Opinion ID: 1914638
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: State ex rel. Griffin v. Smith

Text: ¶ 13. The other petitioner, Peter D. Griffin, was convicted for possession with intent to deliver cocaine base and possession with intent to deliver cocaine on December 10, 1991. He was paroled on October 14, 1997. ¶ 14. In August 2000, Griffin's parole agent found three bags of cocaine and a pager in Griffin's car. The terms of Griffin's parole prohibited possession of these items. At the revocation hearing on November 1, 2000, the administrative law judge revoked Griffin's parole. Griffin appealed and the administrator of the Division of Hearings and Appeals affirmed the revocation. That decision contained a notice that judicial review may be obtained by filing a petition for writ of certiorari within 45 days of the date of the decision to be reviewed. ¶ 15. Griffin's counsel filed a petition for writ of certiorari but missed the January 15, 2001, deadline by ten days. The attorney stated that his legal assistant had suddenly become ill, causing him to miss the deadline. He then filed a motion for extension of the 45-day filing deadline, but it was denied because the court received that motion outside the 45-day limit. ¶ 16. On May 19, 2001, Griffin filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus, alleging he had been deprived of effective assistance of counsel during the appeal of his parole revocation decision. Griffin argued that his attorney failed to timely file for certiorari review despite promising to do so. ¶ 17. The circuit court dismissed Griffin's petition. It concluded that parolees do not have a constitutional or common law right to counsel for certiorari review of an administrative appeal. Griffin filed a motion to reconsider the order dismissing his petition. The judge dismissed that motion and Griffin now appeals.