Court Opinion

ID: 9542951
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 16:40:36.901159+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:09:21.530392
License: Public Domain

ORME, Judge
(dissenting):
I cannot agree that this court has jurisdiction over the instant appeal. I do not view this as an appeal from an order on petition for extraordinary writ “involving a criminal conviction,” Utah Code Ann. § 78-2a-3(2)(g) (1988), but rather an appeal from an order on petition for extraordinary writ involving an extradition proceeding growing out of a parole violation which in turn involves a criminal conviction. These extra steps, in my mind, greatly strain the limit of the admittedly broad term “involve” as used in our jurisdictional statute.
Moreover, extradition is a unique enough procedure in the law that I assume the Legislature would have referred to it specifically if it intended that this court have any role in extradition proceedings. Absent such a reference in our jurisdictional statute, see Utah Code Ann. § 78-2a-3 (1988), and given its historical status as a constitutional matter involving the governors of states, it seems entirely likely the Legislature intended extradition to be within the original appellate jurisdiction of the Utah Supreme Court. See Utah Code Ann. § 78-2-2© (1988).
Finally, this court’s jurisdiction over “appeals from orders on petitions for extraordinary writs involving a criminal conviction” is limited to those which are not convictions “involving a first degree or capital felony.” Utah Code Ann. § 78-2a-3(2)(g) (1988). The latter terms refer to the scheme for classifying criminal offenses committed in Utah. See Utah Code Ann. § 76-3-102, -103 (1988). I fail to see how an Idaho offense can be considered under this classification scheme.
I would transfer this appeal to the Utah Supreme Court for lack of jurisdiction in this court. See R. Utah CtApp. 4C.