Opinion ID: 6346047
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Motion for a Hearing and Appointment of Counsel

Text: Sirkaneo alleges that the trial court erred when it denied his requests for a hearing on his petition and for the appointment of counsel. When a Rule 37 petition is denied without a hearing, the trial court is required to make written findings setting out the bases that sustain the court’s findings. Rayburn v. State, 2021 Ark. 98, 622 S.W.3d 155. Here, the trial court set forth its specific findings and the bases for those findings. The trial court did not err by denying the petition without a hearing. With respect to Sirkaneo’s allegation that the trial court erred by denying his request for appointed counsel, there is no constitutional right to appointment of counsel to prepare a petition under Rule 37. Id. The appointment of counsel in postconviction proceedings is discretionary with the trial court. Lane, 2019 Ark. 5, 564 S.W.3d 524. The abuse-of- 12 discretion standard is a high threshold that not only requires error in the court’s decision but also requires that the court act improvidently, thoughtlessly, or without due consideration. Id. To demonstrate an abuse of discretion by the trial court in declining to appoint counsel, a petitioner must have made a substantial showing that his petition included a meritorious claim and that he could not proceed without counsel. Id. For the reasons set forth above, Sirkaneo failed to make that showing. Affirmed; motion moot. WEBB, J., dissents.