Case Title: Anthony T. Matthews v. State of Arkansas

Citation: 

Docket Number: CR01-1135

State: arkansas

Court: Arkansas Supreme Court

Date: 2007-09-20T00:00:00Z

Document:
ARKANSAS SUPREME COURT No. CR 01-1135 ANTHONY T. MATTHEWS Petitioner v. STATE OF ARKANSAS Respondent Opinion Delivered September 20, 2007 PRO SE MOTION FOR PHOTOCOPY OF TRANSCRIPT AND APPELLATE BRIEFS AT PUBLIC EXPENSE [CIRCUIT COURT OF JACKSON COUNTY, CR 2000-150] MOTION DENIED. PER CURIAM In 2001, petitioner Anthony T. Matthews was found guilty by a jury of murder in the first- degree and sentenced to life imprisonment. We affirmed. Matthews v. State, 352 Ark. 166, 99 S.W.3d 403 (2003). Petitioner, who contends that he is indigent, now seeks at public expense a photocopy of the transcript lodged here on direct appeal and the appellate briefs. There are no grounds for the request beyond the assertion that the material is needed for postconviction relief so that petitioner may properly abstract the record. Petitioner does not contend that he is currently involved in any specific proceeding that requires abstracting a record. The motion is denied. A petitioner is not entitled to a free copy of material on file with this court unless he or she demonstrates some compelling need for certain documentary evidence to support an allegation contained in a timely petition for postconviction relief. See Austin v. State, 287 Ark. 256, 697 S.W.2d 914 (1985) (per curiam). Indigency alone does not entitle a petitioner to free -2- photocopying. Washington v. State, 270 Ark. 840, 606 S.W.2d 365 (1980) (per curiam). As the petitioner here has cited no specific reason for requiring the requested material and, moreover, has failed to demonstrate that there is a postconviction remedy available to him, the motion is denied. It should be noted that when an appeal has been lodged in this court, the appeal transcript and other material filed on appeal remain permanently on file with the clerk. Persons may review a transcript or other material in the clerk's office and photocopy all or portions of it. An incarcerated person desiring a photocopy of a transcript or other material on file may write this court, remit the photocopying fee, and request that the copy be mailed to the prison. All persons, including prisoners, must bear the cost of photocopying. Moore v. State, 324 Ark. 453, 921 S.W.2d 606 (1996) (per curiam). Motion denied.