Michael Young v. State of Iowa

919 N.W.2d 767
CourtCourt of Appeals of Iowa
DecidedJune 6, 2018
Docket17-1623
StatusPublished

This text of 919 N.W.2d 767 (Michael Young v. State of Iowa) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Michael Young v. State of Iowa, 919 N.W.2d 767 (iowactapp 2018).

Opinion

BLANE, Senior Judge.

Michael Young appeals the dismissal of his four applications for postconviction relief. Because we agree with the district court that Young's applications were filed beyond the statute of limitations, we affirm.

I. Factual and Procedural Background.

On February 6, 2013, Young was stopped by an officer and charged with four separate motor vehicle violations. 1 Following a trial before a magistrate, he was convicted and sentenced on October 23, 2013. Young timely filed a notice of appeal. As these were simple misdemeanors, the appeal was to the district court and assigned to a district associate judge. See Iowa R. Crim. P. 2.73(3). By written ruling filed on November 27, 2013, the appeals were denied and the convictions and sentences were affirmed.

Young then filed with the Iowa Supreme Court an application for discretionary review of the district associate court's appeal ruling affirming his convictions. The application was denied on January 31, 2014, by order signed by a single justice. On February 11, 2014, Young filed a petition for rehearing pursuant to Iowa Rule of Appellate Procedure 6.1205(1). On February 17, 2014, procedendo issued as to the four cases. On May 8, 2014, three justices of the supreme court addressed Young's petition for rehearing and issued an order, which stated: "This court treats the petition for rehearing as a motion to review the ruling of a single justice under Iowa Rule of Appellate Procedure 6.1002(5) (2009)." The order then stated: "[T]he order denying the application for discretionary review is confirmed as the order of this court." Young did not challenge the issuance or timeliness of the procedendo in the criminal proceedings or request that it be recalled.

On May 4, 2017, Young filed four separate applications for postconviction relief, one as to each of the four separate convictions. 2 On July 21, 2017, the State filed its answer to Young's four applications. In the answer, the State raised the affirmative defense of the statute of limitations found in Iowa Code section 822.3 (2017). The State also filed a motion for summary disposition and a motion to dismiss the applications based upon statute-of-limitations grounds. On July 31, Young filed his resistance to the State's motion to dismiss, asserting that the procedendo in his criminal appeals was erroneously issued by the Clerk of the Supreme Court.

On August 28, 2017, the district court held a hearing on Young's applications as well as the State's motion to dismiss, where Young personally appeared pro se. On September 14, the district court issued its ruling and determined that Young had not established an exception to the statute of limitation and that the State's motion to dismiss should be granted. The court then went on to address the State's motion for summary disposition and Young's postconviction applications on their merits, deciding that the applications should be denied as being without merit. Young appeals.

II. Discussion.

On appeal, Young again contends that the Clerk of the Supreme Court erred in issuing the procedendo and that his applications for postconviction relief were therefore timely filed. Postconviction relief proceedings are actions at law and review of proceedings is for correction of errors at law. Lado v. State , 804 N.W. 2d 248 , 250 (Iowa 2011).

As to applications for postconviction relief, Iowa Code section 822.3 provides in pertinent part: "Applications must be filed within three years from the date the conviction or decision is final or, in the event of an appeal, from the date the writ of procedendo is issued." Any postconviction application filed outside of the applicable three-year limitations period "is time barred unless an exception applies." Harrington v. State , 659 N.W.2d 509 , 520 (Iowa 2003). It is uncontested that the clerk issued the procedendo on February 17, 2014. It is further uncontested that Young filed his applications for postconviction relief on May 4, 2017, more than three years after the procedendo issued. In an attempt to escape this inevitable conclusion, Young argues that the supreme court clerk erroneously issued the procedendo and therefore the February 17, 2014 date cannot be considered in calculating the three-year statute of limitation.

Young's argument is that under Iowa Rule of Appellate Procedure 6.1208, no procedendo is to issue while a timely petition or motion is pending. He argues, since he had a motion pending, the Clerk of the Iowa Supreme Court erroneously issued procedendo on February 17, 2014, and the supreme court retained jurisdiction of the case until the order denying the "petition for rehearing," which the supreme court treated as a motion for review, was issued on May 8, 2014. See Iowa R. App. P. 6.1002(9). Consequently, he contends the district court incorrectly relied upon the procedendo date of February 17, 2014, in determining that the three-year statute of limitations in section 822.3 had expired when Young filed his applications.

Young's argument does not withstand legal scrutiny. The district court in these postconviction relief actions had no jurisdiction to entertain a collateral challenge to the Iowa Supreme Court clerk's issuance of procedendo on February 17 in Young's criminal actions. See In re H.S. , 805 N.W.2d 737 , 743-44 (Iowa 2011) ("[O]ur rules seem to contemplate one procedendo per appeal and do not appear to envision 'partial' procedendos, at least unless 'otherwise ordered.' "). Our supreme court has discussed the purpose and effect of procedendo:

Once procedendo has issued, the jurisdiction of the supreme court ceases. See [ State v. ] Henderson, 243 N.W. [289,] 290 [ (1932) ]; Iowa Code § 814.25 [ (2005) ] (providing in reference to criminal matters that "[t]he jurisdiction of the appellate court shall cease when procedendo is issued"); id. § 631.16(7) (setting forth same principle pertaining to discretionary review of small claims actions); see also Iowa R. App. P. [6.1201(3) ] (stating in cases of voluntary dismissal of an appeal that "[t]he issuance of procedendo shall constitute a final adjudication with prejudice"). Indeed, the entire purpose of a procedendo is to notify the lower court that the case is transferred back to that court. See [ State v. ] Banning , 218 N.W.

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Related

Fetters v. Degnan
250 N.W.2d 25 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1977)
Harrington v. State
659 N.W.2d 509 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 2003)
In the Interest of H.S. And S.N., Minor Children, V.R., Mother
805 N.W.2d 737 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 2011)
Daniel Lado v. State of Iowa
804 N.W.2d 248 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 2011)
In the Interest of M.T., M.T., and T.B., Minor Children
714 N.W.2d 278 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 2006)

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Bluebook (online)
919 N.W.2d 767, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/michael-young-v-state-of-iowa-iowactapp-2018.