Opinion ID: 62326
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Supplemental briefing issue

Text: After Butler filed his opening brief, this court ordered the Louisiana State Penitentiary warden as Appellee to file a brief addressing whether Butler's petition was untimely under the federal statute of limitations; we specifically asked whether under La. S.Ct. R. X, § 5(a), late-filed writ applications are not `properly filed' for purposes of § 2244(d). In its brief, the Appellee argued that an untimely writ application to the Louisiana Supreme Court was not a properly filed post-conviction review application pending in state court for purposes of the tolling portion of the federal habeas statute. See Williams, 217 F.3d 303 (citing 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(2)). After reviewing Williams and the briefs provided, we conclude that the correct focus is elsewhere. That case dealt with a prisoner's pending application for review of his state habeas proceedings, an issue that raised tolling issues under Section 2244(d)(2). Williams, 217 F.3d at 305-06. Our concern is when Butler's direct appeal of his state conviction became final under Section 2244(d)(1)(A). Filings that are not part of habeas or post-conviction proceedings do not invoke Section 2244(d)(2) tolling. See Bridges v. Johnson, 284 F.3d 1201, 1203 (11th Cir.2002). This is not a case in which it is unclear if a defendant's filing or request belongs to the direct review process or to the post-conviction review process. [4] Butler did not file an additional document which required interpretation or classification. He did not submit a request to consider the application even though it was untimely. The only document Butler filed related to his untimely direct review application was the application itself, which is indisputably a part of his direct appeal proceedings. Accordingly, this appeal concerns only the commencement of Butler's federal statute of limitations under Section 2244(d)(1)(A). Our decision does not involve what is a properly filed post-conviction application for purposes of the Section 2244(d)(2) tolling.