Opinion ID: 162583
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Is This Claim Time Barred?

Text: The district court began by observing that § 2244(d)(1)’s one-year statute of limitations runs from “the date on which the judgment became final by the conclusion of direct review or the expiration of the time for seeking such review.” § 2244(d)(1)(A) (emphasis added). Here the judgment was entered in the Arapahoe County District Court on January 7, 1998, and as previously noted, Mr. Hollis did not file a direct appeal; therefore, pursuant to Rule 4(b)(1) of the Colorado Appellate Rules, which provides that notice of appeal in a criminal case must be received within forty-five days after entry of judgment, Mr. Hollis’ conviction and sentence became final on February 23, 1998. Thus, the one-year limitation period commenced on February 23, 1998. Given that Mr. Hollis’ conviction became final on February 23, 1998, Mr. Hollis’ habeas petition is untimely, and thus must be denied, if filed on or after February 23, 1999, absent tolling of § 2244(d)(1)’s one-year statute of limitation. The district court determined that tolling was applicable to Mr. Hollis’ habeas petition. Section 2244(d)(2) directs: “The time during which a properly -4- filed application for State post-conviction or other collateral review with respect to the pertinent judgment or claim is pending shall not be counted toward any period of limitation under [§ 2244(d)].” Here Mr. Hollis filed a state postconviction petition; Mr. Hollis therefore benefits from tolling with regard to that petition. Mr. Hollis alleges that he filed his state post-conviction petition on or about January 5, 1999. This was forty-eight days before the habeas statute of limitations would have expired absent such tolling. Following the district court, we will assume for the purposes of this order that Mr. Hollis’ motion was filed on January 5, 1999. The state post-conviction proceedings remained pending until Colorado Supreme Court denied Mr. Hollis’ petition for a writ of certiorari on October 23, 2000. Thereafter, the Colorado Court of Appeals issued its mandate on October 27, 2000, which affirmed the district court and denied Mr. Hollis’ petition for relief. On October 27, 2000, the § 2244(d)(2) tolling associated with that state court petition ceased, leaving him the balance of his year at the time he commenced his post-conviction remedy–forty-eight days–to file his habeas petition. Therefore, on December 13, 2000, or forty-eight days after his postconviction petition ran its course, Mr. Hollis’ time in which to file his habeas appeal expired. -5-