# U n i t e d S t a t e s C o u r t o f A pp e a l s
For the Eig hth Circu it

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No . 1 8 -2 3 76

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Ch arl es Ru s s el l Rh i n es

l l l l l l l l l l ll l l l l l l l ll Pet i t i o n er - Ap p el l a n t

v

.

Dari n Yo u n g , W ard en , So u t h Dak o t a St at e Pen i t en ti ary

l l l l l ll l ll l l l l l l l l l l l R es

p o nd en t - Ap p el lee

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Am eri can Ci vi l Li b ert i es Un i o n ; Am eri can Ci v i l Li b ert i es Un i o n o f So u t h Dak o t a; GLBTQ Leg al Ad v o cat es an d Defen d ers ; Lam bd a Leg al Defen s e an d Ed u cat i o n Fu n d; Nat i o nal Cen t er fo r Les b i an Ri g h t s ; Nat i o n al LGBT Bar

l l l l l l l l l l ll l ll l l l l l l

Ami ci o n Beh a l

f o f Ap p el l an t

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Ap p eal fro m

Un i t ed St at es Di s t ri ct Co u rt fo r t h e Di s t ri ct o f So u t h Dak o t a - Rap id Ci t y

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Su bm i t t ed : Sep tem

ber 2 6, 2 0 19
Fi l ed : Oct o b er 2 5

, 2 0 1 9 [Pu b l i s h ed ]

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Befo re LOKEN, GRUENDER, an d KELLY, Ci rcu i t J u d g es

.

_ __ _ _ __ _ __ _ _PER CURIAM

.

Ch arl es Ru s sel l Rh i n es i s an i n m at e at t he So u t h Dak ot a St at e Pen it en t i ary ,

s en t en ced t o d eat h fo r t h e M arch 1 9 9 2 m u rd er o f Do n n iv an Sch aeffer at a d o n u t s h o p

i n Rap i d Ci t y , So u th Dak o t a. Rh i n es has ex h au s t ed al l d i rect ap p eal s an d ap p l i cat i on s

fo r s t at e an d fed eral p o s t -co n v ict i o n rel i ef. See Rh i n es v

. Yo un g , 8 99 F.3 d 4 8 2 (8 th

Ci r. 2 0 18 ). As bri efed to t h i s co u rt i n t he fal l o f 2 0 1 8 an d arg u ed t o o u r p an el in

Se p t e m b e r, t h i s ap p eal rai ses t h e q u es t i on w h et h er th e d is t ri ct co u rt erred in

co n cl u d in g t h at it h as n o au th o ri t y u n d er 1 8 U.S.C. § 3 5 99 an d th e Al l W ri ts Act

, 1 8

U. S

. C

. § 1 6 5 1 (a), to o rd er So ut h Dak o t a p ri s o n o ffi ci al s “ t o al l o w Rh i n es t o m eet

wi t h m en t al h eal t h ex p ert s ret ai n ed b y ap p o in t ed co u n s el f o r pu r p o ses o f pr ep a r i n g

a cl emen cy a

p pl i ca t io n .”

Fo l l owi n g o ral arg u m en t

, a m ajo ri t y o f th e p an el t en t at i v el y co n cl ud ed t h at we

s h o u ld affi rm

t h e d is t ri ct co u rt . Ho wev er, ci rcu m s t an ces u n d erl y i n g t h e i s su e h av e
ch an ged , an d we co n cl u de t h at a d eci s i on o n t h i s n arro w i s s u e i s n o l on g er n eed ed

. W e were ad vi s ed b y co u n s el fo r ap p el l ee earl ier t h i s ye a r (i ) t h at t h e So ut h Dak o t a

B o ard o f Pard o n s an d Paro l es d en i ed Rh i n es ’ s p et i t i o n fo r cl em en cy i n Dece m b e r

2 0 1 8

, an d (i i ) t h at th e Ci rcu i t Co u rt fo r t h e 7 t h J u di ci al Ci rcu i t o f So u t h Dak o t a h as

i s su ed a warran t fo r Rh i n e s ’s ex ecu t i o n d u ri n g t h e w eek o f No v em b er 3 -9

, 2 0 1 9.

W h et h er Rh i n es d es erv es cl em en cy i s n o w p ro p erl y

i n t h e h an d s o f t h e Go v ern o r.

So u t h Dak ot a l aw g ran t s t h e G o vern o r b ro ad co n s t i t ut i o nal an d st at u t o ry
cl em en cy au th ori ty

. See Do e v

. Nel s o n , 68 0 N.W

. 2 d 30 2

, 3 1 3 (S.D. 2 0 0 4 ). Rh i n es

h as b eg u n t h e st at u t ory p ro ces s u n d er S.D.C.L. § 2 4 -1 4

. Th e Go vern o r m ay co n s i d er

an y an d al l ev id en ce s h e d eem s n eces s ary t o m ak e h er fi n al d eci s i o n , i n cl u d i n g t h e
ab s en ce o f rel ev an t ex pert ev al u at i o n s an d t es t s. Th e Su p rem e Co u rt h as cau t i o n ed

t h at

, wh i le “ s o m e m i n i m al p ro ced u ral s afeg u ard s ap p l y to cl em en cy p ro ce e d i n g s ,”
ju d i ci al in t erv en t i o n i n s tat e cl em en cy p ro ceed i n g s i s warran t ed o n l y i n rare, ex t rem e

cas es . Oh i o Ad u l t Paro l e Au t h . v

. W o o dard

, 5 2 3 U.S. 2 7 2 , 2 8 9 (1 9 9 8) (O’ Co n n o r,

-2

-J

. , c o n cu rri n g i n p art an d co ncu rri n g in t h e ju dg m en t ). At th e p res en t t i m e, wi t h

So u t h D ak o t a cl em en cy p ro ceed i n g s co m m en c e d a nd t he t i m e fo r g ran t i n g o r d en y i n g

i m m i n en t, t h e i s s u es rai s ed b y Rh i n es i n t h i s ap p eal are ei th er m o o t o r h av e n o t b een

fu l l y ex h au s ted . Acco rd i n g l y , we d i s m i ss t he ap p eal

.

KELLY, Ci rcu i t J u d ge, co n cu rri n g

.

Th e q ues t i o n p res en t ed t o u s i n th i s cas e w a s wh et h er a fed eral co u rt h as t h e

au t h o ri t y t o co m

p el t h e St at e o f So u t h Dak o t a to al l o w Rh i n es acces s t o m en t al h eal th

ex p ert s ret ai n ed by h i s ap po i n t ed co u n s el f o r p urp o s es o f p rep ari n g a cl em en cy

ap p li cat io n

. Bas ed o n t h e reco rd b efo re u s , h o wev er, i t ap p ears t h at Rh i n es h as n ot

fu l l y ex h au s ted h is cl em en cy -b as ed rem ed i es

.

Th e So u t h Dak o t a co n st i t u t i o n g ran t s t h e Go v ern o r t h e p ard o n po wer, S. D.

Co n s t

. art

. IV, § 3

, b u t t h e s t at e’ s s tat u t o ry s ch em e p erm i ts t h e Go v ern o r t o d el eg at e

t o th e Bo ard o f Pard o n s an d Paro l es t h e au th ori t y t o h ear s uch ap p l i cat i o n s

. See Do e,

6 8 0 N.W .2 d at 3 13 (So u t h Dak o t a h as a “ two -p ro n g ed p ard o n s y s t em : a p ard o n

g ran t ed b y t h e Go vern o r wi th i n p ut fro m t he Bo ard

. . . o r a p ard o n g ran t ed so l el y by

t h e Go v ern o r wi t h no o u t s i d e i n v o l v em en t

. . . .”). Th e p art i es h av e i n fo rm ed u s t h at

i n Decem b er 2 0 18 th e Bo ard d ecl i ned t o reco m m en d Rh i n es fo r cl em en cy

. Th u s , as

t h e co u rt n o t es , wh et h er Rh i n es i s d es erv in g o f cl em en cy i s n o w p ro p erl y in t h e h an d s

o f t h e Go v ern or.

Th e p art i es h av e i d en t ifi ed n o i m p ed im en t s t o Rh in es ’ s as k i n g t h e Go v ern o r

t o al l o w h i m

acces s t o h i s m en t al h eal t h ex pert s , ei t h er i n th e co u rs e o f co n s i d eri n g

t h e Bo ard ’ s fai l u re to reco m m en d cl em en cy o r i n co n n ect i on wi t h a cl em en cy req u es t

m ad e d i rect l y t o t he Go v ern o r. It t h u s ap p ears t h at Rh i n es s t i l l h as an o p po rt u n i t y to

s e e k a n d o b t ai n rel i ef b y m ean s of t h e St at e’ s s t at u t o ry an d /o r co ns t i t u t i o n a l

fram ewo rk . Fo r t h i s reas o n , I co n cu r i n t h e co u rt ’ s ju d g m en t

.

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