Court Opinion

ID: 9467855
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 01:58:02.224935+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:40:33.435875
License: Public Domain

LAY, Chief Judge,
concurring.
I concur. I write separately to emphasize that counsel for the defendant had a continuing obligation to file a notice of appeal and process the appeal. In the present case, he failed to fulfill his responsibility as appointed counsel. The record does not disclose why trial counsel failed to file the notice of appeal. It was incumbent on the state to move to dismiss the appeal on the basis of defendant’s escape. Appointed counsel for a defendant should leave to the Supreme Court the judgmental decision that the appeal is subject to dismissal due to defendant’s escape or for any other reason. Cf. Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738, 87 S.Ct. 1396, 18 L.Ed.2d 493 (1967). I agree the failure of counsel to appeal did not result in prejudice due to the “escape rule.”