Case Name: STATE ex rel. Charles L. BERGERON, Sr. v. STATE of Louisiana
Court: Louisiana Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 2015-12-07
Citations: 180 So. 3d 1278
Docket Number: No. 2015-KH-0465
Parties: STATE ex rel. Charles L. BERGERON, Sr. v. STATE of Louisiana.
Judges: 
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Third Series
Volume: 180
Pages: 1278–1278

Head Matter:
STATE ex rel. Charles L. BERGERON, Sr. v. STATE of Louisiana.
No. 2015-KH-0465.
Supreme Court of Louisiana.
Dec. 7, 2015.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
| denied. Relator's sentencing-related claims are not-cognizable on collateral review. La.C.Cr.P. art. 930.3; State ex rel. Melinie v. State, 93-1380 (La.1/12/96), 665 So.2d 1172; see also State v. Thomas, 08-2912 (La.10/16/09), 19 So.3d 466. In addition, relator fails to show he was denied the effective assistance of counsel during plea negotiations under the standard of Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984). Finally, the interests of justice do not require consideration of relator's remaining claim, which was rejected on direct review. La.C.Cr.P. art. 930.4(A).
Relator has now fully litigated his application- for post-conviction relief in state court. Similar to federal habeas relief, see 28 U.S.C. § 2244, Louisiana post-conviction procedure envisions the filing of a second or successive application only under the narrow circumstances provided in La.C.Cr.P. art. 930.4 and within the limitations period as set out in La.C.Cr.P. art. 930.8. Notably, the Legislature in 2013 La. Acts 251 amended that article to make the procedural bars against successive filings- mandatory. Relator's claims have now been fully litigated in accord with La.C.Cr.P. art. 930.6, and this denial is final. Hereafter, unless he can 12show that one of the narrow exceptions authorizing the filing of a successive application applies, relator has exhausted his right to state collateral review. The District Court is ordered to record a minute-entry consistent with this per curiam.