just result by vacating Whitfield‘s illegal sentence, and I would not have granted allocatur in this matter.
Justice EAKIN, dissenting.
I disagree with the majority‘s conclusion that the trial court had jurisdiction to vacate, sua sponte, sentences in cases more than 30 days after their imposition, and I respectfully dissent from the expansion of the exceptions to the clear language of
As the majority notes, a claim concerning the illegality of a sentence is non-waivable. See Commonwealth v. Andrews, 564 Pa. 321, 768 A.2d 309, 312 (2001) (citing Commonwealth v. Vasquez, 560 Pa. 381, 744 A.2d 1280, 1283 (2000)); see also Commonwealth v. Johnson, 542 Pa. 568, 669 A.2d 315, 321
However, we are not talking about waiver by the accused-the present question is jurisdiction of the court:
Jurisdiction is the predicate upon which a consideration of the merits must rest. Where the jurisdiction of the court has been lost..., the attractiveness of an argument on the merits is of no moment because the tribunal is without the power to grant the requested relief.
Robinson v. Commonwealth, Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, 525 Pa. 505, 582 A.2d 857, 860 (1990) (citations omitted); see also Johnson, at 321 (term “jurisdictional” defined by plain meaning: “the power, right, or authority to interpret and apply the law ...“) (quoting Webster‘s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary 655 (1986)).
Jurisdiction of court is not established by the courts; it is established by the constitution and the legislature. Section 5505 plainly states that a trial court has jurisdiction to modify a sentence within 30 days after its imposition,
The majority, as did the Superior Court, relies on Commonwealth v. Cole, 437 Pa. 288, 263 A.2d 339 (1970) and Common-
In Cole, the trial court entered an order granting the defendant‘s motions for both a new trial and an arrest of judgment; clearly this was inconsistent, as an arrest of judgment precludes a new trial. Three and one-half months later, the trial court modified this patent inconsistency, granted a new trial, and dismissed the motion in arrest of judgment.
On appeal, the defendant argued since the 30-day statutory period for modification of the order had elapsed, the trial court lacked the power to amend or correct its previous order. This Court rejected this argument, noting:
In the instant case, the [initial] order ... was patently erroneous. The grant of a new trial and the grant of the motion in arrest of judgment were so clearly antagonistic that even the most casual reading of the order would disclose the irreconcilable nature thereof. To grant a new trial and a motion in arrest of judgment simultaneously was contrary to common sense; if the motion in arrest of judgment was proper, Cole could not be tried again whereas, if the new trial was proper, the motion would have to fail. What the court did was simply to correct ... a mistake which was plain on the face of the order.... “The power to amend its records, to correct mistakes of the clerk or other officer of the court, inadvertencies of counsel, or supply defects or omissions in the record, even after the lapse of the term, is inherent in courts of justice....” The 1959 statute [1] was never intended to eliminate the inherent power of a court to correct obvious and patent mistakes in its orders, judgments and decrees.... Both before and since the passage of this statute, a court retains its inherent power to correct any patent mistakes in its orders.
Thus, unlike the present cases, the error in the order in Cole was patent and obvious on the face of the order itself; accordingly, corrections made outside the 30-day period were allowed. In the present case, although thе Superior Court characterized the error in sentence as a “patent illegality,” Commonwealth v. Whitfield, 3194 EDA 2002, unpublished memorandum at 4 (Pa.Super.2003), the order on its face did not reveal that the sentence had been imposed for violation of a probationary sentence that had expired. The order, on its face, is simply not contradictory or illegal; rather, any illegality relies on other facts. Accordingly, Cole is inapposite.
In Klein, the trial court sentenced the defendant to time served to 12 months imprisonment. The pre-sentence investigation report mistakenly reflected the defendant had served 33 days in prison; he had actually served one day. Two days after sentencing, learning of this error, the court directed the defendant to appear for resentencing June 30, 1999; the court did not vacate the order of sentence. On June 28, 1999, the defendant appealed, challenging his underlying convictions. On June 30, 1999, as scheduled, the trial court resentenced the defendant to one to 12 months imprisonment, crediting the time served as one day.2 With respect to the trial court‘s modification of its sentencing order after the defendant had filed a notice of appeal, we concluded:
Whilе normally a court would not be permitted to take such action once it was divested of jurisdiction pursuant to § 5505, we find that under the limited circumstances of this case, the court could take further action in this matter since it was merely correcting a patent defect or mistake in the record.
Klein, which was specifically and expressly limited to its facts, is likewise distinguishable. The error in Klein was a miscalculation in the nature of a clerical mistake. This Court noted the judge‘s action was “essentially issuing the same sentence” while “correcting a patent defect or mistake in the record.” Id., at 1135. The errors in the present cases were neither clerical nor patent; thus, they require redress through direct or collateral appellate review.
A mistake patent on the face of the order is qualitatively different than a mistake in the facts underlying the sentencing scheme. Whether this sentence followed violation of parole or probation is not patent on the face of the order. The sentencing order on its face is not illegal-it is only illegal because of matters not appearing on its face. This is not a ministerial amendment or correction of a clerical mistake.
Indeed, the majority notes “one need only look to the Quarter Session notes in the record to see the mistake,” Majority Op. at 617, 933 A.2d at 66, reflecting that it is not a patent mistake-it is a mistake which requires inquiry into the record, far beyond the face of the order. There is nothing in such a scenario that reinvests the sentencing court with jurisdiction. If we are to make exceptions to this most basic of concepts, jurisdiction, these exceptions should be limited. The defendants may be entitled to relief, but they must pursue it in a court with jurisdiction. The sua sponte modification of sentences, without so much as a motion filed in any court, much less one with jurisdiction, is a proposition we should avoid.
The PCRA specifically provides that “[t]he imposition of a sentence greater than the lawful maximum” is grounds for relief,
This subchapter provides for an action by which persons convicted of crimes they did not commit and persons serving illegal sentences may obtain collateral relief. The action
established in this subchapter shall be the sole means of obtaining collateral relief and encompasses all other common law and statutory remedies for the same purpose that exist when this subchapter takes effect, including habeas corpus and coram nobis.
Id., § 9542 (emphasis added); see also Commonwealth v. Ahlborn, 548 Pa. 544, 699 A.2d 718, 721 (1997) (PCRA provides sole means for obtaining state collateral relief). In cases where no direct appeal is taken, the PCRA is the sole means for reinstating the right to a direct appeal nunc pro tunc. See Commonwealth v. Hall, 565 Pa. 92, 771 A.2d 1232, 1235-36 (2001); Commonwealth v. Lantzy, 558 Pa. 214, 736 A.2d 564, 569-70 (1999). Outside of this process, there is no relief available for a defendant serving an illegal sentence; although the issue of illegality cannot be waived, no trial court has jurisdiction to review it after the 30-day period unless (1) a direct appeal is filed and the appellate court then remands the matter to the trial court, see Vasquez, or (2) the matter is raised in a timely PCRA petition.
In cases where a direct appeal has been filed, the trial court is divested of jurisdiction,
The process whereby a trial court may hear challenges to the legality of a sentence has been delineated by this Court in the Rules of Criminal Procedure3 and by the legislature in the
Holmes did not file a motion to modify sentence or a direct appeal; furthermore, he failed to file a timely PCRA petition.4 Thus, he chose to forego the only means available to correct his illegal sentence. See Commonwealth v. Lyons, 830 A.2d 663, 665 (Pa.Cmwlth.2003) (offender may request modification
Because § 5505 requires adherence to a time frame in order for a trial court to have jurisdiction to modify a sentence, I would hold the trial court in this case, by acting outside of the 30-day period, lacked jurisdiction to modify its original sentencing order. Accordingly, I would affirm the order of the Superior Court reversing the order of the trial court and reinstating Holmes‘s original sentence imposed May 21, 2001.
Whitfield filed a direct appeal after the trial court denied his motion to vacate his sentence; this divested the trial court of jurisdiction. Upon realizing its error, the proper course for the trial court would have been to bring its mistake to the Superior Court‘s attention; the Superior Court could have vacated the sentence on direct appeal. In acting outside the 30-day period, while a direct appeal was pending, the trial court lacked jurisdiction to modify the September 26, 2001 sentence.5 Accordingly, I would reverse the order of the Superior Court affirming the trial court‘s order vacating Whitfield‘s September 26, 2001 sentence.
Chief Justice CAPPY joins this dissenting opinion.