Opinion ID: 1620316
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Error Preservation on Equal Protection Claim.

Text: Ceaser contends Iowa Code section 902.12, which requires that he serve his entire sentence, violates the Equal Protection Clauses of the United States and Iowa Constitutions. The State asserts Ceaser failed to preserve error on this issue in the district court. In response, Ceaser claims his sentence is void and, therefore, the normal error preservation rules are not applicable. See State v. Austin, 503 N.W.2d 604, 607 (Iowa 1993) (holding the requirement of error preservation does not bar review on appeal when the appeal is from an illegal or void sentence). The exclusion of illegal sentences from the principles of error preservation is limited to those cases in which a trial court has stepped outside the codified boundaries of allowable sentencing. See State v. Halliburton, 539 N.W.2d 339, 343 (Iowa 1995). In other words, the sentence is illegal because it is beyond the power of the court to impose. State v. Wilson, 294 N.W.2d 824, 825 (Iowa 1980); accord State v. McCright, 569 N.W.2d 605, 608 (Iowa 1997). In the case before us the trial court is not criticized for departing from the sentencing authorized by law, but rather for sentencing Ceaser in accordance with the law. Thus, Ceaser's sentence is not illegal or void, even though it may be subject to a constitutional challenge. See McCright, 569 N.W.2d at 608. Consequently, Ceaser's equal protection claim is governed by our normal error preservation rules. It is clear from the record that Ceaser's trial counsel did not make a constitutional challenge to the sentencing statutes in the district court. Therefore, any error with respect to this issue was not preserved for our review. See id. at 607. Our discussion does not end here, however, because Ceaser claims his trial counsel was ineffective in failing to make such a challenge. We address that issue next.