Court Opinion

ID: 9785502
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-30 22:05:04.517747+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:36:27.513989
License: Public Domain

Chief Justice TROUT,
dissenting.
Because I believe I.C. § 19-2719 deprives this Court of jurisdiction to consider the merits of Sivak’s petition for post-conviction relief, I must respectfully dissent from the Court’s opinion in this case. Idaho Code § 19-2719(5) states:
If the defendant fails to apply for relief as provided in this section and within the time limits specified, he shall be deemed to have waived such claims for relief as were known, or reasonably should have been known. The courts of Idaho shall have no power to consider any such claims for relief as have been so waived or grant any such relief.
In the past, this Court has strictly construed this provision as depriving this Court of jurisdiction over all claims for post-conviction relief that were known, or could reasonably have been known, within 42 days of the judgment imposing the death sentence. See, e.g., Paradis v. State, 128 Idaho 223, 227, 912 *651P.2d 110, 114 (1996); Pizzuto v. State, 127 Idaho 469, 471, 903 P.2d 58, 60 (1995); Paz v. State, 123 Idaho 758, 760, 852 P.2d 1355, 1357 (1993).
In this case, Sivak’s claim concerning the alleged deal between the prosecutor and Leytham was raised, addressed on its merits, and denied in his prior petition for post-conviction relief and was therefore clearly known within statutory time limits set by I.C. § 19-2719. Because Sivak has alleged only new evidence in support of an old claim, rather than alleging a new claim for relief that was not known, and could not reasonably have been known, within the statutory time limits, I believe I.C. § 19-2719(5) operates as a complete procedural bar to this portion of Sivak’s petition. Similarly, as discussed in the majority opinion, I.C. § 19-2719(5) is also a complete procedural bar to Sivak’s claim of prosecutorial misconduct. Consequently, I believe this Court should have dismissed Sivak’s petition for lack of jurisdiction rather than affirming the district court’s summary dismissal of the petition.
Justice SILAK concurs.