Court Opinion

ID: 9753406
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-28 19:13:06.416572+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:27:36.121251
License: Public Domain

Chief Justice CAPPY,
concurring.
I join the result of the majority opinion. Furthermore, I join the majority opinion in its analysis of claim number 8, related to proportionality review. I also join the substantive analysis of claim number 7, related to the notes of testimony from the voir dire proceedings, as I do not believe it is waived.1 I join Justice Saylor’s concurring opinion with regard to claim 5.1 join only the result reached by the majority opinion with regard to the remaining claims for the following reason.
The majority implies that claims number 1-4, and 6 are waived. Nevertheless, the majority addresses the claims on the merits because “Appellant filed his Second Amended PCRA Petition at a time when the degree of specificity required to achieve substantive review of an ineffectiveness claim was still unsettled.” Majority opinion at 695, 910 A.2d at 679-80. Respectfully, I disagree that an alternative analysis is proper in this case, because the standards governing ineffectiveness claims have been settled since 1987. Commonwealth v. Pierce, 515 Pa. 153, 527 A.2d 973 (1987)
While we have acknowledged that our recent jurisprudence has been confusing regarding pleading “layered” claims of ineffectiveness, the instant case does not involve a layered claim. See Majority opinion at 695 and n.13, 910 A.2d at 679-*71380 and n.13. Instead, we have been clear that with regard to claims of trial counsel ineffectiveness, “it is settled law that a petitioner must plead and present argument regarding trial counsel’s conduct. Specifically, petitioner must assert that the claim is of arguable merit, that counsel had no reasonable trial strategy to pursue the chosen course of action, and that but for the act or omission in question, the outcome of the proceeding would have been different.” See Commonwealth v. Rush, 576 Pa. 3, 838 A.2d 651, 657 (2003) (citing Pierce). Accordingly, as the instant case involves claims related to trial counsel’s conduct, either Appellant has raised his claims in a manner sufficient for review under Pierce or they are waived. Rush supra.
Justice BAER joins this concurring opinion.

. The majority includes claim number 7 in this list of waived claims, but I respectfully disagree. In my opinion, regarding claim number 7, Appellant is challenging the fact that he did not have access to the relevant voir dire transcript at trial and that he still does not have access to that document which has prevented him from raising a meaningful claim. Although the majority correctly points out that this claim fails, since Appellant has not raised a "potentially meritorious challenge” and since the transcript is available as part of the certified record, I do not believe this claim is waived because Appellant is alleging the continued unavailability of the transcript.