Opinion ID: 6108242
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Muldrow's Bases for the Writ

Text: Because the circuit court in which he filed the petition could not consider Muldrow's claims under Act 1780, his petition failed to allege facts indicating a colorable cause of action under the Act. Under our statute, a petitioner for the writ who does not proceed under Act 1780 must plead either the facial invalidity of the judgment or the lack of jurisdiction by the trial court and make a showing by affidavit or other evidence of probable cause to believe that he or she is being illegally detained. Ark. Code Ann. § 16-112-103 (a)(1). Muldrow alleged that he was being held according to an invalid conviction and that the trial court lacked jurisdiction. The circuit court therefore appropriately considered any basis for the writ that Muldrow may have raised outside Act 1780. The two bases for relief that Muldrow used to support the issuance of the writ, however, are not cognizable in habeas proceedings outside the Act. A claim of trial error, including a claim of prosecutorial misconduct, does not implicate the facial validity of the judgment or the jurisdiction of the trial court; therefore, Muldrow's allegations of prosecutorial misconduct do not support issuance of the writ. Garrison v. Kelley , 2018 Ark. 8 , 534 S.W.3d 136 ; see also Howard v. State , 367 Ark. 18 , 238 S.W.3d 24 (2006) (holding that prosecutorial misconduct was trial error that did not rise to the level of fundamental error).  Claims of actual innocence, which are effectively challenges to the sufficiency of the evidence, are due-process claims that are not cognizable in habeas proceedings that are not brought under Act 1780. Clay v. Kelley , 2017 Ark. 294 , 528 S.W.3d 836 . Muldrow alleged no facts that would support issuance of the writ, and he failed to state a colorable cause of action. Accordingly, we affirm the denial of pauper status, and Muldrow's motion for extension of brief time is moot. Affirmed; motion moot. Hart, J. dissents.