Title: Office of St Public Defender v Mt

State: montana

Issuer: Montana Supreme Court

Document:

FILED

 

December 122007
oP 07.0713, “s
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF MONTANA
2007 MT 333
- )
‘THE OFFICE OF STATE PUBLIC DEFENDER, )
)
Petitioner, ) OPINION
) AND
v. ) ORDER
)
MONTANA THIRTEENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT, L E D
YELLOWSTONE. COUNTY, THE HONORABLE} F
RUSSELL C. FAGG, DISTRICT JUDGE, )
) DEC 12 2007
Respondent, )
_) Ed Smith

cama rena

{1 The Petitioner, the Office of the State Public Defender, has requested that this
‘Court issue a writ of supervisory control directed to the Thirteenth Judicial District Court,
Yellowstone County, the Hon. Russell C. Fagg, District Judge presiding, vacating an
onder entered November 27, 2007, in Yellowstone County Cause No. DC-05-55, State v
Raymond Case, Jr. The order in question provides:

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the Appellate Public Defenders Office is

appointed to represent Mr. Case to see it his alleged ineffective assistance

of counsel claim merits the filing of a post-conviction relief motion.
$2 The District Court's order was made in response toa letter written by Mr. Case,
requesting that counsel be appointed to assist him in the preparation and fling of a
petition for postconviction relief.
$B Section 46-8-104(1), MCA, provides that a district court may order that counsel
from the Office ofthe State Public Defender represent an eligible person who has filed a

‘postconviction action or preceding under certain circumstances, There is no provision in
§ 46-8-104, MCA, allowing district courts to appoint counsel employed by the Office of
the State Public Defender in advance of the filing of a petition for postconviction relief,
{4 Section 47-4-104(4), MCA, conceming the scope of services to be provided by the
statewide public defender system, does not give the district courts authority to appoint
‘counsel employed by the system to represent a person who may desire to file a petition
for postconviction relief, but has not done so.

45 Should Mr, Case file a petition for postconviction relief, the District Court shall, of
‘course, consider such petition as provided by § 46-21-201, MCA, make the necessary
decisions, and enter an appropriate order.

{6 It appears from the petition and the attached exhibits that the Respondent District
Court is proceeding under a mistake of law. An appeal of the order in question would not
provide an adequate remedy as the inquiry which has been ordered must take place before
any response to the order is filed. We conclude that in this instance the petition meets the
requirements of M. R. App. P. 14(3)(@).

V7 NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED as follows:

YL. The Petition for Writ of Supervisory Control is GRANTED.

2. The Order of the District Court in Yellowstone County Cause No. DC-05-55,
State v. Raymond Case, Jr. dated November 27, 2007, is VACATED.

{10 3. ‘The Clerk of this Court shall mail a copy of this Order to the presiding judge in
Cause No. DC-05-55, Yellowstone County, the Clerk of the Yellowstone County District

Court, Mr. Case, and to counsel of record.
S11 DATED this_(Y" aay or December 2007.

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