Court Opinion

ID: 9429694
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-02 23:27:40.511878+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:23:20.951874
License: Public Domain

Justice Powell,
concurring.
I join the opinion and judgment of the Court. I write separately only to make clear that I continue to adhere to the views expressed in my concurring opinion in Hankerson v. North Carolina, 432 U. S. 233, 246-248 (1977).
In Hankerson, I agreed with the Court that the new constitutional rule announced in Mullaney v. Wilbur, 421 U. S. 684 (1975), should apply retroactively to cases on direct review. • In this case, the rule of Mullaney has been applied retroactively on collateral review. For the reasons stated by Justice Harlan in Mackey v. United States, 401 U. S. 667, 675-702 (1971) (separate opinion), I would apply new constitutional rules retroactively on collateral review only in exceptional cases. See Hankerson, supra, at 247-248 (Powell, J., concurring). The State, however, has not challenged the retroactive application of Mullaney in this case. Thus, the issue whether that retroactive application is proper has not been presented to this Court.
Assuming, as we must, that Mullaney may be applied retroactively in this case, and for the reasons set forth in the Court’s opinion today, I agree that Ross has shown “cause” for failing to raise his constitutional claim in a timely fashion.