Court Opinion

ID: 9479156
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 07:10:07.746857+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:46:51.706240
License: Public Domain

BOWMAN, Circuit Judge,
dissenting.
Although I agree we cannot say that the District Court abused its discretion by reconsidering Hill’s case, I respectfully disagree with the conclusion that Hill is entitled to habeas corpus relief.
The identical claim that Hill now asserts was rejected by our Court over five years ago. See Hill v. Lockhart, 731 F.2d 568 (8th Cir.1984). In that decision, we affirmed the District Court’s denial of habeas relief, and we expressly held that counsel’s advice concerning Hill’s parole eligibility, even though not entirely accurate, did not amount to constitutionally inadequate performance. Id. at 572. Rehearing en banc was granted, and the panel decision thereby was vacated. On rehearing, however, the en banc Court affirmed the District Court by an equally divided vote, thus sustaining the result reached by the panel decision. 764 F.2d 1279 (8th Cir.1984) (en banc).
Our en banc decision was affirmed by the Supreme Court on procedural grounds. See Hill v. Lockhart, 474 U.S. 52, 106 S.Ct. 366, 88 L.Ed.2d 203 (1985). Holding merely that Hill’s allegations were insufficient to satisfy the “prejudice” requirement of Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984), the Court found it “unnecessary to determine whether there may be circumstances under which erroneous advice by counsel as to parole eligibility may be deemed constitutionally ineffective assistance of counsel.” 474 U.S. at 60, 106 S.Ct. at 371. The Supreme Court thus declined to decide the constitutional merits of Hill’s claim.
I believe our original panel decision was correct in holding that Hill’s claim lacks constitutional footing. First, I seriously doubt that the Sixth Amendment ever can be brought into play by allegations of incorrect advice concerning parole eligibility. The subject of parole eligibility, though no doubt of keen interest to the accused, is simply not central to what plea bargaining is all about, namely, the obtaining of either reduced charges, a below-the-maximum sentence, or both. Moreover, even indulging in the assumption, without deciding, that a case might be found in which counsel’s advice concerning parole eligibility is so far off the mark that the Sixth Amendment right to the effective assistance of competent counsel is violated, in my judgment this is not such a case. For the reasons well-explicated in our 1984 panel opinion, which I will not here restate, I would find no constitutional violation and *705therefore would reverse the judgment of the District Court.