City of Dickinson v. Etienne

2015 ND 193, 867 N.W.2d 673, 2015 N.D. LEXIS 210, 2015 WL 4647847
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedAugust 6, 2015
Docket20140472
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 2015 ND 193 (City of Dickinson v. Etienne) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City of Dickinson v. Etienne, 2015 ND 193, 867 N.W.2d 673, 2015 N.D. LEXIS 210, 2015 WL 4647847 (N.D. 2015).

Opinion

VANDE WALLE, Chief Justice.

[¶ 1] Byishimo Etienne appealed from a district court judgment affirming a municipal court order denying his motion to vacate his guilty plea to a charge of simple assault domestic violence. We conclude we do not have jurisdiction, and we dismiss the appeal.

I

[¶ 2] In March 2013, the City of Dickinson charged Etienne with simple assault *674 domestic violence, alleging he violated Dickinson Municipal Code § 25.08.010. On March 21, 2013, Etienne personally appeared before the Dickinson municipal judge and signed a document stating that the judge had explained the notification of rights to Etienne and that he did not wish to consult with an attorney and waived his right to assistance of an attorney. Eti-enne also signed a notification of rights and acknowledgment, stating he had been orally informed of rights listed on a pre-printed form and understood those rights, including that if he pled guilty, there would not be a trial of any kind and he would give up his right, to a trial and to confront witnesses as well as his privilege against self-incrimination. On April 4, 2013, Etienne appeared without counsel and pled guilty to the charge.

[¶3] Etienne claimed he subsequently learned the deportation consequences of his conviction, and in May 2014, he moved to vacate his guilty plea. The municipal court denied Etienne’s motion, ruling he failed to show either the court or the prosecutor had an obligation to inform him that deportation may result from his guilty plea. The municipal court concluded withdrawal of Etienne’s guilty plea was not necessary to correct a manifest injustice.

[¶ 4] Etienne appealed to the district court, and the court ruled it had jurisdiction under N.D.C.C. § 29-28-06(5) to hear Etienne’s appeal from the municipal court’s decision denying his motion to vacate the guilty plea because the municipal court’s decision affected Etienne’s substantial rights. The district court nevertheless affirmed the municipal court’s denial of Etienne’s motion to vacate the guilty plea, concluding withdrawal was not necessary to correct a manifest injustice.

II

[¶ 5] Etienne generally argues his guilty plea should be vacated to correct a manifest injustice. He argues the municipal court abused its discretion in denying his motion to vacate his guilty plea, because the municipal court had a constitutional obligation to notify him of possible immigration consequences of his guilty plea under the rationale of Padilla v. Kentucky, 559 U.S. 356, 130 S.Ct. 1473, 176 L.Ed.2d 284 (2010) (holding the Sixth Amendment requires defense counsel to advise noncitizen defendants of immigration consequences of a guilty plea and failure to do so constitutes ineffective assistance of counsel). Etienne claims Padilla changed the principle that deportation is a collateral consequence of a criminal proceeding, which was the basis of this Court’s decision in State v. Dalman, 520 N.W.2d 860 (N.D.1994) that sentencing courts need not inform defendants of collateral consequences of deportation for a guilty plea to be voluntary. Etienne cites F.R.Crim.P. 11(b)(1)(o) and rules from other states to argue a sentencing court’s colloquy with a noncitizen defendant before accepting a guilty plea must include a statement about immigration or deportation consequences.

[¶ 6] Before addressing Eti-enne’s arguments, however, we must consider a jurisdictional issue. “‘Appellate jurisdiction is derived from the constitutional or statutory provisions by which it is created and can be acquired and exercised only in the manner prescribed.’ ” Holbach v. City of Minot, 2012 ND 117, ¶ 5, 817 N.W.2d 340 (quoting City of Bismarck v. Walker, 308 N.W.2d 359, 361 (N.D.1981)). Under N.D. Const, art. VI, § 8, a district court has appellate jurisdiction “as may be provided by law or by rule of the supreme court.” “There is no constitutional right to an appeal.” City of Williston v. Werkmeister, 2015 ND 172, ¶ 4, 865 N.W.2d 429. “The right to appeal is a statutory right *675 and, if a right to appeal does not exist, this Court is without jurisdiction to consider the merits and we must dismiss the appeal.” Id.

' [¶ 7] The district court ruled it had jurisdiction to hear Etienne’s appeal from the municipal court’s decision under N.D.C.C. § 29-28-06(5), which authorizes a defendant to appeal from an order made after judgment affecting any substantial right of the defendant.

[¶ 8] In Werkmeister, 2015 ND 172, ¶¶ 1-3, 865 N.W.2d 429, we recently considered jurisdictional issues involved with a defendant’s appeal to district court from a municipal court judgment of conviction entered upon his guilty plea to a charge of simple assault and from municipal court orders denying the defendant’s motion to withdraw his guilty plea and his motion to reconsider. We explained the defendant initially appealed to the district court from the municipal court judgment and orders and discussed the interrelationship of N.D.C.C. § 29-28-06 with N.D.C.C. § 40-18—19 and N.D.R.Crim.P. 37, a statute and procedural rule specifically governing a defendant’s appeal from a municipal court to the district court. Werkmeister, at ¶¶ 5-11.

[¶ 9] Section 40-18-19, N.D.C.C., provides that an “appeal may be taken to the district court from a judgment of conviction or order deferring imposition of sentence in a municipal court in accordance with the North Dakota Rules of Criminal Procedure ... [and a] perfected appeal to the district court transfers the action to such district court for trial anew.” Rule 37, N.D.R.Crim.P., provides the procedure for appeals from a municipal court to the district court, including requirements for appeals after timely post-judgment motions for a new trial under N.D.R.Crim.P. 33, or for arrest of judgment under N.D.R.Crim.P. 34, and provides:

(a) Filing the Notice of Appeal.
(1) An appeal permitted by law as of right from a municipal court to the district court may be taken only by filing a notice of appeal with the municipal court clerk within the time allowed by Rule 37(b).
[[Image here]]
(b) Time for Filing a Notice of Appeal. (1) A defendant’s notice of appeal must be filed with the municipal court clerk within 30 days after the entry of the judgment or order being appealed.
[[Image here]]
(d) Effect of a Motion on a Notice of Appeal.
(1) If a defendant timely makes any of the following motions under the North Dakota Rules of Criminal Procedure, the notice of appeal from a-judgment of conviction must be filed within 30 days after the entry of the order disposing of the last such remaining motion, or within 30 days after the entry of the judgment of conviction, whichever period ends later:

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State v. Conry
2020 ND 247 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 2020)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2015 ND 193, 867 N.W.2d 673, 2015 N.D. LEXIS 210, 2015 WL 4647847, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-dickinson-v-etienne-nd-2015.