Opinion ID: 796325
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Our Decision in Fuller

Text: 3 In Fuller, we were presented with the question of what to do when faced with an appeal that was not timely filed as a result of the constitutionally ineffective assistance of the defendant's attorney. In that case, it was undisputed that the defendant requested his counsel to file a notice of appeal and that counsel did not file a notice until several months after expiration of the maximum allowable 40-day period. Id. at 64. It was also undisputed that counsel's failure to file a timely appeal in a criminal case, when requested by a defendant, constitutes ineffective assistance of counsel, entitling the defendant to relief. Id. (citing Garcia v. United States, 278 F.3d 134, 137 (2d Cir.2002)). Because the appeal at issue in Fuller was untimely, it was also undisputed that the appeal should be dismissed. 2 4 Rather than merely dismissing the defendant's appeal without more, which would have required the defendant to file a motion under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 3 to vacate the constitutionally infirm judgment, see Fuller, 332 F.3d at 64-65 (discussing inefficiency and potential detrimental consequences of requiring defendant to file a § 2255 motion in order to vacate an infirm judgment), we decided to dismiss the appeal and remand to the District Court with instructions to vacate the judgment and enter a new judgment from which a timely appeal may be taken, id. at 65.