Cummings v. State

2007 NMSC 048, 168 P.3d 1080, 142 N.M. 656
CourtNew Mexico Supreme Court
DecidedAugust 28, 2007
Docket30,259
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 2007 NMSC 048 (Cummings v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cummings v. State, 2007 NMSC 048, 168 P.3d 1080, 142 N.M. 656 (N.M. 2007).

Opinion

OPINION

CHAVEZ, Chief Justice.

{1} We use this case to clarify our jurisdiction over a district court’s denial of a petition for a writ of habeas corpus. We conclude that allowing a petitioner to seek a writ of certiorari from this Court in such circumstances is a proper exercise of our original jurisdiction over habeas matters. As for the merits of the case, we deny Petitioner Kenneth Cummings a writ of habeas corpus because his ineffective assistance of counsel claim has no merit, and because the writ may not be used to restore a person’s right to vote.

I. BACKGROUND

{2} While living in El Paso, Texas, Cummings used the internet to send images of his genitals to a child located in Doña Ana County, New Mexico-or so he believed. The “child” was actually an undercover officer. Cummings pled guilty to six counts of attempting to contribute to the delinquency of a minor and six counts of attempted child luring. Although the actual crimes of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and child luring are fourth-degree felonies, NMSA 1978, §§ 30-6-3 (1990), 30-37-3.2(B) (1998, prior to 2005 amendment), attempting to commit a fourth-degree felony is a misdemeanor. NMSA 1978, § 30-28-RD) (1963). Having been convicted of twelve misdemeanors, the trial court sentenced Cummings to twelve consecutive sentences of 364 days. Pursuant to his plea agreement, Cummings did not appeal his convictions.

{3} Cummings later sought a writ of habeas corpus in the district court in which he was convicted. Cummings alleged: (1) his defense counsel was ineffective for failing to raise two defenses, and (2) he was erroneously deprived the right to vote despite the fact that he was not convicted of a felony. The district court summarily dismissed the petition without a hearing. The district court concluded that Cummings could not show that his attorney’s performance fell below the standard of reasonable competence, or that he was prejudiced by his attorney’s acts or omissions, because the defenses Cummings claimed his trial attorney should have raised were without merit. Regarding the right to vote issue, the district court concluded that it did not have jurisdiction to hear Cummings’s claim because there was no showing that Cummings had exhausted his administrative remedies. See NMSA 1978, § 33-2-ll(B) (1990) (providing that no court has jurisdiction over any claim “that is substantially related to the inmate’s incarceration” unless the inmate first “exhausts the corrections department’s internal grievance procedure”).

{4} Cummings sought a writ of certiorari from this Court pursuant to Rule 5-802(H)(2) NMRA and Rule 12-501 NMRA. In response, the State suggests that the Court of Appeals has appellate jurisdiction over this case. The State asserts that, although the New Mexico Constitution vests us with original jurisdiction to issue writs of habeas corpus, we lack authority to review the district court’s denial of Cummings’s habeas petition. Instead, the State contends that two statutes apparently vest the Court of Appeals with appellate jurisdiction over this case. See NMSA 1978, §§ 31-11-6 (1966) (providing for a “post-conviction remedy”); 34-5-8(A)(4) (1983) (providing that the Court of Appeals has appellate jurisdiction over “postconviction remedy proceedings, except where the sentence involved is death or life imprisonment”).

II. DISCUSSION

A. Even Though a Habeas Petitioner May Not Directly Appeal a District Court’s Adverse Ruling, Such a Petitioner May Seek Review in This Court by Writ of Certiorari

{5} The writ of habeas corpus, a creature of common law dating back to at least the Magna Carta, became part of New Mexico law when the Territory adopted the common law. In re Forest, 45 N.M. 204, 208, 113 P.2d 582, 584 (1941). Well before statehood, with little modification since, our territorial legislature enacted statutes pertaining to the writ. NMSA 1978, §§ 44-1-1 to -38 (1963). The New Mexico Constitution provides that this Court has concurrent jurisdiction with district courts to entertain petitions for writs of habeas corpus. N.M. Const. art. VI, §§ 3, 13. An analysis of early case law reveals that we have properly used our original jurisdiction over habeas corpus petitions to give a petitioner the functional equivalent of an appeal from a denial of the writ in district court.

{6} At the beginning of statehood, a district court’s ruling on a petition for habeas corpus was final in all respects. In Notestine v. Rogers, the State appealed the district court’s grant of the writ and discharge of the petitioner from custody. 18 N.M. 462, 465, 138 P. 207, 207 (1914). Concerned that allowing the State to appeal such eases would deny a petitioner the speedy remedy afforded by habeas corpus, and due to the fact that the Legislature had not explicitly authorized appeals in habeas corpus actions, we dismissed the State’s appeal. Id. at 466-67, 138 P. at 207-08. In conclusion, we stated: “That the legislature could provide for appeals in such cases is not doubted, but until it does so, in clear and unequivocal language, and under suitable regulations which do not impair the constitutional provisions governing the right to the writ, the courts will deny such right.” Id. at 467, 138 P. at 208.

{7} One year later, the Legislature responded by enacting a law allowing the State to appeal a district court’s granting of the writ. 1915 N.M. Laws ch. 77, § 1, at 113-14. Presumably in order to ensure a petitioner’s speedy right to the writ as emphasized in Notestine, the new law provided that the State’s appeal would not stay the discharge-rather, the petitioner would be released from custody, and if the district court’s order was reversed on appeal the petitioner would have to be rearrested. Id. at 114. As discussed below, this law is now codified with amendments at NMSA 1978, § 39-3-15 (1966).

{8} Several years later in Ex parte Nabors, we tackled the other side of the coin, that is, how a habeas corpus petitioner may obtain review of an adverse ruling in district court. 33 N.M. 324, 267 P. 58 (1928). In that case, Nabors originally sought a writ of habeas corpus in this Court and we denied the request because Nabors had not first petitioned the district court. Id. at 325, 267 P. at 59. After filing in district court, the court denied Nabors relief. Id. Nabors then returned to this Court and we exercised our original jurisdiction to hear the case. See id. The State contended that, because nothing had changed in the interim, we should defer to the district court’s ruling. Id. After discussing Notestine and the legislation resulting from that case, we rejected the State’s argument: “It would be a one-sided system unless we hold that the right of appeal from the order of discharge is offset by the right of one remanded to custody to apply to another judge having [concurrent] jurisdiction.” Id. at 326, 267 P. at 59 (emphasis added). Thus, notwithstanding the fact that a petitioner does not have a statutory right to appeal the denial of a habeas corpus petition, it has been the case for nearly 100 years that a petitioner has the right to seek relief in this Court after being denied relief in district court because we, too, have original jurisdiction over habeas actions. This principle is sound and we see no reason to stray from our precedent established in Nabors.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2007 NMSC 048, 168 P.3d 1080, 142 N.M. 656, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cummings-v-state-nm-2007.