Court Opinion

ID: 9796145
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 03:50:18.938051+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:48:20.301797
License: Public Domain

Greene, J.,
dissenting: I respectfully dissent from that portion of the majority opinion that concludes that there can be no ineffective assistance of counsel claim against counsel appointed for postconviction proceedings pursuant to K.S.A. 2002 Supp. 22-4506(b). I recognize that this conclusion appears to be buttressed by tire decision of a panel of our court in Holt v. Saiya, 28 Kan. App. 2d 356, 362, 17 P.3d 368 (2000), which stated that “Kansas law is clear that in collateral post-conviction proceedings, an inmate does not have a constitutional right to counsel and without a constitutional right, there can be no claim of ineffective assistance of counsel.” Notwithstanding this claim of “clear” law, our Supreme Court has not had occasion to address the issue.
With due respect to the Saiya panel, it appears to me that we may have too quickly applied federal law addressing whether there is a constitutional right to effective assistance of counsel; such decisions are not necessarily instructive and certainly not controlling when addressing the statutory right to counsel in Kansas postconviction proceedings. The reason that there is no basis for a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel in some states and in the federal system is that there is no right to counsel in such proceedings. As stated in Saiya, “[i]f there is no right to counsel, there can be no *407claim of ineffective assistance of counsel.” 28 Kan. App. 2d at 363. In Kansas, however, there is a statutory right to counsel, and the rationale of the decisions cited in Saiya becomes wholly inapplicable. Moreover, our decisions prior to Saiya appear to have been prone to the same error. See Foy v. State, 17 Kan. App. 2d 775, 776, 844 P.2d 744, rev. denied 252 Kan. 1091 (1993); Robinson v. State, 13 Kan. App. 2d 244, 249, 767 P.2d 851, rev. denied 244 Kan. 738 (1989).
The proper analysis of the issue should include a determination of legislative intent in K.S.A. 2002 Supp. 22-4506(b), which provides:
“If the court finds that the petition or motion presents substantial questions of law or triable issues of fact and if the petitioner or movant has been or is thereafter determined to be an indigent person as provided in K.S.A. 22-4504 and amendments thereto, the court shall appoint counsel from the panel for indigents’ defense services or otherwise in accordance with the applicable system for providing legal defense services for indigent persons prescribed by the state board of indigents’ defense services . . . .” (Emphasis added.)
Granted, the statute does not expressly require “competent” or “effective” counsel, but it is difficult if not impossible to argue that the legislature was entirely indifferent to the quality of services provided; mandatory appointment of legal counsel surely presumes some modicum of competence—if not, the legislative mandate would appear rather meaningless if not a mockery of justice. Moreover, the legislative intent for such services to be reasonably competent is manifested by K.S.A. 2002 Supp. 22-4522, which authorizes the Kansas Board of Indigents’ Defense Services to adopt rules and regulations establishing “qualifications, standards and guidelines for public defenders, appointed counsel and contract counsel.” K.S.A. 2002 Supp. 22-4522(e)(4). I would find that these statutes contemplate that the legal services required in these circumstances should be reasonably competent and effective, and if in a given case the services provided fail to demonstrate some reasonable modicum of competence, the indigent should have a claim for ineffective assistance of counsel. Whether the standards and test for effectiveness should be on a par with the constitutional *408standards of Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 80 L. Ed. 2d 674, 104 S. Ct. 2052 (1984) remains to be determined.
For this court to recognize that an indigent has a statutory right to counsel, but then refuse to require some modicum of competence by such counsel, seems repugnant to the obvious legislative intent. I respectfully disagree with the holding and rationale of Saiya, so I must part company from my brethren in the majority, notwithstanding my respect for their reliance upon stare decisis. I would hold that when a district court deems the threshold requirements of K.S.A. 2002 Supp. 22-4506 and Rule 183 (2003 Kan. Ct. R. Annot. 213) have been met and counsel has been appointed, the services provided must be reasonably competent and effective, and if they are not, I would recognize a claim for ineffective assistance of counsel.
I would remand for an evidentiaiy hearing where the merits of McCarty’s claims of ineffective assistance of his postconviction counsel can be presented and considered by the district court.