Court Opinion

ID: 9882091
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-10-04 23:22:42.922063+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:48:18.929551
License: Public Domain

10/04/2023

            IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF MONTANA
                                                                                          Case Number: DA 23-0581

                                      DA 23-0581
                                   _________________

 STATE OF MONTANA,

              Plaintiff and Appellee,

       v.                                                              ORDER

 STEVEN JOSEPH JOHNSON,

              Defendant and Appellant.
                                _________________

       Chad Wright, Appellate Defender, petitions for an out-of-time appeal for Steven
Joseph Johnson from the Judgment entered on May 22, 2023, by the First Judicial District
Court, Lewis and Clark County, in Cause No. CDC-2021-202. The Attorney General’s
Office does not object to this motion.
       Wright asserts that Johnson’s trial counsel mis-calendared the deadline for referring
this matter to the Appellate Defender Division and thus failed to do so timely.
       Wright argues that it would be unjust to deny Johnson the right to appeal when the
untimeliness of the Notice of Appeal was caused by an error outside of Johnson’s control.
       We grant out-of-time appeals under M. R. App. P. 4(6) when an appellant
establishes the existence of “extraordinary circumstances amounting to a gross miscarriage
of justice,” which would exist if we were to deny the petition here.
       IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that the petition for an out-of-time appeal is
GRANTED.
       IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that, on or before November 3, 2023, the Appellate
Defender shall prepare, file, and serve a Notice of Appeal and a Request for Transcripts, if
necessary, in compliance with the Montana Rules of Appellate Procedure.
       The Clerk is directed to provide copies of this Order to all counsel of record.

                                                                               Electronically signed by:
                                                                                     Mike McGrath
                                                                        Chief Justice, Montana Supreme Court
                                                                                    October 4 2023