I N T H E SUPR EM E C O UR T O F M I SS I SS I PPI NO. 2 0 0 9 - CT - 0 1 8 9 0 - S CT GERAL D J

ONES
v. STATE OFM

I SS I SS I PPI ON W RI T OF CE RT I ORARI D A T E O F JU D G M E N T : 11/ 13/ 2009 TRI AL J UD GE: HO N. AN DR EW K. HO W OR TH COURT F ROM W HI CH APP EAL ED: LAF AYETT E COUNTY CI RCUI T COURT ATTO RN EY FO R A PP ELLAN T: GER ALD J ON ES ( PRO SE) AT T ORNE YS F OR AP P E L L E E : OF F I CE OF T HE AT T ORNE Y GE NE RA L BY : W
. G LEN N W A TTS NA TUR E OF THE C ASE: CI VI L - POST- CO NV I CTI ON RELI EF DI S P OS I T I ON T HE J UDGMENT S OF T HE CO UR T OF AP P E AL S AND T HE CI RC UI T CO UR T OF L AF AYE T T E CO UNT Y AR E VAC AT E D - 06/ 09/ 2011 M OT I ON F OR RE HE AR I NG F I L E D: M ANDAT E I S S UE D:
EN BA NC. RAN DO LPH, J UST I CE, FOR TH E COU RT: ¶1. T he C ourt of A ppeal s di d not addr es s the St at e’ s cl ai m that j ur i s di ct i on w as l acki ng f orJ ones ’ s pet i t i on, as he had notf i l ed an A ppl i cat i on f

orPerm i s s i on t o Pr ocee d as r equi r ed b y M is s is s ip p i C o d e S e c tio n 9 9 -3 9 -7 ( R e v . 2 0 0 7 ). See J o n e s v. Sta te , 2010 W L 3310231, *4 ( M i s s . C t . A pp. A ug. 24, 2010)
. W e f i nd thatthe tr i al co urtla cked j ur i s di ct i on t o hear

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Jo n e s’s p e tit io n an d co n se q u e n tly tha t th e C o u rt o f A p p e a ls e rre d in a d d re ss in g the m e rits vel non of the ca s e. T hus , w e vac at e the j udgm ent s of the C ourtof

A ppeal s and the tr i al
c o u rt. F ACT S AND P ROCE DURAL HI S TORY ¶2
. R eg ard ing the C o u rto f A p p ea ls’ ea rl ier dism issal o f Jon es’s d ir ec t ap p ea l, the C o u rt of A ppeal s s t at ed: O n J u l y 1 7 , 2 0 0 6 , [ th e C o u rto f A p p e a l s ] o n i t s o w n m o t i o n d i s m i s s e d J o n e s 's appea l as unt i m el y fi l ed. W e det erm i ned thatJ ones ' s pos t - tr i al m ot i on w as deni ed on J anuary 24, 2003, a nd the not i ce of appealw as notf

i l ed unt i l J une 2, 2006. T her ef

or e, the not i ce w as nott i m el y f i l ed. W e al s o s t at ed thatthe d o c k e tf a i l e d t o i n d i c a t e th a tamo t i o n f o rp e rmi s s i o n t o f

i l e a n o u t - o f

- t i me a p p e a l w a s fi le d o r g ra n te d . A s a re s u lt, J o n e s ' s ap p e a l w a s d is m is s e d
. I d. at*2. O n J une 24, 2008, w i thoutf i r s tr equ est i ng lea ve of

thi s C ourt , J ones f

i l ed i n the tr i al courta mot i on f

orpos t - convi ct i on col l at er al r el i ef
. T he mot i on w as deni ed, and Jone s
a p p e a le d fr o m th a t ju d g m e n t. See id . A ft er the C o u rto f A p p ea ls r ev erse d the tri al-co u rt ju d g m e n t, w e g ra n te d th e S ta te ’s p e titio n fo r w ri t o f c e rt io ra ri
. See id. at*4. A N A L Y S IS ¶3. T he i s s ue i s w hetherthe tri al co urth ad j uri sdi ct i on to hea rJ ones ’ s pet i t i on, and
w h ethe r th e C o u rto f A p p ea ls ha d juri sd ict ion to h ea r th e a p p ea l. M issi ssipp i’ s U n if o rm P o st-C o n v ictio n C o llate ra l R e lief A c t (“ P C R A c t”) p ro v id e s th e fo llo w in g : T he mot i on underthi s art i cl e s hal l be f i l ed as an or i gi nal ci vi l act i on i n the tr i al court , exce pti n cas es i n w hi ch the pet i t i oner ' s convi ct i on and s ent ence have been appeal ed t o the Supre m e C ourtof M i s s i s s i ppi and ther e af f i rm ed orthe

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appea l di s m i s s ed. W her e the convi ct i on and s ent ence have be en af f i rm ed on appea l orthe appea l has bee n di s m i s s ed, the m ot i on underthi s art i cl e s hal l not be f i l ed i n the tr i al courtunt i l the mot i on s hal l have f i r stbeen pr es ent ed t o a q u o ru m o f th e J u s tic e s o f th e S u p re m e C o u rto f M is s is s ip p i . . . . M i s s . C ode A nn. § 99- 39- 7 (Rev. 2007). T hi s C ourthas hel d thatthe di s m i s s al of a n appea l “bec aus e i tw as notper f ect ed i n the t i m e and man ner requi r ed by l aw ” has “the ef f ectof af f i rm i ng [ the appe l l ant ] ’ s convi ct i on and se nt ence . ” J o h n so n v. Sta te , 394 So. 2d 319, 320 ( M i s s . 1981)
. H er e, J ones ’ s di r ectappea l w as di s m i s s ed, as i tw as nott i m el y f i l ed. ¶ 4
. R e g a rd in g p o stc o n v ictio n relie f, Jo n e s w a s re q u ire d first to p re se n t h is m o tio n to th is C ourt . T her e i s no evi dence thatJones everre ques t ed f r om thi s C ourtl eave t o pr ocee d i n the tr ia l c o u rt . See E v a n s v. Sta te , 4 8 5 S o . 2 d 2 7 6 , 2 8 3 (M iss . 1 9 8 6 ); Me sh e ll v. Sta te , 832 S o. 2 d 1 2 4 4 , 1 2 4 5 (M iss . C t. A p p . 2 0 0 2 ); P e rr y v. Sta te , 759 So. 2d 1269, 1270 ( M i s s . C t . A pp. 2000)
. B ei ng w i thoutj ur i s di ct i on, the tr i al courts houl d have di sm i ssed t he pet i t i on. T he C o u rto f A p p e a ls e rr e d in fa ilin g to a d d re s s ju ri s d ic tio n . See T h o rn h ill v. Sta te , 24 0 M i ss. 1 3 1 , 1 3 4 , 1 2 6 S o . 2 d 5 2 7 , 5 2 8 (1 9 6 1 ); Co rtez v. Sta te , 9 So. 3d 445, 446 ( M i s s . C t . A pp. 2 0 0 9 ). ¶5. A s w as J ohns on, J ones “i s not w i thout r emedy, how ever , and m ay avai l [ hi m s el f ] of th e m o d e s o f re lief s e t o u t in th e [P C R A c t] b y p ro p e rly filin g a p e tit io n in c o m p lian c e w ith the r equi r ement s ther ei n s etf orth. ” Johnson , 394 So. 2d at320. CO NC L US I ON

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¶6. Bot h the tr i al court and the C ourt of A ppeal s err ed i n f ai l i ng t o di s m i s s the cas e f or l ack of j ur i s di ct i on. W e vac at e both j udgm ent s. W e r enderj udgm enther e, di s m i s s i ng J ones ’ s PC R m ot i on f

orf ai l ur e t o obt ai n l eave t o f i l e as pr ovi ded i n M i s s i s s i ppi C ode Sect i on 9 9 -39 -7 (R ev . 2 0 0 7 ). ¶ 7
. T H E J U D G M E N T S O F T H E C O U R T O F A P P E A L S A N D T H E C IR C U IT COURT OF LA F AYE TT E C OUNT Y ARE VACAT ED . W A LL ER , C . J. , C A R LSO N A N D D I C K I N SO N , P. JJ . , LA M A R , K I TC H EN S, CH AN DL E R A ND P I E RC E , J J . , CO NC UR . KI NG , J . , NO T P AR T I CI P AT I NG .