Opinion ID: 2508188
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 36

Heading: personal restraint petition procedures as a violation of due process

Text: ISSUE (17). Whether the discovery and time limit rules governing collateral attack by personal restraint petition on a criminal conviction and sentence violate the due process clause of the fourteenth amendment to the United States Constitution. Petitioner's final claim for relief is that the rules governing collateral attack by personal restraint petition on a criminal conviction and sentence violate the due process guaranty of fundamental fairness under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. He argues that he is unable to present facts in support of his petition that are admissible under the rules of evidence ... either because this Court refuses to provide him with necessary funding, or because he has no means to compel witnesses to supply the kind of declarations that are required by precedent. [351] He contends that [t]he threshold showing required under RAP 16.26 and 16.27 is unreasonably high [352] and that [t]he same degree of unfairness inheres in the time limits for filing the personal restraint petition. [353] Petitioner's claim that Washington's postconviction procedures violate due process is unpersuasive. Even though a defendant has no constitutional right to either counsel or discovery in making a collateral attack, our statutes and our court rules nevertheless afford a defendant with both. [354] RCW 10.73.150 provides that: Counsel shall be provided at state expense to an adult offender convicted of a crime ... when the offender is indigent or indigent and able to contribute as those terms are defined in RCW 10.101.010 and the offender: .... (3) Is under a sentence of death and requests counsel be appointed to file and prosecute a motion or petition for collateral attack as defined in RCW 10.73.090. Counsel may be provided at public expense to file or prosecute a second or subsequent collateral attack on the same judgment and sentence, if the court determines that the collateral attack is not barred by RCW 10.73.090 or 10.73.140. .... [ [355] ] Our court rules provide for discovery and investigative and expert services. The minimum showing required under both rules is not unreasonably high. Under RAP 16.26, a person sentenced to death is entitled to discovery while pursuing a collateral attack if the person establishes facts that give rise to a substantial reason to believe the discovery will produce information which would provide grounds for relief under RAP 16.4(c). RAP 16.26 provides that: (a) Before or after a person under sentence of death files a personal restraint petition, the Supreme Court, on motion of that person, may order discovery. To obtain such an order, the person under sentence of death must establish facts that give rise to a substantial reason to believe that the discovery will produce information that would support relief under RAP 16.4(c). Information in support of the request that the person under sentence of death believes is privileged may be separated into a second confidential affidavit which identifies the asserted privilege with specificity and the law supporting the assertion of the privilege. Any affidavit which does not contain confidential information and the motion must be served on the prosecutor. The procedure for and form of the motion is as provided in RAP Title 17. Motions will ordinarily be considered without oral argument. Prior to ruling on the motion, the Court will review the confidential affidavit to determine whether the contents therein are protected by the asserted privilege. If the asserted privilege does not apply, the court will serve the State with a copy of the confidential affidavit at least five working days before the State's response to the motion is due. (b) After a person under sentence of death has filed a personal restraint petition, the Supreme Court, on motion of the State, may order discovery. To obtain such an order, the State must establish facts that give rise to a substantial reason to believe that the discovery will produce information that would support the denial of relief under RAP 16.4(c). (c) Discovery conducted pursuant to this rule shall be governed by the civil rules, unless otherwise ordered by the court. (d) In the event a remand hearing is ordered, discovery shall be governed by RAP 16.12. (e) Discovery may be allowed for preparation of a second or subsequent petition attacking the same judgment and sentence only upon a substantial showing that the petition is not barred by RCW ch. 10.73 or RAP 16.4(d). RAP 16.27 provides for investigative and expert services during a collateral attack for a person under sentence of death: Before or after the filing of a personal restraint petition, a person under sentence of death may file a motion for investigative, expert, or other services. Such a motion shall be granted only if the person establishes facts that give rise to a substantial reason to believe that the services will produce information that would support relief under RAP 16.4(c), and if the legislature has authorized and approved funding for such services. The motion shall be directed to the Supreme Court and may be made ex parte. Upon a showing of good cause, the moving papers may be ordered sealed by the court and shall remain sealed until further order of the court. Services may be allowed for preparation of a second or subsequent petition attacking the same judgment and sentence only upon a substantial showing that the petition is not barred by RCW ch. 10.73 or RAP 16.4(d). The one-year time limit for filing a personal restraint petition imposes a constitutionally valid `time limit' as a means of controlling the flow of postconviction collateral relief petitions. [356] Petitioner's claim that this State's collateral relief procedures for capital murder cases violate constitutional provisions is without merit.