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On Point is a judicial analysis blog written by members of the Wisconsin State Public Defenders. It includes cases from the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, Supreme Court of Wisconsin, and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Evidence, Admissibility – Sufficiency of Objection

State v. Van G. Norwood, 2005 WI App 218
For Norwood: Terry Evans Williams

Issue: Whether objection to admissibility of a defendant’s statement on the ground that it was “an offer of settlement” (which thus raised a § 904.08 bar) sufficed to raise a § 904.10 objection of an inadmissible offer to plead guilty.

Holding:

¶17      First, at the very least, trial counsel’s objection should have led the court to Wis.

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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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No-Merit Appeal: Generally

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

Issue/Holding:

¶16. The no merit appeal procedure has its genesis in Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967), and is codified in Wis. Stat. Rule 809.32. … Any motion to withdraw pursuant to Anders “necessarily implicates the merits of an appeal, because the premise of the motion is that the appeal is frivolous.”

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Certiorari — Availability

State ex rel. David C. Myers v. Swenson, 2004 WI App 224

For Myers: Christopher T. Sundberg; Bruce D. Huibregtse

Issue/Holding:

¶8 Myers appears to argue that the Wisconsin courts retain the ability to conduct certiorari review of a Wisconsin inmate’s due process or equal protection challenge to a disciplinary action, even if the challenge involves conduct and a disciplinary proceeding that took place while the inmate was housed out of state.

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Certiorari – Judicial Act – Review Limited to Determining Tribunal’s Jurisdiction

State v. Christopher Swiams, 2004 WI App 217, District 1, 10/19/04 (published); case activity

Issue/Holding:

¶8. … The State contends, however, that reconfinement orders may only be reviewed via common-law certiorari and not under Wis. Stat. Rule 809.30. It relies on State v. Bridges, 195 Wis. 2d 254, 536 N.W.2d 153 (Ct. App. 1995) (per curiam).

¶10.

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SVP – Disposition: Supervised Release – Revocation – Sufficiency of Evidence

State v. Ervin Burris, 2004 WI 91, affirming 2002 WI App 262, 258 Wis. 2d. 454, 654 N.W.2d 866
For Burris: Joseph L. Sommers

Issue/Holding:

¶73. Judge Welker found that Burris disregarded the rules of his supervised release in order to satisfy his compulsive urges. Burris consumed alcohol, a drug that lowers inhibitions. He abused the privileges provided to him in order to meet a married woman and have sex with her,

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Enlargement of Direct Appeal Deadline Based on Ineffective Assistance of Counsel – Habeas As Exclusive Mechanism

State v. Iran D. Evans, 2004 WI 84, reversing unpublished decision of court of appeals
For Evans: Robert R. Henak

Issue/Holding: The petition for writ of habeas corpus procedure mandated by State v. Knight, 168 Wis. 2d 509, 522, 484 N.W.2d 540 (1992) is the exclusive mechanism for seeking reinstatement of direct appeal deadlines lost on account of ineffective assistance of counsel;

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Appellate Procedure: Finality of Order

Derek J. Harder v. Carol L. Pfitzinger, 2004 WI 102

Issue/Holding:

¶15. If there are no further documents in the circuit court’s file and all substantive issues have been decided for one or more parties in an order or a judgment, there is usually less confusion about whether the time for appeal has begun to run, than when there is a subsequent court document. Our prior cases have attempted to remove confusion about when the time limits in Wis.

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Sentence Credit – SVP (Ch. 980) Custody

State ex rel. Michael J. Thorson v. Schwarz, 2004 WI 96, reconsideration denied, 2004 133affirming unpublished decision of court of appeals
For Thorson: Jefren E. Olsen, SPD, Madison Appellate

Issue/Holding: Time spent in detention during ch. 980 proceedings may not be credited toward service of the underlying criminal sentence. ¶¶29-38.

Thorson was serving a sentence for a 980-qualifying offense,

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Evidentiary Hearing – Pleading Requirements

State v. John Allen, 2004 WI 106, affirming unpublished decision
For Allen: Michael J. Backes

Issue/Holding:

¶14 A hearing on a postconviction motion is required only when the movant states sufficient material facts that, if true, would entitle the defendant to relief. …¶15 It has been said repeatedly that a postconviction motion for relief requires more than conclusory allegations. Despite the repetitive theme that such motions require the allegation of sufficient material facts that,

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On Point provides information (not legal advice) about important developments in the law. Please note that this information may not be up to date. Viewing this blog does not create an attorney-client relationship with the Wisconsin State Public Defender. Readers should consult an attorney for their legal needs.