Court Opinion

ID: 9844599
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 03:05:19.65548+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:15:38.713769
License: Public Domain

BISTLINE, Justice,
specially concurring.
Counsel who represented Kraft in Kraft II1 and Kraft III,2 while left wondering why the Kraft cases go unmentioned in our opinion released today, will be gratified that the entire Court has now turned to the American Bar Association Standards Relating to Post-Conviction Remedies for guidance in the troublesome area of repetitive post-conviction or habeas corpus petitions.
In Kraft II the concurring opinion of Bistline, J., after pointing out the view of Justice Bakes espoused in Kraft I that competence of counsel “should not have been considered and decided by this Court on an incomplete record,” 99 Idaho at 218, 579 P.2d at 1201, continued on to espouse the view that the Court should pass on the res judicata question, and that the American Bar Standards should be utilized. That point of view did not command the Court, nor did the Court acknowledge it in any manner.
Nevertheless, in Kraft III, which came up on the expedited calendar arrangement, with Justice McFadden and Justice Bistline not sitting, a unanimous Court including Justice Bakes ruled that Kraft’s petition for relief was barred by the civil doctrine of res judicata, the court drawing support for its application of the finality doctrine from Idaho’s version of the Uniform Post-Conviction Relief Act. 100 Idaho at 673-74, 603 P.2d at 1007-08.
In Kraft III the Court, although its quote from I.C. § 19-4908 included the exception from the waiver provisions where “the Court finds a ground for relief which for sufficient reason was not asserted or was inadequately raised in the original ... application,” failed to observe that Justice Bakes in Kraft I had well explained that competence of counsel could not have been adequately raised in the absence of an evidentiary hearing. Sorrier than that state of affairs the Kraft III Court was apparently totally unaware of the opinion of Bistline, J., in Kraft II, which opinion dealt fully with the American Bar Association Standards Relating to Post-Conviction Remedies § 6.1, and the accompanying commentary, all set forth at 99 Idaho 220, 579 P.2d 1203 — which seemed to demonstrate that Kraft would not be precluded from pursuing his claim for post-conviction relief because of counsel’s having inadequately raised it on direct appeal without an evidentiary record.
Although the Kraft III Court seemed to believe itself gathering some support for the res judicata stance there taken from a statement quoted therein which was made by Bistline, J., in the Ruth case,3 the signifi*598cant portion in that concurring opinion was this: “In this case nothing has been presented to this Court even tending to raise a factual issue as to the competence of trial counsel. For my part, I consider it so improvidently raised, that it would be better to consider it as not having been raised at all.” Id. at 881, 574 P.2d at 1359.
Finally, mention should be made of the Blackburn case,4 where Bistline, J., again suggested that counsel are entitled to a holding from this Court on the res judicata effect of raising (prematurely on an inadequate record) incompetence of counsel, and at the same time recommended “the adoption of a procedure [for abating the direct appeal while an evidentiary hearing was had in post-conviction proceedings] as mentioned in [Kraft II].” 99 Idaho at 223, 579 P.2d at 1206.
The Court’s analysis and’ guidance at least in one of those two areas finally comes with today’s opinion. Unfortunately Kraft III intervened ahead of today’s pronouncements, and more unfortunately the Court does not deign to mention the Kraft cases, or explain how Kraft III squares with our holding today. In such a casual manner the science of jurisprudence is not much advanced, assuming, as appears to be the case, that Kraft III is incompatible with that which we now declare to be the proper approach in dealing with repetitive petitions for post-conviction relief.
Today’s opinion is, of course, compatible with the opinion of Bistline, J., in Kraft II, adoption of which at that time would have been of value to the trial court in Palmer’s case and might have precluded this appeal and another district court hearing — and the possibility of a Palmer IV in this Court.

. Kraft v. State, 99 Idaho 214, 579 P.2d 1197 (1978).

. Kraft v. State, 100 Idaho 671, 603 P.2d 1005 (1979). Kraft I is found in State v. Kraft, 96 Idaho 901, 539 P.2d 254 (1975).

.State v. Ruth, 98 Idaho 879, 574 P.2d 1357 (1978).

. State v. Blackburn, 99 Idaho 222, 579 P.2d 1205 (1978).