Richards v. Commissioner of Correction

138 A.3d 440, 164 Conn. App. 862, 2016 Conn. App. LEXIS 170
CourtConnecticut Appellate Court
DecidedApril 26, 2016
DocketAC37481
StatusPublished

This text of 138 A.3d 440 (Richards v. Commissioner of Correction) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Connecticut Appellate Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Richards v. Commissioner of Correction, 138 A.3d 440, 164 Conn. App. 862, 2016 Conn. App. LEXIS 170 (Colo. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

MULLINS, J.

The petitioner, Fabian Richards, appeals from the judgment of the habeas court denying his petition for a writ of habeas corpus. In his petition, the petitioner alleged that his criminal trial counsel had provided ineffective assistance by failing to advise the petitioner adequately of the immigration consequences he faced by entering a guilty plea. Because the petitioner already has been deported to Jamaica, pursuant to a deportation order issued by the United States Immigration Court, and has failed to establish that any practical relief could be provided by this court, we conclude that his appeal is moot. Accordingly, the appeal is dismissed.

The petitioner is a native of Jamaica, who lawfully entered this country on January 8, 2007, on a visitor visa. He married a citizen of the United States and received permanent resident status in 2010. In 2012, the petitioner entered guilty pleas to charges of second degree assault in violation of General Statutes § 53a-60 (a)(2) and carrying a pistol without a permit in violation of General Statutes § 29-35(a). Subsequently, he brought this habeas petition alleging that his trial counsel rendered ineffective assistance by failing to advise him adequately of the immigration consequences of his plea. The habeas court denied his petition but granted certification to appeal, and the petitioner filed the present appeal.

Several months after the petitioner had filed his appellate brief, the respondent, the Commissioner of Correction, on October 1, 2015, submitted to the Appellate Court clerk's office a letter that stated: "The Commissioner respectfully requests that the clerk bring the following matter to the court's attention. During the pendency of this appeal, the petitioner has been deported from the United States to Jamaica pursuant to an immigration court deportation order. This is a relevant fact for the court's consideration under State v. Aquino, 279 Conn. 293 , 901 A.2d 1194 (2006), and St. Juste v. Commissioner of Correction, 155 Conn.App. 164 , 109 A.3d 523 , cert. granted, 316 Conn. 901 , 111 A.3d 470 (2015)."

The respondent also submitted a letter of supplemental authority, stating that it may also refer to 8 U.S.C. § 1229b (a), 8 U.S.C. § 1229b (d), 8 U.S.C. § 1182 (a)(2)(A), and 8 U.S.C. § 1182 (a)(2)(C). The respondent contends that the appeal is moot. The petitioner's counsel concedes that the petitioner has been deported, but argues that the matter is not moot. 1 We agree with the respondent that the appeal is moot because there is no practical relief that can be afforded the petitioner.

"Under our well established jurisprudence, [m]ootness presents a circumstance wherein the issue before the court has been resolved or had lost its significance because of a change in the condition of affairs between the parties.... In determining mootness, the dispositive question is whether a successful appeal would benefit the plaintiff or defendant in any way.... In other words, the ultimate question is whether the determination of the controversy will result in practical relief to the complainant.... Mootness implicates [this] court's subject matter jurisdiction and is thus a threshold matter for us to resolve." (Citation omitted; internal quotation marks omitted.) State v. Jerzy G., 162 Conn.App. 156 , 161, 130 A.3d 303 (2015), cert. granted, 320 Conn. 919 , 132 A.3d 1093 (2016).

For a deported petitioner to establish that an appeal is not moot, our Supreme Court has stated that the petitioner is required to establish that the underlying conviction was the exclusive basis of his or her deportation. State v. Aquino, supra, 279 Conn. at 298 , 901 A.2d 1194 ; see State v. Jerzy G., supra, 162 Conn.App. at 161-64 , 130 A.3d 303 (following rule of Aquino ); Paulino v. Commissioner of Correction, 155 Conn.App. 154 , 162-63, 109 A.3d 516 (same), cert. denied, 317 Conn. 912 , 116 A.3d 310 (2015) ; Quiroga v. Commissioner of Correction, 149 Conn.App. 168 , 173, 87 A.3d 1171 (same), cert. denied, 311 Conn. 950

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Related

State v. CHAVARRO
21 A.3d 541 (Connecticut Appellate Court, 2011)
Quiroga v. Commissioner of Correction
87 A.3d 1171 (Connecticut Appellate Court, 2014)
State v. Aquino
901 A.2d 1194 (Supreme Court of Connecticut, 2006)

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Bluebook (online)
138 A.3d 440, 164 Conn. App. 862, 2016 Conn. App. LEXIS 170, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/richards-v-commissioner-of-correction-connappct-2016.