Opinion ID: 1058533
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Procedural Requirements for Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus

Text: Tennessee Code Annotated section 29-21-107(a) provides that habeas corpus petitions must be signed and verified by affidavit. This statute further requires the petition to state: (1) That the person in whose behalf the writ is sought, is illegally restrained of liberty, and the person by whom and place where restrained, mentioning the name of such person, if known, and, if unknown, describing the person with as much particularity as practicable; (2) The cause or pretense of such restraint according to the best information of the applicant, and if it be by virtue of any legal process, a copy thereof shall be annexed, or a satisfactory reason given for its absence; (3) That the legality of the restraint has not already been adjudged upon a prior proceeding of the same character, to the best of the applicant's knowledge and belief; and (4) That it is first application for the writ, or, if a previous application has been made, a copy of the petition and proceedings thereon shall be produced, or satisfactory reasons be given for the failure so to do. Tenn.Code Ann. § 29-21-107(b) (2000). Hickman's petition failed to comply with this statute. The petition, prepared and filed by counsel on Hickman's behalf, states in its entirety as follows: Comes the Petitioner, Roger L. Hickman, by and through counsel, Douglas A. Trant, to petition for a writ of habeas corpus concerning his conviction in the Knox County Sessions Court for Knox County, Tennessee in case number 72333 G wherein he was convicted of simple possession of marijuana. A certified copy of the conviction is attached and is void on its face because the conviction does not state that he had counsel nor did he waive counsel. Waiver of the constitutional right of counsel cannot be presumed from a silent record. Burgett v. Texas, 389 U.S. 109, 88 S.Ct. 258, 19 L.Ed.2d 319 (1967) and Baldasar v. Illinois, 446 U.S. 222, 100 S.Ct. 1585, 64 L.Ed.2d 169 (1980). As the Court of Criminal Appeals noted, Hickman's petition was not verified by affidavit, failed to name the restraining authority and the place of restraint, failed to state whether the legality of the restraint had been previously adjudicated, and failed to state whether previous applications for the writ had been made. However, the State did not move to dismiss the petition for failure to comply with Code section 107, nor did the trial court dismiss the petition for procedural noncompliance. As previously explained, the procedural requirements of the habeas corpus statutes are mandatory and must be followed scrupulously. Archer, 851 S.W.2d at 165; Bateman, 194 S.W.2d at 337. A habeas corpus court may properly choose to dismiss a petition for failing to comply with the statutory procedural requirements; however, dismissal is not required. [3] The habeas corpus court may instead choose to afford the petitioner an opportunity to comply with the procedural requirements, or the habeas corpus court may choose to adjudicate the petition on its merits. See Tenn.Code Ann. § 29-21-109 (2000) (If, from the showing of the petitioner, the plaintiff would not be entitled to any relief, the writ may be refused, the reasons for such refusal being briefly endorsed upon the petition, or appended thereto.) (emphasis added). In this case, the State did not move to dismiss Hickman's petition for procedural noncompliance even though it was prepared and filed by counsel. Likewise, the trial court chose to adjudicate the petition on its merits and certainly acted within its discretion in doing so. Thus, we decline to base our decision to dismiss the petition upon the petitioner's failure to comply with the statutory procedure and will instead consider the petition on its merits.