Title: Ex parte George Blankenship. PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS (In re: George Blankenship v. State of Alabama) (Madison Circuit Court: CC-81-231.61; Criminal Appeals : CR-11-1701). Writ Denied. No Opinion.

State: alabama

Issuer: Alabama Supreme Court

Document:

REL: 03/08/2013 
Notice: T h i s 
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Reporter of 
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0 6 4 9 ) , o f 
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t y p o g r a p h i c a l o r o t h e r e r r o r s , i n 
o r d e r t h a t c o r r e c t i o n s may 
be 
made b e f o r e 
t h e o p i n i o n i s 
p r i n t e d i n 
Southern Reporter. 
SUPREME COURT OF ALABAMA 
OCTOBER TERM, 2012-2013 
1120403 
Ex parte George Blankenship 
PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI 
TO THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS 
(In r e : 
George Blankenship 
v. 
State of 
Alabama) 
(Madison C i r c u i t Court, CC-81-231.61; 
Court of Criminal Appeals, CR-11-1701) 
STUART, J u s t i c e . 
WRIT DENIED. NO OPINION. 
1120403 
B o l i n , P a r k e r , Murdock, Shaw, Main, Wise, and B r y a n , 
J J . , 
c o n c u r . 
Moore, C.J., d i s s e n t s . 
2 
1120403 
MOORE, C h i e f J u s t i c e ( d i s s e n t i n g ) . 
In 
1981, George B l a n k e n s h i p p l e a d e d 
g u i l t y t o 
f i r s t -
degree r o b b e r y under t h e then newly e n a c t e d Alabama C r i m i n a l 
Code, which was e f f e c t i v e J a n u a r y 1, 1980. 
He was s e n t e n c e d t o 
l i f e 
imprisonment, 
and he d i d n o t a p p e a l . He now 
seeks 
p o s t c o n v i c t i o n 
r e l i e f , 
a r g u i n g 
t h a t 
t h e charged 
conduct 
o c c u r r e d p r i o r t o J a n u a r y 1, 1980, and t h a t , 
t h e r e f o r e , he 
p l e a d e d g u i l t y t o a s t a t u t o r y o f f e n s e t h a t d i d 
n o t e x i s t when 
he committed 
i t . 
The 
t r i a l 
c o u r t summarily 
d i s m i s s e d h i s 
p e t i t i o n , 
and t h e C o u r t o f C r i m i n a l A p p e a l s 
a f f i r m e d t h e 
d i s m i s s a l i n 
an u n p u b l i s h e d memorandum. 
Under t h e f a c t s 
a l l e g e d i n B l a n k e n s h i p ' s p e t i t i o n f o r 
c e r t i o r a r i r e v i e w , t h e c i r c u i t c o u r t d i d 
n o t 
have j u r i s d i c t i o n 
to 
c o n v i c t and t o sentence 
B l a n k e n s h i p under t h e Alabama 
C r i m i n a l Code because, he a r g u e s , t h e o f f e n s e was 
committed 
b e f o r e t h a t Code t o o k e f f e c t . T h e r e f o r e , he a r g u e s , b o t h t h e 
c o n v i c t i o n and t h e sentence a r e n u l l i t i e s , and he i s e n t i t l e d 
to 
r e l i e f under R u l e 32, A l a . 
R. C r i m . P.
1 T h e r e f o r e , I would 
1A d e f e n d a n t c o n v i c t e d 
o f 
a c r i m i n a l o f f e n s e may seek 
r e l i e f on t h e ground t h a t t h e t r i a l 
c o u r t "was w i t h o u t 
j u r i s d i c t i o n t o r e n d e r judgment o r t o impose s e n t e n c e . " 
R u l e 3 2 . 1 ( b ) , A l a . R. C r i m . P. F a i l u r e t o r a i s e t h e i s s u e 
of 
j u r i s d i c t i o n a t t r i a l o r on a p p e a l does n o t p r e c l u d e 
r e l i e f . R u l e s 32.2(3) and ( 5 ) , A l a . 
R. Crim. P. 
3 
1120403 
g r a n t t h e p e t i t i o n f o r 
t h e w r i t of c e r t i o r a r i t o c o n s i d e r t h e 
m e r i t s o f B l a n k e n s h i p ' s 
c l a i m s . 
The C o u r t 
of C r i m i n a l A p p e a l s 
c o n s t r u e d 
B l a n k e n s h i p ' s 
Rule 
32 
p e t i t i o n 
as a 
c h a l l e n g e 
t o t h e v a l i d i t y 
of h i s 
i n d i c t m e n t , w h i c h c h a r g e d t h e elements of s t a t u t o r y r o b b e r y 
and 
not common-law 
r o b b e r y . 
B e f o r e 
2006, 
e r r o r s 
i n an 
i n d i c t m e n t were c o n s i d e r e d t o be j u r i s d i c t i o n a l d e f e c t s t h a t 
c o u l d be r a i s e d a t any t i m e . See, e.g., Ex p a r t e L e w i s , 811 
So. 2d 485, 487 ( A l a . 
2001) ( " F a i l u r e t o a l l e g e an e s s e n t i a l 
element of t h e c h a r g e d o f f e n s e i s 
a j u r i s d i c t i o n a l d e f e c t , and 
the f a i l u r e t o r a i s e t h e d e f e c t a t t r i a l o r on d i r e c t 
a p p e a l 
does not c o n s t i t u t e a w a i v e r . " ) . In 2006, however, t h i s 
C o u r t , 
i n Ex p a r t e Seymour, 946 So. 2d 536 ( A l a . 2006), 
r e v e r s e d 
c o u r s e and h e l d t h a t d e f e c t s i n an i n d i c t m e n t do not i m p l i c a t e 
the j u r i s d i c t i o n of t h e c o u r t . "Under our h o l d i n g i n Seymour, 
a d e f e c t i n a c r i m i n a l i n d i c t m e n t no l o n g e r d e p r i v e s the t r i a l 
c o u r t of j u r i s d i c t i o n , as i t had under t h e common law, b u t 
i n s t e a d i s a n o n j u r i s d i c t i o n a l e r r o r t h a t may be w a i v e d . " Ex 
p a r t e J e n k i n s , 992 So. 2d 1248, 1250 ( A l a . 
2007). T h i s 
C o u r t 
a l s o n o t e d i n Ex p a r t e Batey, 958 So. 2d 339, 342 n. 2 
( A l a . 
2006), 
t h a t , 
" [ i ] n Seymour, 
we 
h e l d 
t h a t 
a 
d e f e c t i v e 
4 
1120403 
i n d i c t m e n t does not d e p r i v e the t r i a l c o u r t of j u r i s d i c t i o n t o 
hear the case, and t h a t , t h e r e f o r e , a c l a i m t h a t an i n d i c t m e n t 
i s d e f e c t i v e i s not exempt from the Rule 32 
b a r . " 
B l a n k e n s h i p argues, however, t h a t c h a r g i n g him under the 
law t h a t was not y e t i n e f f e c t when the o f f e n s e was 
committed 
was 
not a mere e r r o r i n the i n d i c t m e n t b u t , 
i n s t e a d , was 
a 
t r a n s g r e s s i o n of an e x p r e s s 
l e g i s l a t i v e 
l i m i t on the 
c i r c u i t 
c o u r t ' s power. 
The 
t e m p o r a l 
a p p l i c a b i l i t y 
s e c t i o n of 
the 
Alabama C r i m i n a l Code p r o v i d e s : "The p r o v i s i o n s of t h i s 
t i t l e 
do not a p p l y t o or govern the c o n s t r u c t i o n of and punishment 
f o r any o f f e n s e committed p r i o r t o 12:01 
A.M. 
January 1, 
1980 
.... Such an o f f e n s e must be c o n s t r u e d and p u n i s h e d 
a c c o r d i n g 
t o 
the 
p r o v i s i o n s 
of 
law 
e x i s t i n g 
a t 
the 
time 
of 
the 
commission 
t h e r e o f 
" 
§ 
13A-1-7(c), 
A l a . 
Code 
1975 
(emphasis added). 
T h i s C o u r t i n Seymour s t a t e d : 
" S u b j e c t - m a t t e r 
j u r i s d i c t i o n 
c o n c e r n s 
a 
c o u r t ' s 
power t o d e c i d e 
c e r t a i n 
t y p e s 
of c a s e s . 
... 
That 
power i s d e r i v e d from the Alabama C o n s t i t u t i o n and 
the Alabama Code. 
... 
"Under the Alabama C o n s t i t u t i o n , a c i r c u i t c o u r t 
' s h a l l 
e x e r c i s e g e n e r a l 
j u r i s d i c t i o n 
i n a l l cases 
e x c e p t as may 
be o t h e r w i s e p r o v i d e d by law.' Amend. 
No. 
328, 
§ 6.04(b), A l a . Const. 1901." 
5 
1120403 
946 So. 2d a t 538 
( f i n a l emphasis added). S e c t i o n 13A-1-7(c) 
i s 
j u s t 
such 
a 
s p e c i f i c 
l e g i s l a t i v e 
e x c e p t i o n 
t o 
the 
j u r i s d i c t i o n of the c i r c u i t c o u r t . See Smith v. S t a t e , 446 So. 
2d 68, 72 (Ala.Crim.App. 1984) 
( n o t i n g t h a t i n an e a r l i e r case 
"the a c t u a l o f f e n s e o c c u r r e d p r i o r t o [January 1, 1980,] and 
[the d e f e n d a n t ] was 
t h e r e f o r e 
t r i e d under the common law as  
r e q u i r e d by the c r i m i n a l code" and c i t i n g A l a . Code 1975, 
§ 
13A-1-7(c) 
(emphasis a d d e d ) ) . 
I f B l a n k e n s h i p i s c o r r e c t t h a t the conduct f o r which he 
was 
p u n i s h e d o c c u r r e d b e f o r e J a n u a r y 1, 1980, 
the 
c i r c u i t 
c o u r t was w i t h o u t power t o c o n v i c t him and t o s e n t e n c e 
him 
under the Alabama C r i m i n a l Code. T h e r e f o r e , I r e s p e c t f u l l y 
d i s s e n t 
from 
the 
d e n i a l 
o f 
h i s 
p e t i t i o n 
f o r a 
w r i t 
o f 
c e r t i o r a r i . 
6