State v. Robinson

Nov 15, 2004
No. 2004-K-1081
Reporters:
, ,
Before:
Calogero

Concurrence Opinion

|, CALOGERO, Chief Justice,

concurring in the denial of the writ application.

Although the application is untimely as a matter of La. S.Ct. Rule X, § 5(a), and ‍‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍the court of appeal’s decision is therefore final on direct review, State v. Matthews, 02-1121 (La.3/25/04), 855 So.2d 740, this court has the authority to review the merits of a defendant’s constitutional claims because Louisiana law governing collateral attack on a final conviction provides a narrow exception to the finality of claims fully litigated on ‍‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍direct appeal. See La.C.Cr.P. art 930.4(A) (“Unless required in the interest of justice, any claim for [post-conviction] relief which was fully litigated in any appeal from the proceedings leading to the judgment of conviction and sentence shall not be considered.”). In this case, a review of the merits reveals no error in the court ‍‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍of appeal opinion which might have prompted this court in the interest of justice to consider the application as one seeking post-conviction review of constitutional claims previously rejected by the court of appeal on direct review. Cf. State v. Jacobs, 504 So.2d 817, 819, n. 1 (La. 1987) (“Since the request for review ‍‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍of the intermediate court’s judgment was untimely, we treated the filing as an application for post-conviction relief . . . granting] the application in order to provide further review of a seemingly meritorious claim.”). Accordingly, the writ application is properly denied.





Lead Opinion

In re Robinson, Claude; — Defendant; Applying for Writ of Certiorari and/or Review, ‍‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍Parish of Jefferson, 24th Judicial District Court Div. I, Nos. 01-1577; to the Court of Appeal, Fifth Circuit, no. 03-KA-1350.

Writ denied.

CALOGERO, C.J., concurs and assigns reasons.