Wainright v. Torna, 455 U.S. 586 (1982)
U.S. Supreme Court
Wainright v. Torna, 455 U.S. 586 (1982)
Wainright v. Torna
No. 81-362
Decided March 22, 1982
455 U.S. 586
Syllabus
Held: The Federal District Court properly dismissed respondent state prisoner's habeas corpus petition asserting that he had been denied his right to the effective assistance of counsel because an application for certiorari -- filed by his retained counsel in the Florida Supreme Court to review the Florida District Court of Appeal's affirmance of respondent's state conviction -- had been dismissed as not having been timely filed. Respondent did not contest the District Court's finding that review by the Florida Supreme Court was discretionary. Since a criminal defendant does not have a constitutional right to counsel to pursue discretionary state appeals, Ross v. Moffitt, 417 U. S. 600, respondent could not be deprived of the effective assistance of counsel by his retained counsel's failure to file a timely application.
Certiorari granted; 649 F.2d 290, reversed.