On Point blog, page 3 of 4

Serial Litigation Bar: Application to Motion for Postconviction Discovery

State v. Terry L. Kletzien, Jr., 2011 WI App 22; for Kletzien: James A. Rebholz; case activity; Kletzien BiC; State Resp.; Reply

In a prior appeal, Kletzien unsuccessfully challenged denial of postconviction discovery,  2008 WI App 182. (See, e.g., State v. O’Brien, 223 Wis. 2d 303,

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Collateral Attack – Serial Litigation Bar

State v. Paul Dwayne Westmoreland, 2009AP2288, District 1, 11/2/10

court of appeals decision (3-judge, not recommended for publication); pro se; Resp. Brief

¶14     Escalona-Naranjo requires that a defendant raise all grounds for postconviction relief in his or her first postconviction motion or in the defendant’s direct appeal.  See id., 185 Wis. 2d at 185.  A defendant may not pursue claims in a subsequent appeal that could have been raised in an earlier postconviction motion or direct appeal unless the defendant provides a “‘sufficient reason’” for not raising the claims previously. 

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Herbert Johnson, Sr. v. Thurmer, 7th Cir No. 07-2628, 10/18/10

7th circuit court of appeals decision, on habeas review of summary order of Wisconsin court of appeals

Habeas – Procedural Default & No-Merit Report

Johnson’s failure to assert an ineffective assistance of (trial) counsel claim in response to his appellate attorney’s no-merit report did not procedurally default that claim for purposes of subsequent collateral attack. The court follows Page v. Frank, 343 F.3d 901 (7th Cir.

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Serial Litigation Bar and No-Merit Procedure

State v. Aaron A. Allen, 2010 WI 89, affirming unpublished decision; for Allen: Robert R. Henak; BiC; Resp.; Reply

¶4   We conclude, following Wis. Stat. § 974.06, that a defendant is not required to file a response to a no-merit report. This means he is not required to raise issues in response to a no-merit report.

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State v. Roy K. Collins, 2009AP1060, District I, 4/27/10

court of appeals decision (3-judge; not recommended for publication); pro se; Resp. Br.

Serial Litigation Bar
Collins’ § 974.06 motion is procedurally barred by his failure to allege a “sufficient reason” for not previously raising issues as part of his prior, no-merit appeal, ¶1.

Bit more interesting than that, in the following sense: the court not only pays lip service to the idea that it “must pay close attention to whether the no merit procedures were followed,”

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Postconviction Motions – § 974.06, Serial Litigation Bar, Penalty Enhancer Exception

State v. Thomas A. Mikulance, 2006 WI App 69
Pro se

Issue/Holding: A “narrow” exception to the serial litigation bar of § 974.06(4) and State v. Escalona-Naranjo, 185 Wis. 2d 168, 185, 517 N.W.2d 157 (1994) is established by State v. Flowers, 221 Wis. 2d 20, 27, 586 N.W.2d 175 (Ct. App. 1998), which “applies only where the defendant files a motion alleging that the State has failed to prove the prior conviction necessary to sustain the habitual criminal status (by proof or by admission) or when the penalty imposed is longer than permitted by law for a repeater,” ¶¶1,

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No-Merit Report: No Serial Litigation Bar Where Arguably Meritorious Issue Overlooked

State v. Ricky J. Fortier, 2006 WI App 11

Issue/Holding: Fortier’s failure to respond to no merit report does not, under the circumstances, work serial litigation bar to subsequent, arguably meritorious challenge to sentence:

¶15      Fortier contends that he should not be precluded from raising the issue of a sentence illegally raised upon resentencing, even though he failed to raise it in a response to the no-merit report at the time of the original appeal. 

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Postconviction Motions – § 974.06, Serial Litigation Bar

State v. Tommie Thames, 2005 WI App 101
Pro se

Issue/Holding:

¶12      We conclude that Thames’s arguments are procedurally barred. Thames has raised essentially the same issues he raised in his direct appeal and in his 1997 Wis. Stat. § 974.06 motion. The fact that Thames’s appeal of the trial court’s order denying his 1997 § 974.06 motion was dismissed pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 809.83(2) (1997-98) [6] does not change the result.

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Serial Litigation Bar (Escalona-Naranjo): Applicable to No-Merit Report, § 809.32 (Anders Appeal)

State v. Christopher G. Tillman, 2005 WI App 71
Tillman, pro se

Issue/Holding:

¶2. The issue on the instant appeal is whether the procedural bar of Escalona-Naranjo may be applied when a prior appeal was processed under the no merit procedure set forth in Wis. Stat. Rule 809.32. For the reasons stated below, we conclude that the procedural bar of Escalona-Naranjo,

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Serial Litigation Bar (Escalona-Naranjo): Applicable to SVP Commitments

State v. Thomas H. Bush (II), 2004 WI App 193, reversed in part, 2005 WI 103
For Bush: Robert G. LeBell

Issue: Whether Bush, on appeal from denial of petition for release from SVP commitment, § 980.09(2), is procedurally barred from challenging the constitutionality of his underlying commitment because he could have raised such challenge in a prior appeal.

Holding:

¶13.

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