Opinion ID: 787651
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Chavis's Federal Habeas Petition Was Timely Filed

Text: 20 We set forth in this section the proper calculation of the time periods for which Chavis was entitled to tolling, when he had properly filed state petitions pending. See 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(2). The district court dismissed the petition as untimely because it held that Chavis's first state habeas petitions, filed in 1993 and 1994, did not toll the one-year statute, since AEDPA was not enacted until 1996. The district court erred. 5 A state habeas petition filed before the AEDPA statute of limitations begins to run tolls the limitation period. Jiminez v. Rice, 276 F.3d 478, 482 (9th Cir.2001) (citing Tillema v. Long, 253 F.3d 494 (9th Cir.2001)). 21 A habeas petition is considered pending during one full round of state review, which in California includes petitions filed in Superior Court, the Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court. Nino, 183 F.3d at 1005-06. As long as the petitions are properly filed, a habeas petitioner is also entitled to tolling during subsequent rounds of state review. See King v. Roe, 340 F.3d 821, 823 (9th Cir.2003) (per curiam) (recognizing that a habeas petitioner may be entitled to tolling during a second round of petitions, but holding that the statute is not tolled between rounds); Dils v. Small, 260 F.3d 984, 985-86 (9th Cir.2001) (noting that petitioner was entitled to tolling during first, second, and third rounds of state habeas petitions but not between rounds); see also Lovasz v. Vaughn, 134 F.3d 146, 148 (3d Cir.1998) ([I]f a state allows petitioners to file second or subsequent petitions for post-conviction relief, federal courts should not undermine the state's decision by refusing to toll the one-year period of limitation of § 2244(d)(1) where a second or subsequent petition is pending in the state court system.). 22 Chavis filed a first round of state habeas petitions in the Superior Court in 1993, the Court of Appeal in 1994, and the California Supreme Court in 1997. Although AEDPA took effect on April 24, 1996, Chavis is entitled to tolling for the entire first round of state petitions, which he began before AEDPA was enacted. Therefore, the one-year statute of limitations under AEDPA did not begin running until the day after California Supreme Court's denial of Chavis's habeas petition became final on May 29, 1998. See Smith v. Duncan, 297 F.3d 809, 814 (9th Cir.2002) (noting that the California Rules of Court provide that a California Supreme Court judgment becomes final thirty days after it is issued and holding that the federal statute begins running the day after the state judgment becomes final). 23 The statute was not tolled during the interval between the first and second rounds of Chavis's state petitions. See Biggs v. Duncan, 339 F.3d 1045, 1048 (9th Cir.2003). Nor was it tolled when Chavis submitted a petition on December 15, 1998 that was deemed not filed because Chavis did not use the proper form. See Artuz v. Bennett, 531 U.S. 4, 8, 121 S.Ct. 361, 148 L.Ed.2d 213 (2000) (holding that a state habeas petition is `properly filed' when its delivery and acceptance are in compliance with the applicable laws and rules governing filings) (quoting 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(2)); see also Smith, 297 F.3d at 812. Therefore, Chavis's petition was not tolled between May 29, 1998 and January 25, 1999, a period of 240 days. 6 24 Tolling recommenced on January 25, 1999, when Chavis properly filed his Superior Court petition and started a second round of state habeas petitions. See Smith, 297 F.3d at 812 (holding that petition was properly filed even though the state court denied it as procedurally barred because the petition was delivered to and accepted by the state court). 25 The statute was again tolled during the second round of petitions, from the proper filing in Superior Court on January 25, 1999, until April 28, 2000, the date the California Supreme Court's denial of Chavis's second petition became final. See id. Chavis filed a federal habeas petition on August 30, 2000, which was 123 days after the final denial of his last state petition. Chavis's federal petition was close to the deadline, but timely: there are only 363 days that were not tolled, so his petition was filed within the one-year statute of limitations.