Babich v. Cady

346 F. Supp. 286, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15522
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Wisconsin
DecidedJanuary 18, 1972
DocketNo. 71-C-371
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 346 F. Supp. 286 (Babich v. Cady) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Babich v. Cady, 346 F. Supp. 286, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15522 (E.D. Wis. 1972).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

TEHAN, Senior District Judge.

This petition for issuance of the writ of habeas corpus, in which the court appointed counsel for the indigent petitioner, is submitted for decision on the pleadings, and briefs and oral argument by counsel.

On August 5, 1969, petitioner was convicted in the Milwaukee County Circuit Court of the crime of sexual perversion in violation of § 944.17(1), Wis. Stats. He was sentenced to an indeterminate term of imprisonment of not more than three years on October 3, 1969.

Neither the trial court nor petitioner’s retained trial attorney advised him of his right to appeal, see § 958.13, Wis. Stats, providing for serving of notice of appeal within one year after entry of judgment, or of the right to appointed counsel on appeal if he were indigent, see § 957.26(5), Wis.Stats. (1967).

On motion for postconviction relief under § 974.06, the trial court ordered the reinstatement of petitioner’s right to appeal for a period of ninety days from date of hearing, May 6, 1971. However, petitioner’s attempted appeal and request for appointment of counsel were denied by the Wisconsin Supreme Court by order, dated May 17, 1971, for the [287]*287reason that the court was without jurisdiction to entertain a belated appeal.

On the authority of United States ex rel. Singleton v. Woods, 440 F.2d 835 (7th Cir. 1971), petitioner claims denial of his right to appeal by the failure of court and counsel to advise him concerning his rights to appeal and appointed counsel.

In view of the undisputed facts in this proceeding,1 the sole issue to be determined is whether or not Singleton is to be applied retroactively in petitioner’s case in which the conviction occurred and the time for filing notice of appeal had expired prior to the date of the Singleton decision on February 18, 1971.

In Singleton, the indigent petitioner had not been advised of his right to appeal by the trial court or by appointed counsel. Applying the reasoning of Griffin v. Illinois, 351 U.S. 12, 76 S.Ct. 585, 100 L.Ed. 891 (1956) ; Douglas v. California, 372 U.S. 353, 83 S.Ct. 814, 9 L.Ed.2d 811 (1963) and Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335, 83 S.Ct. 792, 9 L.Ed.2d 799 (1963), the court held as follows:

“ * * * (T)he trial judge should have advised petitioner of his right to appeal and, as a constitutional corollary, his right to court-appointed counsel on appeal if he is indigent. Failure to give such advice violated petitioner’s right to equal protection under the fourteenth amendment and his six amendment right to counsel, incorporated through the due process clause of the fourteenth amendment.” (citations omitted) 440 F.2d at 836.

Thus, the court promulgated a new principle of a constitutionally mandated duty of the trial judges to advise convicted defendants of any right to appeal they may have under state law, based on the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and the rationale of cases decided under said clause assuring indigent defendants equality with non-indigents with respect to appellate rights. The effect of Singleton is to provide a remedy for the violation of the constitutionally mandated duty regardless of the merits of the appeal.

Although the court did not resolve the question whether a trial judge should have to advise all defendants, those who are indigent as well as those appearing by retained counsel, see 440 F.2d at 836, fn. 1, this court is of the opinion that henceforth sound implementation of the duty will require the trial judges to advise all convicted defendants of their appellate rights.

However, in light of the standards governing the determination of the date of application of the newly promulgated rule, see United States v. Liguori, 438 F.2d 663, 670-676 (2nd Cir. 1971) for an analytical summary of the decisions of the United States Supreme Court on this question, the court determines that Singleton may not be given retroactive application in petitioner’s case.

The purpose of the new rule of Singleton is prophylactic, that is, to assure procedural implementation of the right to appeal and to representation by counsel on appeal in case of indigency, not a new declaration of the substantive equal protection right to appeal with counsel where the state has established avenues of appellate review that are in themselves not constitutionally required. See Williams v. Oklahoma City, 395 U.S. 458, 459, 89 S.Ct. 1818, 23 L.Ed.2d 440 (1969).

The duty newly imposed on the trial judges may be compared to that in determining the voluntariness of a plea of guilty, declared in McCarthy v. United States, 394 U.S. 459, 89 S.Ct. 1166, 22 L.Ed.2d 418 (1969) held to be prospective in application in Halliday v. United States, 394 U.S. 831, 89 S.Ct. 1498, 23 L.Ed.2d 16 (1969). Neither rule is designed to correct “serious fláws in the fact-finding process at trial.” Stovall v. [288]*288Denno, 388 U.S. 293, 298, 87 S.Ct. 1967, 1970, 18 L.Ed.2d 1199 (1967). See also Shiflett v. Commonwealth of Virginia, 447 F.2d 50 (4th Cir. 1971) denying retrospectivity to Nelson v. Peyton, 415 F.2d 1154 (4th Cir. 1969) which held actionable the failure of counsel to fully advise his client as to his appellate rights.

Additionally, the court finds that state judges could justifiably rely on the decision of the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Victor v. Lane, 394 F.2d 268 (7th Cir. 1968), overruled in Singleton, where it was held that,

“* * * Although most would agree that it is good practice for a trial court to inform a convicted defendant of his right to appeal, and to be furnished counsel if he is indigent, the absence of such advice is not deemed a denial of due process or equal protection.” 394 F.2d at 269-270.

At the time of petitioner’s conviction no decision of the Supreme Court of the United States or of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals or the courts of the State of Wisconsin required the trial court to advise him of his rights on appeal whether he had been indigent or appeared with retained counsel. Nor does the dissent in Victor expressly recognize such a duty.

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Related

Rauch v. Gray
346 F. Supp. 284 (E.D. Wisconsin, 1972)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
346 F. Supp. 286, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15522, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/babich-v-cady-wied-1972.