City of Williston v. Werkmeister

2015 ND 172, 865 N.W.2d 429, 2015 N.D. LEXIS 185, 2015 WL 3999085
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 1, 2015
Docket20140361
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 2015 ND 172 (City of Williston v. Werkmeister) 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 Williston v. Werkmeister, 2015 ND 172, 865 N.W.2d 429, 2015 N.D. LEXIS 185, 2015 WL 3999085 (N.D. 2015).

Opinion

VANDE WALLE, Chief Justice.

[¶ 1] Kevin Werkmeister appealed from a district court order denying his appeal from a municipal court’s judgment and orders denying his motion to withdraw his guilty plea and his motion to reconsider. We conclude we do not have jurisdiction, and we dismiss the appeal.

I

[¶ 2] On September 19, 2013, Werk-meister pled guilty to the charge of simple assault in violation of a city ordinance in Williston Municipal Court. In December 2013, Werkmeister moved to withdraw his guilty plea, arguing withdrawal was necessary to correct a manifest injustice because the court failed to comply with the procedural requirements of N.D.R.Crim.P. 11. The municipal court denied Werk-meister’s motion. In February 2014, Werkmeister moved to reconsider. In an April 17, 2014, order, the municipal court denied the motion, concluding Werkmeis-ter failed to properly bring the motion under the correct procedural rule and the motion was untimely.

[¶ 3] On April 30, 2014, Werkmeister filed a notice of appeal, appealing to the district court from the “Judgment, and any and all adverse rulings, entered against him on April 17, 2014.... ” The district court concluded Werkmeister was “out of time” to appeal from the judgment of conviction, but he filed post-judgment motions and it had jurisdiction under N.D.C.C. § 29-28-06(5). The court also concluded the municipal court did not err in denying Werkmeister’s motion to' withdraw his guilty plea or the motion for reconsideration, finding Werkmeister signed a notification of' rights and acknowledgment, which fulfilled any requirement to establish a record that Werkmeister knowingly and voluntarily pled guilty.

II

[¶ 4] Before • we consider the merits of an appeal, we must have jurisdiction. “ ‘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)). The North Dakota Constitution provides that the district court has appellate jurisdiction “as'may be provided by law or by rule of the supreme court.” N.D. Const. art. VI, § 8. There is no constitutional right to an appeal. City of Grand Forks v. Riemers, 2008 ND 153, ¶ 5, 755 N.W.2d 99. The right to appeal is *431 a statutory right and, if a right to appeal does not exist, this Court is without jurisdiction to consider the merits and we must dismiss the appeal. Holbach, at ¶ 5.

[¶ 5] Werkmeistér contends this Court has jurisdiction because he appealed from an order affecting his substantial rights and he has a statutory right to appeal under N.D.C.C. § 29-28-06(5). Generally, a defendant may appeal from:

1. A verdict of guilty;
2. A final judgment of conviction;
3. An order refusing a motion in arrest of judgment;
4. An order denying a motion for a new trial; or
5. An order made after judgment affecting any substantial right of the party.

N.D.C.C. § 29-28-06. However, Werk-meister appealed from municipal court orders, and there are statutes and procedural rules that specifically govern a defendant’s appeal from municipal court.

[¶ 6] Section 40-18-19, N.D.C.C., provides a defendant with the right to appeal from a municipal court judgment of conviction to the district court:

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. An appeal is perfected by notice of appeal. 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 the municipal court to the district court:

(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).
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(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.
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(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:
(A) for a new trial under Rule 33, but if based on newly discovered evidence, only if the motion is made no later than 30 days after the entry of the judgment; or
(B) for arrest of judgment under Rule 34.
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(j) Effect and Scope .of Appeal. A perfected appeal to the district court transfers the action for trial anew. An appeal from a judgment of conviction constitutes an appeal from any verdict of guilty upon which the judgment is rendered.

[¶ 7] Although it may be questionable whether N.D.C.C. ch. 29-28 was intended to apply to appeals from municipal courts, see N.D.C.C. § 29-28-03 (an appeal to.the supreme court provided for in this chapter may be taken as a matter of right), this Court has previously applied it *432 to determine jurisdiction in appeals from municipal courts. See, e.g., City of Bismarck v. Uhden, 513 N.W.2d 373, 379 (N.D.1994); City of Minot v. Mattern, 449 N.W.2d 560, 561 (N.D.1989); City of Bismarck v. Hoopman, 421 N.W.2d 466, 468-69 (N.D.1988). “ ‘When statutes relate to the same subject matter, this Court makes every effort to harmonize and give meaningful effect to each statute.’ ” State v. Glaser, 2015 ND 31, ¶ 22, 858 N.W.2d 920 (quoting State v. Kuruc, 2014 ND 95, ¶ 32, 846 N.W.2d 314). Sections 29-28-06 and 40-18-19, N.D.C.C., and N.D.R.Crim.P. 37 can be read together.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2015 ND 172, 865 N.W.2d 429, 2015 N.D. LEXIS 185, 2015 WL 3999085, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-williston-v-werkmeister-nd-2015.