Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca10-15-02127/USCOURTS-ca10-15-02127-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Joel Cordova-Ordaz
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT

_________________________________

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 

 Plaintiff - Appellee,

v.

JOEL CORDOVA-ORDAZ, a/k/a Joel 

Cordova, a/k/a Joel Ordez-Cordova,

 Defendant - Appellant.

No. 15-2127

(D.C. No. 2:14-CR-03643-JBM-1)

(D. N.M.)

_________________________________

ORDER

_________________________________

Before BRISCOE, Chief Judge, LUCERO, and MATHESON, Circuit Judges.

_________________________________

Joel Cordova-Ordaz seeks to appeal the judgment entered in his criminal case on 

March 6, 2015. Mr. Cordova-Ordaz filed his notice of appeal, pro se, on August 10, 

2015.

In a criminal case, a defendant’s notice of appeal must be filed in the district court 

within 14 days after entry of the judgment. Fed. R. App. P. 4(b)(1)(A). The timely filing 

of a notice of appeal by the defendant is an inflexible claim-processing rule that may be 

forfeited if not properly raised by the government. United States v. Garduño, 506 F.3d 

1287, 1290-91 (10th Cir. 2007). However, because Rule 4(b) implicates important 

judicial interests beyond those of the parties, the court may raise the time bar sua sponte

in certain circumstances. United States v. Mitchell, 518 F.3d 740, 750 (10th Cir 2008). 

FILED

United States Court of Appeals

Tenth Circuit

August 24, 2015

Elisabeth A. Shumaker

Clerk of Court

Appellate Case: 15-2127 Document: 01019480121 Date Filed: 08/24/2015 Page: 1 
2

This power is limited and should not be invoked unless judicial resources and 

administration are implicated and the delay has been inordinate. Id.

Under the circumstances of this case, dismissal of this appeal as untimely is 

appropriate. Mr. Cordova-Ordaz’s notice of appeal, filed more than five months after 

judgment was entered, was inordinately late. Accordingly, this appeal is dismissed.

The Motion to Continue as Appointed Counsel by Noel Orquiz, Mr. CordovaOrdaz’s court-appointed trial attorney, is granted. Mr. Noel Orquiz is appointed pursuant 

to the Criminal Justice Act, 18 U.S.C. § 3006A, effective nunc pro tunc to the date the 

notice of appeal was filed in this matter, but that appointment ends with the entry of this 

order.

A copy of this order shall stand as and for the mandate of the court.

Entered for the Court

ELISABETH A. SHUMAKER, Clerk

by: Jane K. Castro

 Counsel to the Clerk

Appellate Case: 15-2127 Document: 01019480121 Date Filed: 08/24/2015 Page: 2