St. Juste v. Commisssioner of Correction
St. Juste v. Commisssioner of Correction
Opinion
This appeal returns to the Appellate Court on remand from our Supreme Court for resolution of the claim raised by the petitioner, Jean St. Juste. In 2011, following a grant of certification to appeal by the habeas court, the petitioner appealed to this court from the judgment of the habeas court denying his amended petition for a writ of habeas corpus, which challenged a conviction of assault in the second degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-60 (a) (2). The petitioner
claimed that the habeas court improperly rejected his claim that his trial counsel had rendered ineffective assistance because he failed to inform him that if he were convicted of the crime of assault in the second degree, his conviction would result in his certain deportation. In 2015, this court dismissed the appeal on mootness grounds.
St. Juste
v.
Commissioner of Correction
,
The relevant facts and procedural history were set forth in this court's prior opinion, as follows: "On July 26, 2010, the petitioner filed an amended petition for a writ of habeas corpus in which he alleged that, on December 17, 2007, he pleaded guilty to assault in the second degree in violation of ... § 53a-60 (a) (2), and guilty under the Alford doctrine 1 to possession of a sawed-off shotgun in violation of General Statutes § 53a-211. He was represented by Attorney Howard Ignal. On January 28, 2008, he was sentenced pursuant to a plea agreement to a total effective sentence of five years incarceration, execution suspended after eighteen months, followed by five years of probation. On July 27, 2009, the petitioner, represented by Attorney Anthony Collins, filed a motion to withdraw his guilty pleas on the ground that at the time he entered them, he did not understand their immigration consequences. On November 17, 2009, the court denied the motion.
"In his two count amended petition, the petitioner alleged that Ignal rendered ineffective assistance of counsel because, among other deficiencies, he (1) failed to educate himself about the immigration consequences of the pleas, (2) misadvised the petitioner with respect to the immigration consequences of the pleas, and (3) failed to meaningfully discuss with the petitioner what immigration consequences could and/or would flow from the pleas. The petitioner alleged that Ignal's representation was below that displayed by attorneys with ordinary training and skill in the criminal law, and that but for such representation, he would not have pleaded guilty and he would have resolved the case in a way that would not result in 'deportation consequences.' In the second count of his petition, the petitioner alleged that his pleas were not knowingly, voluntarily, and intelligently made because he made them under the mistaken belief that his conviction would not subject him to deportation. The petitioner alleged that '[a]s a result of his conviction, [he] has been ordered removed from this country by an immigration judge, and the judge's order has been affirmed by the Board of Immigration Appeals.' Additionally, the petitioner alleged that '[t]he basis for the removal order was the conviction for assault in the second degree and possession of a sawed-off shotgun.' 2
"Following an evidentiary hearing, the habeas court orally rendered its decision denying the petition.
3
In relevant part, the court stated that it accepted as true the testimony of the petitioner's trial attorney, Ignal. The court stated: '[Ignal] clearly saw all of the problems
with this case, and they all spelled the word "immigration." From day one, I think, he was alerted to this and did everything he could, from what I can see, to try to avert the ultimate result.' The court found that Ignal was well aware of the adverse consequences of the pleas insofar as they involved deportation, and that he had thoroughly discussed that issue with the petitioner. The court rejected the claim of ineffective assistance of counsel. Later, the court granted the petitioner's petition for certification to appeal."
4
(Footnotes in original.)
St. Juste
v.
Commissioner of Correction
, supra,
In his principal appellate brief, the petitioner argues that the judgment of the habeas court should be reversed because, under the standard set forth in
Padilla
v.
Kentucky
,
By way of supplemental briefing, the parties have addressed the effect of Chaidez on the present appeal.
The parties do not dispute, and we agree, that Padilla does not apply to the petitioner. The issue correctly framed by the parties' supplemental briefs is whether the petitioner has sustained his burden of demonstrating that Ignal performed deficiently under the law as it existed prior to Padilla .
"[T]he governing legal principles in cases involving claims of ineffective assistance of counsel arising in connection with guilty pleas are set forth in
Strickland
[v.
Washington
,
The petitioner argues that Ignal rendered deficient performance by failing to adequately inform him of the inevitable deportation consequences of his guilty plea. Prior to
Padilla
, however, the overwhelming majority of state and federal courts to have considered whether the sixth amendment's guarantee of effective representation required attorneys to inform their clients of such consequences decided that such advice was not constitutionally guaranteed. See
Chaidez
v.
United States
, supra,
Because the petitioner cannot demonstrate that advice concerning deportation consequences was constitutionally required prior to
Padilla
, he has failed to sustain his burden of demonstrating that Ignal's representation was constitutionally deficient or that it rendered his plea unintelligent or involuntary in a constitutional sense. This conclusion is amply supported by this court's pre-
Padilla
jurisprudence. See, e.g.,
Niver
v.
Commissioner of Correction
,
The judgment is affirmed.
In this opinion the other judges concurred.
"See
North Carolina
v.
Alford
,
"[T]he record suggests that the petitioner was deported solely because of his conviction of assault in the second degree."
St. Juste
v.
Commissioner of Correction
, supra,
"Subsequently, the court filed a signed transcript of its decision in accordance with Practice Book § 64-1 (a)."
St. Juste
v.
Commissioner of Correction
, supra,
"In his brief before this court, the petitioner represents that he was in the United States as a permanent legal resident and that, after he served the eighteen month term of incarceration imposed by the trial court as a result of his conviction of assault in the second degree and possession of a sawed-off shotgun, he was detained in a federal facility pending his removal from the United States. Further, the petitioner represents, and it is not in dispute, that on April 15, 2011, he was deported to Haiti. Relying on the September 2, 2009 decision of the United States Immigration Court ordering the petitioner's deportation to Haiti, the respondent acknowledges that the petitioner's assault conviction was a factor in his deportation."
St. Juste
v.
Commissioner of Correction
, supra,
"
Padilla
held that before an alien criminal defendant pleads guilty to a criminal offense for which he is subject to deportation, his defense attorney must advise him of the deportation consequences of his plea and resulting conviction. On that score, the Supreme Court concluded that because deportation is such a great, life-altering consequence of a criminal conviction, an alien defendant's plea of guilty to a deportable offense without knowledge of that consequence cannot be considered a knowing and intelligent waiver of his right not to be convicted of that offense unless his guilt is established beyond a reasonable doubt at a full, fair adversary trial."
Guerra
v.
State
,
The petitioner argues that the evidence presented at the habeas trial reflects that he and Ignal "did not talk much about immigration consequences" and that Ignal merely informed him that "immigration would deal with him" after he served his sentence. The petitioner does not argue that Ignal provided him with inaccurate information concerning immigration consequences but that he was not advised of the certainty of the immigration consequences of his plea. The petitioner argues: "Although Attorney Ignal never told his client that he wouldn't get deported if he pleaded guilty, Ignal also never told his client that he would face inevitable deportation if he did plead guilty."
To the extent that the petitioner interprets isolated statements in Irala to support his argument that advice concerning the collateral consequences of a guilty plea, such as immigration consequences, was constitutionally required prior to Padilla , we disagree with his interpretation of Irala .
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Jean ST. JUSTE v. COMMISSIONER OF CORRECTION
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published