Jensen v. State
Jensen v. State
Opinion
[¶1] Randy Jensen appeals from a district court order denying and dismissing his application for post-conviction relief. We affirm the district court's order concluding the district court did not abuse its discretion in denying Jensen's application for post-conviction relief. We decline to address Jensen's remaining issues, as they were not adequately raised in the district court.
I
[¶2] In June 2016, Jensen resolved three criminal cases by pleading guilty to several *481 charges pursuant to a plea agreement under N.D.R.Crim.P. 11(c), and several charges were dismissed. In July 2016, Jensen appealed the criminal judgments and was assigned court-appointed counsel. In September 2016, Jensen's court-appointed counsel filed a stipulation to withdraw and dismiss the appeals, signed by Jensen and his court-appointed counsel.
[¶3] In October 2016, Jensen, through counsel, filed a motion for reduction of sentence under N.D.R.Crim.P. 35(b) in each case. The district court denied his motions. In November 2016, Jensen filed a pro se motion to withdraw his guilty plea in each case. The court denied his motions. In December 2016, Jensen filed an amended motion in each case to withdraw his guilty pleas under N.D.R.Crim.P. 11(d). In February 2017, the court denied his motions following a hearing. In April 2017, Jensen, pro se, filed a motion for credit for time served. The court denied his motion. After the court issued its order denying his motion, court-appointed counsel requested and was granted a hearing to address Jensen's motion for credit for time served. Following that hearing, the court again denied his motion for credit for time served.
[¶4] In March 2018, Jensen, pro se, applied for post-conviction relief alleging ineffective assistance of counsel as his only ground for relief. The State replied and moved to dismiss his application based on res judicata and misuse of process. In his reply to the State's motion, Jensen elaborated on his assertion that he received ineffective assistance of counsel by stating his attorney filed the Rule 35(b) motion without his consent and failed to communicate with him regarding possibly exculpatory CD evidence during the course of the Rule 11(d) motion to withdraw his plea proceedings. In May 2018, the district court issued an order granting the State's motion to dismiss the application with respect to the issue of the CD evidence finding that claim was barred by res judicata and was a misuse of process, but denying the State's motion to dismiss the application with respect to Jensen's claim of ineffective assistance of counsel as it related to Jensen's attorney during prior "post-conviction proceedings," as that issue had not previously been litigated. The State again moved to dismiss Jensen's claim for ineffective assistance of counsel as it related to Jensen's attorney on the Rule 35(b) and Rule 11(d) motions, arguing the claim was prohibited by N.D.C.C. § 29-32.1-09(2), which bars claims of constitutionally ineffective assistance of post-conviction counsel in proceedings under N.D.C.C. ch. 29-32.1. Jensen responded through counsel, requesting an evidentiary hearing on the post-conviction claim for ineffective assistance of counsel. In June 2018, the court issued an order granting the State's motion to dismiss Jensen's application for post-conviction relief, in its entirety. The court found Jensen's claim for ineffective assistance of counsel was barred by N.D.C.C. § 29-32.1-09(2) as the attorney was Jensen's post-conviction counsel. In its order dated June 22, 2018, the court requested the presiding judge of the Northeast Central Judicial District consider issuing an order restricting Jensen's future filings under N.D. Sup. Ct. Admin. R. 58 as a vexatious litigant.
[¶5] On June 26, 2018, Jensen was served with a proposed pre-filing order as required by N.D. Sup. Ct. Admin. R. 58. On July 10, 2018, Jensen responded in writing to the district court's proposed pre-filing order stating, "I do not agree" as his only basis for objecting. On July 11, 2018, the presiding judge issued a N.D. Sup. Ct. Admin. R. 58 pre-filing order finding Jensen a vexatious litigant.
*482 [¶6] On appeal, Jensen argues the district court (1) erred in denying his application for post-conviction relief under N.D.C.C. § 29-32.1-09 without a hearing because his claim of ineffective assistance of counsel concerned his counsel's mistakes relating to filing Rule 35(b) and Rule 11(d) motions, both of which fall under the North Dakota Rules of Criminal Procedure, not the Uniform Postconviction Procedure Act, and (2) abused its discretion in considering prior criminal filings when issuing the vexatious litigant pre-filing order under N.D. Sup. Ct. Admin. R. 58, and Rule 58 as applied to him is overly broad.
II
[¶7] "A district court may summarily dismiss an application for post-conviction relief if there is no genuine issue of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law."
Lehman v. State
,
III
[¶8] The district court's order denied Jensen's post-conviction ineffective assistance of counsel claim, as a matter of law, stating: "[b]ecause Jensen's Application for postconviction relief alleges ineffective assistance of postconviction counsel, Jensen's Application is an impermissible request for postconviction relief pursuant to N.D.C.C. § 29-32.1-09(2)." Jensen argues his claim of ineffective assistance of counsel relates to his attorney's representation when initiating the Rule 35(b) and Rule 11(d) motions which, filed in his criminal cases, fall under the North Dakota Rules of Criminal Procedure and are not "proceedings under this chapter" as contemplated by N.D.C.C. § 29-32.1-09(2) ; therefore, the attorney was not "post-conviction" counsel. He argues "proceedings under this chapter" refers only to proceedings arising under the Uniform Postconviction Procedure Act, ch. 29-32.1, N.D.C.C.
[¶9] We have previously held "district courts are required to dismiss an applicant's claims of ineffective assistance of post-conviction relief counsel in a Uniform Postconviction Procedure Act proceeding."
Kalmio
,
The court, on its own motion, may dismiss any grounds of an application which allege ineffective assistance of postconviction counsel. An applicant may not claim constitutionally ineffective assistance of postconviction counsel in proceedings under this chapter.
See
Lehman v. State
,
[¶10] We evaluate claims of ineffective assistance of counsel under the
Strickland v. Washington,
A. Rule 11(d) Motion
[¶11] In response to Jensen's argument that his attorney was not post-conviction counsel, the State argues this Court has previously treated a motion under N.D.R.Crim.P. 11(d) to withdraw a guilty plea as an application for post-conviction relief.
State v. Gress
,
[¶12] The question here is whether Jensen's Rule 11(d) motion is either a "critical stage" of the prosecution, entitling him to the constitutional guarantee of counsel or a "stage of the proceeding" recognized under N.D.R.Crim.P. 44(a).
Yost
,
[¶13] Some jurisdictions note a motion to withdraw a guilty plea made
before
entry of the final judgment of conviction and sentence is a critical stage of the criminal proceedings to which the right to counsel attaches.
Commonwealth v. Tigue
,
*484
State v. Winston
,
[¶14] We decline to extend our rule governing the right to counsel beyond appellate counsel on direct appeal of the criminal judgment. We hold that in this case Jensen's Rule 11(d) motion, filed five months after the entry of the criminal judgment and four months after a direct appeal was dismissed by stipulation, was not a critical stage of the proceedings affording him the constitutional guarantee to the right to counsel, nor was he entitled to counsel under N.D.R.Crim.P. 44(a) or our jurisprudence. Therefore, even if the district court did err in finding N.D.C.C. § 29-32.1-09(2) barred Jensen's ineffective assistance of counsel claim relating to his Rule 11(d) motion, we will not reverse the district court if it is right, for the wrong reason.
See
Myers v. State
,
B. Rule 35(b) Motion
[¶15] "A motion for reduction of a sentence under N.D.R.Crim.P. 35(b) is not a matter of right, but is an application for leniency which is left within the sound discretion of the trial court."
Rahn v. State
,
[¶16] We agree with the cases cited above, and hold that a Rule 35(b) motion for reduction of sentence is not a critical stage of the criminal proceedings entitling the movant to the Sixth Amendment right to counsel. A Rule 35(b) motion is also not a stage of the proceeding requiring counsel under N.D.R.Crim.P. 44(a). Accordingly, Jensen cannot claim he *485 received ineffective assistance of counsel relating to a matter to which he was not guaranteed effective assistance of counsel. The district court did not err in finding Jensen's ineffective assistance of counsel claim was barred.
IV
[¶17] Jensen argues the district court abused its discretion in considering filings made in his criminal cases when deciding to issue the pre-filing order under N.D. Sup. Ct. Admin. R. 58, classifying him as a vexatious litigant. The only argument Jensen made to the district court after receiving the proposed pre-filing order was "I do not agree." Jensen's argument is made for the first time on appeal. We have often stated, "issues which are not raised before the district court, including constitutional issues, will not be considered for the first time on appeal."
State v. Gray
,
V
[¶18] We affirm the district court order denying and dismissing Jensen's application for post-conviction relief.
[¶19] Lisa Fair McEvers
Daniel J. Crothers
Jerod E. Tufte
Jon J. Jensen
Gerald W. VandeWalle, C.J.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Randy JENSEN, Petitioner and Appellant v. STATE of North Dakota, Respondent and Appellee
- Cited By
- 2 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- A Rule 11(d) motion to withdraw a guilty plea, filed after entry of the criminal judgment and a stipulated dismissal of the direct appeal, is not a critical stage of the proceeding affording the movant the constitutional guarantee to counsel nor a stage of the proceeding requiring counsel under N.D.R.Crim.P. 44(a). A Rule 35(b) motion for reduction of sentence is neither a critical stage of the proceeding affording the movant the constitutional guarantee to counsel nor a stage of the proceeding requiring counsel under N.D.R.Crim.P. 44(a).