Court Opinion

ID: 9617993
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 05:04:56.860009+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:04:21.768165
License: Public Domain

TOM Glaze, Jusin death cases dissenting. I agree with the court that, in death cases where a Rule 37 petition is denied on procedural grounds, great care should be exercised to assume that the denial rests on solid footing. Here, that assurance exists without rebriefing, because this case can be decided on its merits, not on procedural grounds. While the appellant here failed to abstract the record, the State has gone to the transcript to argue and discuss the merits of appellant’s points. Our court has held repeatedly that it may go to the record to affirm, see McGehee v. State, 344 Ark. 602, 42 S.W.3d 474 (2001), and the State asks our court to do so here. Appellant Dansby is in no way prejudiced by our considering his and the State’s arguments in these circumstances, since appellant had every opportunity to review the record, as the State did, and argue in reply. The only one prejudiced, if you can call it that, is this court, which is called on to review those few portions of the record relevant to an understanding of appellant’s and the State’s arguments. Although this court always retains the discretion to require an appellant to abstract the record to cure a deficiency, it need not require such abstracting, if the court can reach the issues on their merits and judicial economy can be served. Cf. In re: Supreme Court Rules 2-3, 4-2, and 4-4, 346 Ark. Appx., per curiam delivered September 20, 2001. For the above reasons, I would proceed to consider this appeal on its merits rather than waste time making the appellant abstract a record which in no way is going to help his case, but will serve only to increase attorney’s fees and costs and will end in an unnecessary delay of this court’s decision.