Petition — Siviglia v. United States
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92-1130 "Supreme Court, U.S.
FILED
NOV 10 1962
NO.
: . AL=XANDER L. STEVAS
4 October Term, 1982 ss
JOSEPH M. SIVIGLIA,
Petitioner,
Vv.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
SE Se bt Nee ee
Respondent.
$ PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI
. TO THE
& UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
e FOR THE
re. TENTH CTRCUIT
(Decision En Banc, June 23, 1982)
(Petition for Rehearing
Denied En Banc 10 September!982)
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ROGER S. HANSON, ESQ.
518 South Broadway
Santa Ana, California
92701
(714) 558-0921
Member of Bar
U.S. Supreme Court
Attorney for Petitioner
sod
.NO.
October Term, 1982
JOSEPH M. SIVIGLIA,
Petitioner,
Vv.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Respondent.
PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI
TO THE
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE
TENTH CIRCUIT
(Decision En Banc, June 23, 1982)
(Petition for Rehearing
Denied En Banc 10 September1982)
ROGER S. HANSON, ESQ.
518 South Broadway
Santa Ana, California
92701
(714) 558-0921
Member of Bar
U.S. Supreme Court
Attorney for Petitioner
In accord with Rule 21, Rules of the
Supreme Court of the United States, petitioner
avers the following:
(a) Questions Presented for Review:
This entire Petition for Certiorari seeks a
nationwide interpretation of Federal Rule Crim-
inal Procedure 33, under an existing conflict
in the Circuits, where the U.S. 10th Circuit
en banc has ruled that it has permanently lost
jurisdiction of the appeal on the merits by
granting a motion to remand and it includes
the following subsidiary issues/questions$
1. Whether a United States Court of
Appeals should deny without prejudice a motion
to remand a pending appeal in a Federal Crim-
inal conviction until first an application is
made to the trial level United States District
Court under Rule 33, Federal Rules of Criminal
Procedure where the defendant/petitionery/
appellant acting by counsel, seeks remand in
order to make a Motion for a New Trial pending
that appeal?
2. Whether the conflict among the
various United States Court of Appeals con-
cerning interpretation of F.R.Crim.P. 33
requires the Grant of Certiorari to interpret
this rule and resolve the conflict. See
in this regard United States v. Phillips, 558
F.2d 363 (6th Cir. 1977) and United States v.
Fuentes-Lozano, 580 F.2d 724 (Sth Cir. 1978)
(see also the follow-up appeal on the merits at
600 F.2d 552 (5th Cir. 1979)) requiring that the
Circuit Court deny application for remand until
application is first made to the District Court;
cf. the instant case, where U.S. 10th Circuit
grants said motion and rules it has permanently
lost jurisdiction of the merits of the pending
appeal.
3. Whether a UnitedStates Court of
Appeals permanently loses jurisdiction of a
pending Federal Criminal appeal under Rule 33,
F.R. Crim.P., by remand of that appeal to allow
the District Court to consider a motion for a
new trial made during the pending Federal
ii
Criminal appeal?
4. Whether, in view of the large number
of existing authorities which uniformly hold,
mandate, or at least suggest that application.
for remand to the District Court under Rule 33
of a Federal Criminal Appeal pending in the U.S
Circuit must first be made to the District Judg
who will then seek remand if and only if he fee
the motion for a new trial meritorious, has
this petitioner been denied the effective
assistance of counsel guaranteed under the 6th
Amendment to the United States Constitution by
his counsel on appeal solely and initially '
seeking remand of the pending appeal hy filing
Said application in the U.S. Circuit Court and
failing to seek only a temporary and qualified
remand, resulting in loss of the entire appeal
without consideration onthe merits because the
Circuit Court ruled it hadpermanently lost
jurisdiction when it remanded to the U.S.
District Court?
5. Whether the U.S. 10th Circuit can
iii
retroactively apply a newly promulgated
precedural decision so as to permanently
deny this petitioner resolution of the appeal
of his conviction of a Federal Crime without
a Hearing on the merits, on its own interpre-
taion that it has permanently lost jurisdiction
upon remand to the U.S. District Court?
(b) As far as is known, the only parties
affected by this case and petition are the
respondent United States and the petitioner
Joseph M. Siviglia.
iv
NO.
October Term, 1982
JQSEPH M. SIVIGLIA,
Petitioner,
Vv.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Respondent.
PETITION FOR CERTICRARI
TO THE
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE
TENTH CIRCUIT
TO THE HONORABLE WARREN E. BURGER, CHIEF
JUSTICE OF THE UNITED STATES AND TO THE HONOR-
AELE ASSOCIATE JUSTICES OF THE UNITED STATES
SUPREME COURT:
JOSEPH M. SIVIGLIA, petitioner, by his
counsel, ROGER S. HANSON, seeks Certiorari
to the United States Court of Appeals, Tenth
Circuit, en banc, published decision
entered June 23, 1982.
Dated: October 31 » 1982 at Santa ‘Ana,
California.
spectfully) submitted,
Atko ey for Petitioner
Member of Bar
- Supreme Court
Item Page Appearing
(a.) Questions Presented for
RN 6) 6. eecermeseiemerte. a a Ses i
Cb.) Parekes. to FroceeGing. . .. .°. “@
te.) 43) -Tebie er Comtemee .. .. « o- 3
(c.) 2. Table of Authorities
Se Ss ha ek ss ee 5
(d.) Official Reports of the U.S.
10th Circuit Panel and En Banc
Decisions; Decision on rissa
for Rehearing En Banc
(e.) Jurisdictional Statement... . 7
(f.) United States Constitutional
PECORIORS ores ee he a 8
(g.) Concise Statement of Case ... 10
(h.)-(i.) Basis of Federal
Juv SsGeGlOn snow ee he ee eee
AO Yr oe RE RT Se NS
ae a ee ae eee em.
(C.) 1. Table of Contents
(i) Second Panel Decision
of U.S. 10th Circuit
on 2d Appeal, Denying
Appeal: on Merits, rendered
June 15, 1981 (Judges
Seth, Barrett, McKay) . . A-l
(ii) En Banc Decision of
US. 10th Circuit,
Denying Appeal on Merits,
rendered June 23, 1982
(Judges Seth, McWilliams,
Barrett, Doyle, McKay,
Seymour; Dissents by
Judges ar a
FO ae iar ie es St
(iii) Order Denying Petition
for Rehearing, En Banc
rendered September
OO a ae Cem «|
a a a
(m.) Certificate of Service by Mail . Final
(C.) 2. Table of Authorities and Cases
Case Page Appearing
Beasley v. United States
491 F. 2d 687 (6th Cir. 1974) 25
Betts v. Brady
316 U.S. 455 25
Cooper v. Fitzharris
586 F.2d 1325 (9th Cir. 1978
en banc) 25
Firestone Tire and rubber Co.
v. Risjord
449 U.S. 368, 101 S.Ct. 669,
L. Ed. 2d 14, 28, 29
Gideon v. Wainwright
372 U.8.: 333 25
Herring v. Estelle
491 F. 2d 125 (Sth Cir. 1974) 25
Knight v. United States
213 F. 2d 669 (Sth Cir.) 27
Marzullo v. State of Marvland
561 F. 2d 540 (4th Cir. 1977) 25
McMann v. Richerdson
397 U.S. 759 25
Moore v. United States
432 F. 2d 730 (3rd Cir. 1970
en banc) 25
United States v. DeCoster
159 U.S. APP. D.C. 326
487 F. 2d 1197 (D.C. Cir. 1973) 25
United States v. Easter
539 F. 2d 663 (8th Cir. 1976)
United States ex. rel.
William v. Twomey
510 F. 2d 634 (7th Cir. 1974)
United States v. Frame
454 F. 2d 1136 (9th Cir.)
United States v. Fuentes-Lozano
580 F. 2d 724 (5th Cir. 1978)
United States v. Fuentes-Lozano
600 F. 2d 552 (5th Cir. 1979)
United States v. Lowell
649 F. 2d 950 (3rd Cir.)
United States v. Phillips
558 F. 2d 363 (6th Cir. 1977)
United States v. Siviglia
U.S... (10th Cir. 1982
en banc
Zamloch v. United States
187 F. 2d 854 (9th Cir.)
25
25
27
43: Gh%.47, hoc
aa; av
27
4a, 12,27, dace
ie
(d) The initial decision of the U.S.
Court of Appeals (3 Judge panel) is reported
as United States v. Siviglia, F.2d_
(JOth Cir. 1982 ) and the En Banc opinion is
reported as United States v. Siviglia, F.2d
__» (10th Cir. 1982 En Banc).
(e) Grounds for Jurisdiction of this
Court:
(i) Date of Panel opinion (Judges
Seth, Barrett and McKay: June 15, 1981
Date of En Banc Opinion (Judges
Seth, McWilliams, Barrett, Doyle, McKay,
Seymour; dissents by Judges Holloway and
Logan:
June 23, 1982
(ii) A petition for rehearing En Banc
was made and denied on September 10, 1982 .
(iii) Does not apply.
(iv) The statutory provision believed
to confer on this Court jurisdiction to
review the judgment or decree in question by
Writ of Certiorari is 28 U.S.C. 2354(1).
(f) United States Constitutional Provi-
sions involved:
AMENDMENT V
No person shall be held to answer for a
capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on
a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, ex-
cept in cases arising in the land or naval for-
ces, or in the Militia, when in actual service
in time or War or public danger; nor shall any
person be subject for the same offence to be
twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall
be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness
against himself, nor be deprived of life, liber-
ty, or property, without due process of law;
nor shall private property be taken for public
use, without just compensation.
AMENDMENT VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused
shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public
trial, by an impartial jury of the State and
district wherein the crime shall have been
committed, which district shall have been
previously ascertained by law, and to be in-
formed of the nature and cause of the accusa-
tion; to be confronted with the witnesses
against him; to have compulsory process for
obtaining witnesses in his favor; and to have
the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.
FEDERAL RULE CRIMINAL PROCEDURE 33
The Court on motion of a defendant may
grant a new trial to him if required in the
interest of justice. If trial was by the
court without a jury the court on motion of a
defendant for a new trial may vacate the
judgment if entered, take additional testimony
and direct the entry of a new judgment. A
motion for new trial based on the ground of
newly discovered evidence may be made only
before or within two years after final judg-
ment, but if an appeal is pending the court
may grant the motion only on remand of the
case. A motion for a new trial based on any
other grounds shall be made within 7 days after
verdict or finding of guilty or within such
further time as the court may fix during the
7-day period. (As amended Feb. 28, 1966, eff.
July 1, 1966).
(g) Concise statement of the Case with
facts material to consideration of the ques-
tions presented:
Petitioner Joseph M. Siviglia was charged
with counts of 18 U.S.C. 371, conspiracy to
transport, receive and conceal stolen motor
vehicles; 18 U.S.C. 2313 and 2, transporting
stolen motor vehicles; 18 U.S.C. 2313, receiv-
ing stolen vehicles, in the United States
District Court in the District of New Mexico.
Following jury trial, petitioner was acquitted
of one count and convicted of the other counts.
On appeal to the U.S. 10th Circuit, a panel
of that circuit reversed the conviction on
June 5, 1978 in an unpublished opinion for
gross prejudicial misconduct on the part of
the Assistant United States Attorney during
closing argument.
Petitioner was retried on said charges,
10
was reconvicted, and took a second appeal to
the U.S. 10th Circuit. While that appeal was
pending, counsel on appeal desired to file a
Motion for a New Trial under F.R.CRIM.P. 33
in the District Court in New Mexico. While a
host of existing decisions (see e.g. United
States v. Phillips, 558 U.S. 363 (6th Cir. 1977)
and United States v. Fuentes-Lozano, 580 F.2d
734 (5th Cir. 1978) suggested that the accep-
table and safe procedure to insure viability
of the direct appeal at the circuit level,
should an adverse result be obtained in the
District Court on the Motion for a New Trial,
would be to file the Motion to Remand Under
Rule 33 in the District Court, appelate counsel
filed it in the U.S. 10th Circuit.
On or about September 7, 1979, the U.S.
10th Circuit, acting solely by a single judge,
granted the motion to remand to the U.S. Dis-
trict Court in Albuquerque.
Following an evidentiary hearing, the
United States District Court denied the Motion
11
for a New Trial and a timely appeal from that
denial was taken and filed as No. 79-2180.
Appellate counsel sought to return the
direct appeal to the U.S. 10th Circuit for
Hearing on the Merits in No. 79-1004, and the
two appeals were consolidated for oral argu-
ment. While neither the Government nor appel-
lant-petitioner raised the issue, a panel of
the U.S. 10th Circuit ruled that it had
permanently lost jurisdiction in cause No.
79-1004, the direct appeal on the merits from
the conviction, because the remand sought and
granted was unqualified, i.e., it was a
permanent remand although the three-judge panel
clearly admitted that it was quite apparent
that appellate counsel for petitioner did not
intend to abandon the direct appeal, and in
effect had desired merely a temporary and
qualified remand for the purposes of the Motion
for New Trial under F.R.CRIM.P. 33. See page
19 of this petition for Rule 33; see Appendix
"A" for the three-judge panel decision. In
12
effect, the U.S. 10th Circuit three-judge panel
refused to rule on the merits of the appeal in
cause No. 79-1004 because it had "permanently
divested itself of jurisdiction" when it re-
manded the cause for the purposes of the Motion
for a New Trial.
Petitioner sought a hearing En Banc and
that hearing was granted; on or about June 23,
1982, voting 6-2, with Circuit Judges Holloway
and Logan dissenting, the U.S. 10th Circuit
En Banc embraced the analysis of the panel de-
cision. See Appendix "B."
A Petition for Rehearing En Banc was made
and denied on September 10, 1982. See Appen-
dix "Cc."
The result of the U.S. 10th Circuit in
United States v. Siviglia, F.2d, (10th
Cir. 1982) is at gross variance and is in con-
flict with all other known decisions of other
Federal Circuit Courts of Appeal, and the con-
flict in the Circuits must cause this Honor-
able Court to grant Certiorari to resolve this
13
ambiguity in Federal criminal procedure which
quite obviously is a serious and recurring
national Federal criminal procedural issue
under Rule 33, F.R.CRIM.P.
The case at bar, if it is allowed to
stand, has denied this Petitioner his right
to appeal his Federal criminal conviction and
that result has been based on the alleged com-
mand of this Honorable Court in a Civil Case,
Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. v. Risjord, 449
U.S. 366, bEd. 24, 101 8.Ct. 669,
which was retroactively applied in this Federal
Criminal Conviction.
Further, it is rather apparent that the
loss of the direct appeal occurred solely as
a result of appellate counsel failing to take
cognizance of and to follow the manifold ex-
tanc decisions which mandated the proper pro-
cedure to follow to insure continued viability
of the pending appeal should the Motion for
New Trial made under Rule 33 not be successful.
This failure of appellate counsel to familiar-
14
ize himself with the non-deviating authority
prescribing remand application to the U.S.
District Court and not to the Circuit Court
constitutes ineffective assistance of counsel
recognized in a host of Federal Circuit Court
opinions and also, of course, by this Honor-
able Court. See the cited cases in the
Argument.
15
(i) Basis of Federal Jurisdiction:
Petitioner Siviglia was indicted by the United
States Grand Jury for the District of New Mexico
and was charged in U.S. District Court with
violations of 18 U.S.C. 371, 18 U.S.C. 2312 and
2, and 18 U.S.C. 2313.
(3) ARGUMENT
PETITIONER SIVIGLIA WAS DENIED
FEDERAL DUE PROCESS OF LAW UNDER
THE FIFTH AMENDMENT AND THE
EFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL
ON APPEAL UNDER THE SIXTH AMENDMENT
BY HIS APPELLATE COUNSEL MOVING THE
CIRCUIT COURT FOR A REMAND, RATHER
THAN THE DISTRICT COURT, IN ORDER
TO MAKE A MOTION FOR A NEW TRIAL
UNDER F.R.CRIM.P.33; ALTERNATELY,
THE U.S. COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE
10TH CIRCUIT HAS CREATED PROCEDURAL
LAW IN CONFLICT WITH ALL OTHER KNOWN
DECISIONS OF THE FEDERAL CIRCUIT
16
COURTS WHICH HAVE RULEDON THIS
PROCEDURAL ISSUE, AND HAS APPLIED
IT RETROACTIVELY AGAINST PETITIONER
TO DEPRIVE HIM OF A RESOLUTION OF
HIS APPEAL ON THE MERITS FROM A
FEDERAL CRIMINAL CONVICTION.
UNDER EXISTING LAW, E.G., UNITED
STATES V. PHILLIPS, 558 F.2d 363,
(6th CIR. 1977) AND UNITED STATES
V. FUENTES-LOZANO, 580 F.2d. 724,
(Sth CIR. 1978) AN APPELLATE
ATTORNEY CAN INSURE THE CONTINUED
VIABILITY OF A FEDERAL CRIMINAL
APPEAL BY FIRST AND ONLY MAKING
APPLICATION TO THE U.S. DISTRICT
COURT WHO HAS LIMIr ED JURISDICTION
TO EITHER DENY THE MOTION WITHOUT
SEEKING REMAND, OR IF THE DISTRICT
JUDGE FINDS MERIT TO THE MOTION,
HE CAN SEEK REMAND UNDER THE INTEN-
TION TO GRANT THE MOTION FOR A NEW
TRIAL.
17
IN THE CASE AT BAR, THE U.S.
10TH CIRCUIT HAS RULED THAT IT
HAS PERMANENTLY LOST JURISDICTION
TO FORECLOSE RESOLUTION OF THE
DIRECT APPEAL BY APPELLATE COUNSEL
INITIALLY SEEKING REMAND FROM THE
CIRCUIT.
NO COMBINATION OF NEW RETROACTIVELY
APPLIED PROCEDURAL DECISION OR COUNSEL
INEFFECTIVENESS SHOULD EXIST TO DE-
PRIVE A FEDERAL APPELLANT HIS RIGHT
TO APPEAL.
CONSEQUENTLY, CERTIORARI SHOULD BE
GRANTED.
The case at bar presents, as far as is known,
the first national requirement to interpret
Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 33, which
provides:
18
FEDERAL RULE CRIMINAL PROCEDURE 33
The Court on motion of a defendant may grant
a new trial to him if required in the interest of
justice. If trial was by the court without a
jury the court on motion of a defendant for a
new trial may vacate the judgment if entered,
take additional testimony and direct the entry
of a new judgment. A motion for new trial
based on the ground of newly discovered evidence
may be made only before or within two years after
final jucgment, but if an appeal is pending the
court may grant the motion only on remand of the
case. A motion for a new trial based on any
other grounds shall be made within 7 days after
verdic or finding of guilty or within such
7-day period. (As amended Feb. 28, 1966, eff.
July 1, 1966).
19
(a) The ineffective assistance of counsel
issue.
Generally said, detenee counsel holding them-
selves out to be qualified to handle Federal
criminal appellate cases must be charged with
knowledge of the leading decisions which would
insure the continued viability of a pending
Federal Appeal should they deem it necessary to
seek a new trial based on newly discovered evi-
dence under F.R.CRIM.P. 33 while the appeal is
pending.
The manifold decisions in existence when
appellate counsel moved to remand this appeal
during its pendency in the U.S. 10th Circuit made
it clear that the seeking of the remand from the
District Judge would insure the continued life of
the pendiny appeal should the District Judge, in
exercising his limited jurisdiction to evaluate
the new trial motion, deemed it non-meritorious.
On the other hand, in failing to ask for a
qualified and temporary remand for the sole
purpose of evaluating the new trial motion, and
20
by seeking the remand from the 10th Circuit,
appellate counsel placed the appeal in jeopardy
and in effect abandoned it. When the Motion for
New Trial was resolved adverse to petitioner,
appellate counsel sought return to the 10th Cir-
cuite for resolution of the appeal in 79-1004 on
the merits. Clearly, as the 10th Circuit has
noted in its opinion, Appendix "B", appellate
counsel did not intend to abandon the direct
appeal, but really sought a limited and qualified
remand for the purpose of the Motion for the New
Trial under Rule 33.
Other Circuits (e.g. United States v.
Phillips, 558 F.2d 363 (6th Cir. 1977)) have
refused remand when the request is filed in the
circuit, forcing the petitioner-appellant to go
to the District Court; other Circuits, (e.g.,
United States v. Fuentes-Lozano, 580 F.2d 724,
(Sth Cir. 1978)) have provided that the motion
for remand, if made in the Circuit, can be
granted without permanently divesting itself of
jurisdiction to entertain the merits of the
21
appeal when the motion for new trial is unsuccess-
ful. The 5th Circuit thus sanctioned either an
application first to the Circuit or first to the
District Court, and did not anihilate the
petitioner-appellant's appeal if the Rule 33
motion was proven to be non-meritorious. See
United States v. Fuentes-Lozano, 600 F.2d 552
(Sth Cir. 1979).
Thus alert Federal appellate counsel familiar
with the foregoing cases, and a host of others,
easily ascertained from United States Code
Annotated, referenced to F.R.CRIM.P. 33 would
have been aware of the pitfalls and shoals
lurking beneath the uncharted waters of an
initial ungualified remand motion filed with
the Circuit.
The minimal mandates for counsel effective-
ness has been spelled out in a host of decisions.
The “farce, sham, and mockery” standard, of
course, is no longer with us. Plainly counsel
can miss an issue on appeal and not necessarily
be “ineffective” but it goes without saying that
22
a mistake of procedure which causes a loss of
the entire appeal where it is saliently clear that
ample authority existed to teach one how to avoid
that catastrophic result cannot be excused.
The En Banc 10th Circuit opinion cavalierly
attempts to shunt aside current counsel's allegatio
and assertion of counsel ineffectiveness by a
terse reference:
",..That particular issue cannot
be injected into the present
proceeding in such offhand manner.
Furthermore, there is nothing in
the record to support the sugges-
tion...' (Page B-7 , Appendix
"B ", this petition)
Two comments are in order:
l. It was the U.S. 10th Circuit that "in-
jected" the issue of "loss of jurisdiction"
into the appeal; neither appellant nor respondent
suggested such an epoch-making result and neither
party briefed the issue nor was it even suggested
by the 3-judge panel during oral argument in
23
the manner presented in the panel opinion; hence
counsel could not, and did not, suggest counsel
ineffectiveness because there wes no such
suggestion prior to the opinion of the panel that
this result would be the fate of No. 79-1004;
2. Of course, the record could not possibly
contain an evidentiary hearing looking into
counsel ineffectiveness for the U.S. 10th Circuit
developed this issue itself after all briefs
were filed and the case orally argued on the
merits, no one addressing the Court on the issue;
all we suggest here is when the entire right to
appeal a Fecera) criminal conviction is emasculated
by appellate counsel failing to adhere to well
established guidelines from other Circuits in
Rule 33 procedures, that is much more than
missing an issue in an appellate brief; it is
akin to not filing the Notice of Appeal on time
and thus causing total loss of the right of
appeal, and how can this be excused by any sort
of explanation in an evidentiary hearing? We
suggest this is Per Se appellate counsel
24
ineffectiveness recognized in the following
major decisions:
Cooper v. Fitzharris, 586 F.2d 1325 (9th Cir.
1978 en banc); United States v. DeCoster, 159
U.S. App. D.C. 326, 330-31, 487 F.2d 1197,
1201-02 (D.C. Cir. 1973); Moore v. United States,
432 F.2d 730, 736-37, (3rd cir. 19790 en banc);
Marzullo v. State of Maryland, 561 F.2d 540,
543-44 (4th Cir. 1977); Herring v. Estelle,
491 F.2d 125, 128 (5th Cir. 1974); Beasley v.
United States, 491 F.2d 687, 696 (6th Cir.
1974); United States ex. rel. Williams v. Twomey
510 F.2d 634, 641 (7th Cir. 1974); and United
States v. Easter, 539 F.2d 663, 665-66 (8th
Cir. 1976).
Of course, this Honorable Court has long
recognized that criminal defendants are entitled
to the effective assistance of counsel: Gideon
v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335, 339, 83 S.Ct. 792,
9L.Ed. 2d 799 (1963) overruling Betts v. Brady,
316 U.S. 455, 62 S.Ct. 1252, 86 L.Ed 1595 (1942);
and importantly, see McMann v. Richardson, 397
U.S. 759. 90S.Ct. 1441, 25 L.Ed. 2d 763 (1970),
especially 397 U.S. at 771, 90 S.Ct. at 1449.
The McMann decision mandated that "effective
assistance” means assistance "within the range
of competence demanded of attorneys in criminal
cases."
All we here aver is that it is per se
counsel ineffectiveness if the entire appeal
is lost because of counsel not following
existing case authority which clearly pointed
out the proper way to seek a motion for a new
trial during a pending appeal and not place
that pending appeal in jeopardy. Certiorari
should therefore be granted to set standards
for appellate counsel on Federal criminal
appeals.
(b) The conflict of authority in the
U.S. Circuit Court.
The instant En Banc opinion of the U.S.
10th Circuit holding that initial application
for remand made in and granted by the direct
Circuit annihilates the direct appeal is at
26
variance with all other leading circuit
court opinions. See United States v. Phillips,
558 F.2d 363 (6th Cir. 1977) requiring the
Circuit to deny without prejudice such an appli-
cation and directing that the application be
made first to the District Judge, who would
seek the remand if, and only if, he found
merit to the motion for a new trial; United
States v. Fuentes-Lozano, 580 F.2d 724 (5th
Cir. 1978), allowing the Circuit to reassume
jurisdiction of the direct appeal should the
District Judge deny the motion for a new
trial. (See the subsequent resolution of that
direct appeal in United States v. Fuentes-
Lozano, 600 F.2d 552 (5th Cir. 1979). See the
following cases which provide that the motion
for a new trial should be made, in the first
instance, to the District Court: United States
v. Lowell, 649 F.2d 950, 967 (3rd Cir.); United
States v. Frame, 454 F.2d 1136, 1138 (9th Cir.),
cert. den. 406 U.S. 925; Knight v. United
States, 213 F.2d 669, 702 (5th Cir.); Zamioch
27
v. United States, 187 F.2d 854, 855-56 (9th
Cir.); and see 2 Wright, Federal Practice
and Procedure, Sec. 557, pp. 534-535.
A gross conflict in the Federal circuits
on a serious and consequential Federal pro-
cedural issue that is intertwined with counsel
ineffectiveness provides ample reason for this
Honorable Court to grant Certiorari to resolve
the conflict.
Thus, certiorori is prayed for to resolve
this gross conflict of interpretation of F.R.
CRIM.P. 33 in the U.S. Circuit Courts.
This aberrent En Banc decision of the
U.S. 10th Circuit must not be allowed to stand.
(c) The error in "retroactivity" and the
erroneous use of Firestone Tire and Rubber Co.
v. Risjord, 449 U.S. 368, a civil case.
The U.S. 10th Circuit voted 6-2 En Banc
that petitioner's direct appeal was forever
lost because the Petition for Removal had been
made to the Circuit and not to the District
Judge, citing as basis for its loss of juris-
28
diction Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. v. Risjord,
449 U.S. 365;as the two-man dissent (U.S. Circuit
Judges Holloway and Logan) points out at B-18,
Appendix, of this Petition, Firestone is in-
apposite to the procedural issue here presented,
and the other cases embraced by the majority
similarly fail to support the anomalous result
of causing loss of the direct criminal appeal.
See, in toto, the dissent at pages B-9 through
B-23, Appendix.
(1) Conclusions.
Because of the need to resolve (1) a ser-
ious conflict in the U.S. Circuit Courts on
the interpretation of F.R.CRIM. P. 33, and
(2) to define the minimal effective assis-
tance of counsel standards for attorneys hand-
ling Federal criminal appeals, Certiorori should
be granted to the United States Court of Appeals
oge . Hanson, Esquire
Attormey for Petitioner
Member of Bar,
U.S. /Supreme Court
are iis
wes i
(k.) APPENDIX
Opinion of 3-Judge Panel,
U.S. 10th Circuit, entered
June 15, 1981.
En Banc Opinion of U.S.
10th Circuit, together with
Dissenting Opinions, entered
June 23, 19382.
Order Denying Rehearing,
entered September 10, 1982
30
PUBLISH
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
TENTH CIRCUIT
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Nos. 79-1004
and 79-2180
)
)
Plaintiff-Appellee, )
)
vs. )
)
JOSEPH A. SIVIGLIA, )
)
)
Defendant-Appellant.
Appeal From the United States District Court
For the District of New Mexico
(D.C. No. 76-31 Criminal)
Hank Farrah of Hank Farrah and Associates (Robert
N. Singer and W. John Brennan of Coors, Singer,
Anaha, Brennan & Stratton, with him on the briefs),
Albuguercue, New Mexico, For Defendant-Appellant.
Don J. Svet, Assistant United States Attorney
(R.E. Thompson, United States Attorney, and
Richard J. Smith, Assistant United States Attorney,
with him on the briefs), Albuquerque, New Mexico,
for Plaintiff-Appellee.
Before SETH, Chief Judge, BARRETT and McKAY,
Circuit Judges.
BARRETT, Circuit Judge.
A-1l
Joseph Siviglia (Siviglia) appeals his jury
conviction, following retrial, of one charge of
conspiracy to transport, receive and conceal
stolen motor vehicles in violation of 18 U.S.C.A.
§ 371, three charges of transporting stolen motor
vehicles in violation of 18 U.S.C.A. 88 2313 and
2, and two charges of receiving stolen vehicles
in violation of U.S.C.A. & 2313. The second
trial commenced on September 18, 1978. The jury
verdict of guilty on a.l counts was returned on
the tenth day of trial.
Litigative and Procedural
Background
Siviglia was convicted in 1976 following his
first trial which lasted approximately ten days.
He was charged identically there with the charges
(counts) upon which he was convicted as above
related at his retrial. Siviglia was originally
tried jointly with Jeff Ralph Caruthers, Donnie
Clay Shafer and Ronald McIntyre for conspiracy
to transport motor vehicles and the receipt and
possession of same in violation of U.S.C.A. &
2312 and 371. Each case was consolidated
A-2
upon appeal, resulting in this court's unpublished
opinion entitled United States of America v. Jeff
Ralph Caruthers, Donnie Clav Shafer, Ronald McIntyre ,
and Joseph A. Siviglia, Nos. 76-1911, 76-1912, 76-
1913 and 76-1914 (10th Cir., filed June 5, 1978),
hereinafter referred to as sliv opinion. The con-
victions of Caruthers, Shafer and McIntyre were
affirmed. This court reversed and remanded for
a new trial as to Siviglia, holding that certain
comments made by the prosecutor in the course of
closing arguments:
+ « « constituted gross prosecutorial
misconduct requiring reversal of Siviglia's
conviction, even though no trial objection
was lodged. The statements constituted
plain error affecting substantial rights.
Fed. Rules Cr. Proc. rule 52(b), 18 U.S.C.A.
The prosecutor did, by these remarks, divert
the trial and the attention of the jury to
a trial of Siviglia's attorney. If the
witness Trower did lie, it was a matter for
the jury to consider in deciding the case.
The jury was not called upon to decide
who, if anyone, asked him to lie. This
was a collateral matter. Thus, the pro-
secutor's statement was both personal and
vindictive, directed to Siviglia's attorney,
and for all practical purposes to Siviglia.
why Trower lied, if he did, had nothing to
o with the guilt or innocence of Siviglia.
{Slip opinion, p. 33; Barrett, Circuit
Judge, dissenting).
A-3
Siviglia does not challenge the sufficiency of
evidence on appeal from his conviction on retrial.
His challenges involve claimed trial court errors.
We need not enumerate them, however, inasmuch as
the jurisdictional issue is dispositive.
Following Siviglia's conviction on retrial, he
appealed here in United States v. Siviglia, No.
79-1004.- During the pendency of that appeal, and
subsequent to its disposition on the merits,
Siviglia filed a motion with this court to remand
to the District Court for consideration of his
motion for grant of a new trial based on alleged
newly discovered evidence. This court granted the
remand on September 7, 1979
Thereafter, on October 15, 1979, the District
Court denied Siviglia's motion for a new trial
based on newly discovered evidence. A timely
appeal was taken by Siviglia from that denial on
October 24, 1979, and docketed here as United
States v. Siviglia, No. 79-2180.
On October 25, 1979, Siviglia filed an amended
notice of appeal incorporating the substantive
* (sic) - obviously the Court here means "prior."
A-4
issues he raised in Case No. 79-1004 prior to its
remand with his challenge to the District Court's
denial of his motion for new trial. We hereby
recall the mandate in Case No. 79-1004. This
opinion is issued under consolidated dockets
Nos. 79-1004 and 79-2180.
- Our Jurisdiction
Notwithstanding the fact that neither party
has raised the issue of this court's jurisdiction
to hear this consolidated appeal, jurisdictional
questions are of primary consideration and can
be raised at any time by courts on their own
motion. McGrath v. Kristensen, 340 U.S. 162
(1950); First State Bank, etc. v. Sand Springs
State Bank, 528 F.2d 350 (lOth Cir. 1976);
Bledsoe v. Wirtz, 384 F.2d 767 (10th Cir. 1967).
Lack of jurisdiction cannot be waived and juris-
diction cannot be conferred upon a federal court
by consent, inaction or stipulation. California
v. LaRue, 409 U.S. 109 (1972); Natta v. Hogan,
392 F.2d 686 (10th Cir. 1968). “If the parties
do not raise the question of lack of jurisdic-
tion, it is the duty of the federal court to
determine the matter sua sponte." Basso v.
SPT ee)
Utah Power and Light Company, 495 F.2d 906, 909
(10th Cir. 1974). A court lacking jurisdiction
cannot render judgment but must dismiss the cause
at any stage of the proceedings in which it be-
comes apparent that jurisdiction is lacking.
Mitchell v. Maurer, 293 U.S. 237 (1934); Citizens
Concerned, Etc. v. City and County of Denver,
628 F.24 1289 (10th Cir. 1980).
It is clear that the issue raised in Siviglia’
Case No. 79-2180, i.e., whether the trial court,
following his conviction on retrial, abused its
discretion in denying his motion for dismissal
or for a new trial based upon newly discovered
evidence, is properly before this court. We
hold that this contention is wholly without merit.
The record establishes that Siviglia could have
readily ascertained the existence of the alleged
newly discovered evidence with the exercise of
due diligence. It is our view that the so-calle
newly discovered evidence would not have altered
the result of the jury decision relative to his
guilt.
We move now to consideration of the thresh-
hold question whether this court is vested with
jurisdiction of the issues presented by Siviglia
in his direct appeal in Case No. 79-1004. He
there contends that, upon retrial, the District
Court erred in that: (a) retrial after reversal
for prosecutorial misconduct violated the double
jeopardy clause of the Fifth Amendment; (2) in
denying him a continuance to present evidence
impeaching one of the Government's key witnesses
or showing the Government's knowledge of same;
(3) he was denied his constitutional right to
a speedy trial; and (4) sentencing him for trans-
porting and receiving the same vehicle. For
reasons hereinafter set forth, we hold that we
do not have jurisdiction to decide these appell-
ate contentions. The appeal must be dismissed.
It is settled that under Fed. kules Cr.
Proc. rule 33, 18 U.S.C.A., a district court may
entertain a motion for a new trial during the
pendency of an appeal, although the motion may
not be granted until a remand request has been
A-7
granted by the appellate court. United States
v. Wilson and Abernathy, Unpublished Nos. 79-2142
and 79-2151 (10th Cir., filed June 4, 1980);
United States v. Ellison, 557 F.2d 128 (7th Cir.
1977), cert. denied, 434 U.S. 965 (1977); United
States v. Frame, 454 F.2d 1136 (9th Cir. 1972),
cert. denied, 406 U.S. 925 (1972); Ferina v.
United States, 302 F.2d 95 (8th Cir. 1962),
cert. denied, 371 U.S. 819 (1962).
A difficult question concerns the problem of
a remand motion made prior to the district
court's consideration of the motion for new
trial. In United States v. Phillips, 558 F. 2d
363 (6th Cir. 1977), the appellant's motion for
new trial was denied on the ground the proper
procedure requires that the motion for new trial
be first filed in the district court. The court,
however, denied the remand motion without pre-
judice to resubmission in the event the district
court certified its intention to grant the new
trial. Thus, the court effectively circumvented
the instant problem by refusing to entertain a
A-8
remand motion unless (1) a motion for new
trial is first made in the district court, and
(2) the district court certifies its intention
to grant the motion.
Faced with a similar circumstance, the court
in United States v. Fuentes-Lozano, 580 F.2d
724 (Sth Cir. 1978), treated a motion for a
temporary remand for the purpose of lodging a
motion for new trial in the district court as
an unqualified motion for remand. The motion
was granted. The court upheld the propriety of
the district court entertaining a motion for
new trial before remand in accordance with the
general rule, while at the same time sanctioning
the alternative procedure of first seeking a
remand to avoid delay for the purpose of per-
mitting the district court to "fully entertain
the motion." Fuentes-Lozano, supra, does not,
however, discuss the ramifications of an uncon-
ditional remand in relation to a subsequent
appeal on the merits. Even so, the court
subsequently accepted and decided an appeal on
A-9
the merits following the district court's
apparent denial of the motion for new trial.
See United States v. Fuentes-Lozano, 600 F.2d
552 (Sth Cir. 1979). The jurisdictional basis
for subsequent review of the case on the merits
cannot be clearly ascertained.
‘thus, in one case the appellate court, in
United States v. Phillips, supra, expressed its
policy of dismissing such a motion unless the
district court first certifies its intent to
grant a new trial, while the court, in United
States v. Fuentes-Lozano, supra, granted the
motion in the interests of expediency. We
observe that these alternatives are not mutually
exclusive nor do they exhaust all possibilities,
i.e., temporary or limited remand.
In the case at bar an unconditional remand
motion was requested and granted prior to the
District Court's entertainment of the motion
for a new trial. Ordinarily, an unconditional
remand contemplates termination of jurisdiction.
See e.g., Three J Farms, Inc. v. Alton Box
A-10
Board Co., 609 F.2d 112, 115 (4th Cir. 1979)
cert. denied, 445 U.S. 911 (1980); International
Union, United Mine Workers of America, Dist. 17
and 28 v. N.L.R.B., 468 F.2d 1139, 1142 (D.C.
Cir., 1972).
It seems absolutely clear, in the instant
case, that Siviglia did not intend that his
remand motion made in No. 79-1004 foreclose
his future appeal on the merits. That was,
however, the effect of the unconditional remand
order. Our research indicates that this
court has not heretofore expressed its policy
with respect to such a situation. We need not
be concerned further about the matter, how-
ever. The United States Supreme Court recently
and definitively resolved the matter.
In Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. v. Risjord,
__ U.S. ___, 101 S.Ct. 669 (January 13, 1982),
the Court held:
. the finality requirement embodied
A-1l
in § 1291 is jurisdictional in nature.
If the appellate court finds that the order
from which a party seeks to appeal does
not fall within the statute, its inquiry
is over. A court lacks discretion to con-
sider the merits of a case over which it
is without jurisdiction, and thus, by
definition, a jurisdictional ruling may
never be made prospective only. We
therefore hold that because the Court of
Appeals was without jurisdiction to hear
the appeal, it was without authority to
decide the merits.
Slip Opinion, p. 11 [Footnote omitted].
Firestone is dispositive. It rejected the
rationale of those courts which have made their
non-appealability decisions prospective only in
order to reach the merits of the disputes before
them. The Firestone opinion, in recognition of
the "scarce judicial resources", refused to
broaden the scope of the finality rule.
We affirm in Case No. 79-2180. We dismiss
the appeal in Case No. 79-1004.
A-12
6-23-82 79-1004 - 79-2180
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
For the Tenth Circuit
SLIP OPINION
PUBLISH
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
TENTH CIRCUIT
Nos. 79-1004 and 79-2180
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ) Appeal fuom the
: ) United States
Plaintiff-Appellee, ) District Court for
) the District of
Vv. ) New Mexico
) (D.C. No. 76-31-
JOSEPH A. SIVIGLIA, ) Criminal)
)
Defendant-Appellant. )
ON REHEARING EN BANC
Don J. Svet, First Assistant United States
Attorney (William L. Lutz, United States
Attorney, with him on the brief), Albuquerque,
New Mexico, for Plaintiff-Appellee.
Roger S. Hanson, Santa Ana, California, for
Defendant-Appellant.
Before Chief Judge, HOLLOWAY, MCWILLIAMS,
BARRETT, DOYLE, McKAY, LOGAN and SEYMOUR,
Circuit Judges.
Per Curiam.
B-2
A three-judge panel of this Court filed its
opinion in these two appeals on June 15, 1981.
28 U.S.C. § 46 (1976). The three-judge panel
affirmed the judgment of the district court in
No. 79-2180 and dismissed the appeal in No. 79-
1004. On June 29, 1981, Siviglia, the appellant
in both cases, filed a petition for rehearing,
with the suggestion that both appeals be reheard
en banc. On August 18, 1981, this Court granted
Siviglia's petition for rehearing en banc. The
opinion of the panel, filed on June 15, 1981,
had not been withdrawn. Thereafter, the parties
were permitted to file supplemental briefs, and
the cases were reargued to the Court, sitting
en banc, on May 6, 1982.
No. 79-2180
Although a rehearing en banc was granted in
each of these two appeals, the supplemental
briefs and the oral argument of counsel related
only to No. 79-1004. As indicated, in No. 79-
2180, the panel affirmed the orderof the dis-
trict court denying Siviglia's motion for dis
missal or a new trial. On rehearing en banc,
B-3
the Court adheres to the judgment of the panel
in No. 79-2180, and affirms the order of the
districtcourt.
No. 79-1004
The supplemental briefs and the oral argu-
ment were concerned exclusively with No. 79-1004.
In No. 79-1004, the panel dismissed the appeal
on the ground that an earlier remand order
divested the Court of jur/ iction to consider
the merits of the appeal. On rehearing en banc
of No. 79-1004, theCourt adheres to the order
of the panel dismissing the appeal.
For background material, the reader of this
opinion is directed to the opinion of the panel.
United States v. Siviglia, ___—SF.2d ss (1: Ot
Cir. 1981). It is sufficient for our present
purposes simply to note that on August 27, 1979,
Siviglia, through counsel, filed a motion to
remand his case to the district court. As of
that date, the appeal had been fully briefed,
and the case was set for oral argument in the
September, 1979, term of court. On August 31,
B-4
1979, the government filed a response to the
motion to remand, in which the government objected
to a remand on the ground thatit was a delaying
tactic. On September 7, 1979, the Court granted
Siviglia's motion for remand. Our remand order
was an unqualified remand, i.e., not a partial
remand, and contained no conditions or limiting
language. The panel, in dismissing No. 79-1004,
held that the unqualified remand order terminated
our jurisdiction of that appeal. The Court, on
rehearing en banc, adheres to the panel's order
of dismissal in No. 79-1004.
The Court notes that Siviglia's motion to
remand was itself “unqualified” in nature in that
he did not request a partial remand for a limited
purpose. In his motion to remand, Siviglia
stated that he intended to file with the district
court a motion for dismissal, or, alternatively,
for a new trial, and that a remand was necessary
in order to permit the district court to consider,
and to grant guch motion. Fed. R. Crim, P. 33.
In the motion for remand, Siviglia declared that
B-5
if the district court were to grant his motion
for dismissal, or new trial, further prosecution
of the direct appeal, No. 79-1004, would be un-
necessary. Significantly, Siviglia further
declared that should the district court deny
his motion for dismissal or new trial, he would
then appeal “such denial." After remand,
Siviglia in fact did file a motion for dismissal,
or for a new trial, which the district court,
after hearing, denied. As above indicated, we
have affirmed such denial in No. 79-2180.
We find nothing in Siviglia's motion to
remand to indicate that he sought only a partial
or limited remand in order to preserve the dir-
ect appeal of his conviction should the district
court deny his motion fordismisaal or new trial.
On the contrary, Siviglia advised the Court in
his motion to remand that should the district
court deny his motion for dismissal or new trial,
he intended to appeal "such denial," which he
did. Accordingly, the motion for remand, in
practical effect, constituted an abandonment
of any appeal going to the merits of his convic-
tion. In this connection, our examination of
Siviglia's brief addressing the merits of his
second conviction indicate quite clearly that
his grounds for reversal are unsubstantial.
So, the motion for remand indicated, to us, that
Siviglia was staking all on his ability to con-
vince the district court that the charges against
him should either be dismissed, or thathe should
be granted a new trial thereon, or, absent that,
a reversal on appeal of any such denial order,
By supplemental brief, current counsel
for Siviglia, who did not prepare the motion
for remand or otherwise actively represent
Siviglia until the rehearing en banc, suggests
that Siviglia has been denied his Sixth Amend-
ment right to the effective assistance of
counsel. That particular issue cannot be in-
jected into the present proceeding in such off-
hand manner. Furthermore, there is nothing in
the record to support the suggestion.
In sum, this Court had jurisdiction over
Siviglia's direct appeal of his criminal convic-
tion in No. 79-1004 until September 7, 1979, on
which date we granted defendant's unqualified
motion to remand to the district court. Our
unqualified remand of the case operated to divest
us of jurisdiction. See Dist. 17 and 28, UMW
v. NLRB, 468 F.2d 1139, 1142 (D.C. Cir. 1972).
Having lost jurisdiction, we could not regain
it until a proper appeal had been perfected.
Siviglia’s atiempt to revive No. 79-1004 was
untimely and, as such, cannot constitute a
proper appeal. Accordingly, No. 79-1004 must
be dismissed for want of jurisdiction.
Judge Holloway and Judge Logan dissent,
and a dissenting opinion, or dissenting opinions,
will be filed.
TO: ALL RECIPIENTS OF THE OPINION FILED JUNE
23, 1982
RE: Nos. 79-1004 and 79-2180
United States of America vs.
Joseph A. Siviglia
Attached is an opinion filed today by Circuit
Judges William J. Holloway, Jr., and James kK.
Logan, dissenting and concurring in the
opinion filed June 23, 1982.
HOWARD K. PHILLIPS,
Clerk
NOS. 79-1004 and 79-2180
UNITED STATES v. SIVIGLIA
HOLLOWAY, Circuit Judge, with whom LOGAN, Circuit
Judge, joins, concurring and dissenting.
I am in agreement with the result reached
by the majority's opinions? in No. 79-2180,
affirming the district court's denial of Siviglia's
motion for dismissal or a new trial.” However,
I cannot agree with the majority's ruling in
No. 79-1004 that we are without jurisdiction to
hear the merits of that original appeal because
of an earlier order of remand entered to permit
filing and consideration of the motion to dis-
miss or for a new trial.
The effect of the majority ruling in No.
i
The panel's opinion in the instant case,
United States v. Siviglia, F.2d (10th
Cir.), w ereinafter referred to as
Siviglia I while the court's subsequent en banc
Spinion, United States v. Siviglia, ___ F.2d
(10th Cir.), w referred to as
Siviglia II.
2 I am persuaded that the record supports the
district court's finding that it was not shown
that the newly discovered evidence in question
Ts not have been obtained in the first
trial.
B-10
79-1004 is to dismiss Siviglia's original
pending appeal without any consideration ever
being given to the merits of the issues raised
| by thatappeal of right. No sound reason for such
a harsh result is given. First, the majority
points to no criminal rule nor to any rule or
decision of this court holding that after
denial of the motions by the district court,
consideration of the original appeal would be
foreclosed unless the motion to remand were
technically worded so as to avoid seeking an
“unconditional” or “unqualified” remand, as
the Siviglia I and II opinions state.
Second, Siviglia's motion to remand, made so
that his motions to dismiss or for a new trial
could be filed and considered by the district
court, can in no way be read as intending to ask
for a dismissal or outright abandonment of his
original appeal. Thus applying this new pro-
cedural rule, now adopted, to Siviglia's
August 1979 motion to remand unjustly defeats
consideration of a criminal appeal on its
merits.
B-11
First, neither the Federal Rules of
Appellate Procedure, the Federal Rules of Criminal
Procedure, nor the rules of Court for the Tenth
Circuit specify that to preserve the pending
appeal, a motion must be made for a "conditional"
or "qualified" remand, as now required by the
majority. Moreover, the procedure for such
a motion is not clearly staked out. As this
court noted in Siviglia I, under Fed.R.Crim.P.
33 a federal district court may properly enter-
tain a new trial motion based on newly discovered
evidence during the pendency of an appeal. How-
ever, the motion may be granted only on remand
of the case. Id., __F.2d___. Rule 33 does
not indicate that initial application should not
be made in the appellate court for leave to
file the motion in the district court.°
3 A number of Circuits have indicated that the
motion for a new trial should be made, in the
first instance, to the district court. See. gt
United States v. Lowell, 649 F.2d 950, 967 (3
@ir.); United States v. Frame, 454 F.2d 1136,
1138 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, 406 U.S. 925;
Knight v. United States, 213 F.2d 699, 702
(Sth Cir.); Zamloch v. United States,187 F.2d.
854, 855-56 t r.); accord, United States
(Fn. 3 continued to next pade)
B-12
(Fn. 3 continued)
v. Aguillar, 387 F.2d 625, 626 (2d Cir.); and
see ; Wright Federal Practice and Procedure,
$557, pp. 534-35. Our Tenth Circuit opinions
and rules have not stated that view.
Thus, though Siviglia's difficulty might have
been circumvented by presenting his motion dir-
ectly to the district court, see, e.g., United
States v. Hays, 454 F.2d 274, 275 (9th Cir.),.
our decisions did not require that he should do
so. See our own precedent in Heald v. United
States, 175 F.2d 878, 883-84 (10th Cir.),
cert. denied, 338 U.S. 859 and United States v.
Fuentes-Lozano, 580 F.2d 724, 726 (5th Cir.).
"The purpose of the provision of Rule 33, which
permits the hearing, but not the granting of the
motion, in a case in which an appeal has been
taken, is to expedite proceedings." Rakes v.
United States, 163 F.2d 771, 772 (4th Cir.
Indeed, it has been said that "as here, to avoid
delay, the appellant may seek [from the court
of appeals] a remand for the purpose of per-
mitting the district court fully to entertain
the motion.” United States v. Fuentes~-Lozana,
supra, 580 F.2d at 726.
B-13
In short, I find that the various rules provided
no mandatory sequence for the proper procedural
steps in such circumstances. Indeed, if this
court had adopted the procedure indicated in
some circuits, (see n.3, supra), it would have
denied the motion to remand and directed that
the Rule 33 motion be filed in the district
court, thus preserving the merits of Siviglia's
appeal. 4 Most importantly, I find no authority
dictating the harsh result of treating Siviglia's
Original appeal as abandoned upon the granting
of his motion to remand.
Second, I must dissent because we cannot
construe Siviglia's motion to remand as intending
to dismiss his original appeal. We cannot rea-
sonably impute to his motion for remand an
intent to abandon completely his appeal in No.
79-1004 and to pin all his hopes on persuading
4 The appeal could then be held in abeyance
until the trial judge certified to this court
whether he would grant or deny the motion for
new trial. See United States v. Smith, 331
B-14
the district court to grant a new trial on newly
discovered evidence. Such an interpretation of
Siviglia's motion is unjustified.”
5 Siviglia's motion read in pertinent part as
follows:
MOTION TO REMAND
Comes now Defendant-Appellant Joseph A.
Siviglia, by andt hrough his attorney of record,
Hank Farrah, and respectfully moves this Court
to remand to the District Court for the District
of New Mexico the above-styled cause. As grounds
therefore Defendant-Appellant would show the
Court the following:
1.) That Defendant-Appellant intends to
file in the District Court a Motion
for Dismissal of Charges or in the
alternative for a New Trial, a copy of
which is attached hereto, Labeled
"Exhibit A", and incorporated herein
by reference. The basis for such
motion is newly discovered evidence as
more fully explained in the Motion
itself.
2.) If the District Court forthe District
of New Mexico were to grant Defendant-
Appellant's Motion for Dismissal,
this Appeal would be unnecessary.
However, if the District Court for the
District of New Mexico denied Defendant-
Appellant's Motion for Dismissal,
Defendant-Appellant would appeal such
denial. Thus it would be expeditious
and economical in terms of judicial
time and expense if the above-styled
appeal were Remanded to permit consid-
eration of Defendant-Appellant's
(Fn. 5 continued on next page)
B-15
(Fn. 5 continued)
Motion for dismissal in the Court
below.
Defendant~-Appellant has sought concurrence
of counsel for the United States in this motion
and concurrence has been denied.
Respectfully submitted,
B-16
A motion to remand, even when not worded
as a request for a “conditional” or "limited"
remand, is no more than a motion to remand.
Yet, in effect, the majority has treated
Siviglia's motion as a motion to dismiss his
appeal. See Fed. R. App.P. 43(b). The
Siviglia II opinion says that Siviglia's
motion stated that if the new trial were
granted, further prosecution of the appeal in
No. 79-1004 would be unnecessary and that
Siviglia further said if the motion were
denied, he would appeal that denial. The in-
ference is drawn that he intended not to also
pursue his original appeal if the new trial
were denied. The inference is unjustified, in
my judgment, and we should not infer such an
intent without a clear basis. In fact, in
Siviglia I, the panel earlier concluded (slip
op. at 8, _—s F..2d_—Ss):
It seems absolutely clear, in
the instant case, that Siviglia
did not intend that his remand
motion made in No. - ore-
close his future appeal on the
merits. That was, however, the
B-17
effect of the unconditional
remand order. (Emphasis added),
I would not infer that Siviglia intended to
foreclose pursuing the merits of his appeal in
No. 79-1004 and would not hold that the remand
order compels that result.
The authorities relied on by the majority
do not support this harsh result. Siviglia I
cites Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. v. Risjord,
449 U.S. 368, a civil case. There the Supreme
Court vacated a judgment of the Eighth Circuit,
312 F.2d 377, and held that the court of appeals
had improperly reached the merits of an order
denying a motion to disqualify an attorney,
which the Court held not to be a final decision
as required by 28 U.S.C. §1291. We are not con-
struing §1291 and the finality rule. In 79-1004,
Siviglia perfected an appeal from a final judg-
ment in the district court. That judgment has
been neither vacated nor reviewed in any manner
and the appeal therefrom remains to be considered
on its merits. Moreover, the reliance of
B-18
Siviglia I_ on the statement in Firestone that
"a jursidictional ruling may never be made pro-
spective only” is unpersuasive; the rule
adopted by the majority here is itself unsound
and is not supported by principles of retro-
spective or prospective application.
The opinions also cite International Union,
United Mine Workers of America, Dist. 17 and 28
v. N.L.R.B., 468 F.2d 1139 (D.C. Cir.) and
Three J Farms, Inc. v. Alton Box Board Co. 609
F.2d 112 (4th Cir.), cert. denied, 445 U.S. 911
as support for their holding. In International
Union, another civil case, the court of appeals
had remanded, apparently without a motion from
either party, to the Board. The Board conducted
hearings and subsequently the court of appeals,
sua sponte, ordered the case consolidated with
another case for review. At that point, the
court's jurisdiction was challenged and the
court stated that, as a result of the "“unquali-
fied" remand, the court was divested of
jurisdiction. However, the court noted that
B-19
there had been a new Board order dismissing the
complaint and thatno aggrieved party had yet
appealed that new order. The case is thus
unlike Siviglia's case where the judgment of
conviction has not been disturbed, the original
appeal from it isnot disposed of, and the pur-
pose of the remand has been served by the ruling
on the motions in the district court so that
appellate jurisdiction can again be exercised.
Three J. Farms, still another civil case,
is also inapposite. There, the case was re-
moved to the federal court and subsequently it
remanded to the state court, which resulted
in the federal district court's loss of juris-
diction. The finality of such transfer of juris-
diction between court systems was indicated
by 28 U.S.C. §1447(d) which directs that
"[a)n order remanding a case to the state court
from which it was removed is not reviewable
on appeal or otherwise... ." But cf.
Thermtron Products, Inc. v. Hermansdorfer., 423 U.S.
336, 345-46, This statute furthers expeditious
procedure as well as " . . .respect for
the state court and... recognition of
principles of comity.” In re La Providencia
Development Corporation, 406 F.2d 251, 252
(lst Cir.). We are not concerned with thae
policies as between the federal and state court
systems in the instant criminal case, nor are
we guided by such a statute.
I would hold that the order granting
Siviglia's mection to remand resulted not in
abandonment of the original appeal, but merely
in remand of the case to the district court to
permit it to rule on the motion to dismiss or
6 After that motion was dis-
for a new trial.
posed of - here by a denial - I would hold
that it is in order for us to proceed to disposi-
tion of the merits of the original appeal,
after notification of the district court's
ruling. See United States v. Fuentes-Lozano,
600 F.2d 552 (5th Cir.) (previously "remanded
6 The orderof remand was entered on September
7, 1979, by a single Circuit Judge of this court,
the order stating that:
(Fn. 6 continued to next page)
B-21
(Pn. 6 continued)
This matter comes on for consideration of
appellant's motion to remand the captioned
cause to the United States District Court for
the District of New Mexico for the purpose of
permitting the appellant to file with said
court a motion for dismissal of the charges
or, in the alternative, for a new trial.
Upon consideration whereof, appellant's
motion is granted.
The captioned case is vacated from this
Court's September Calendar on Friday, September
14, 1979, and counsel are excused from
attendance at that time.
It is further ordered that the cause is
remanded to che United States District Court
for the District of New Mexico.
The Clerk shall certify a copy of this order
to the said court as and for the mandate.
B-22
to permit the filing and consideration of the
proposed motion [for a new trial)" at 580 F.2d
726). After the purpose of the remand has
been served, there is no impediment to our re-
exercising jurisdiction to decide the case. The
procedure in Fuentes-Lozano is parallel to what
happened in the instant case, as the wording
of the remand order here shows. (See note 6).
After disposition of the motion for a new trial
in Fuentes-Lozano, the court of appeals decided
the merits of the original appeal under the same
docket number. 600 F.2d at 553. The original
appeal in the main case and the appeal from an
order denying a motion for new trial may be
consolidated. See United States. Butler,
636 F.2d 727, 729 n.**(D.C.Cir.), cert. denied,
451 U.S. 1019; United States v. Hays, 454 F.2d
274, 275 (9th Cir.).
Procedural rules should be construed to
favor hearing criminal appeals on their merits,
and not in a technical way which frustrates the
statutory right of appeal. For these reasons I
must dissent from the refusal to consider the
merits in No. 7941004.
B-23
JULY TERM - September 10, 1982
Before Honorable Oliver Seth, Honorable William
J. Holloway, Jr., Honorable Robert H. McWilliams,
Honorable James E. Barrett, Honorable William
E. Doyle, Honorable Monroe G. McKay, Honorable
James K. Logan and Honorable Stephanie K.
Seymour, Circuit Judges.
Defendant-Appellant.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff-Appellee,
vs. ) Nos. 79-1004
) 79-2180
JOSEPH A. SIVIGLIA, ) (D.C. No.
; CR 76-031)
)
This matter comes on for consideration of
appellant's petition for rehearing en banc filed
in the captioned cases or in the alternative, a
motion for allowance of bail pending petition
for certiorari to the Supreme Court of the
United States. The government filed a response
to the petition.
Upon consideration whereof, no judge in
regular active service on the Court having re-
C-1
quested that the Court be polled on rehearing
en banc, Rule 35, Federal Rules of Appellate
Procedure, the petition for rehearing en banc
is denied.
It is further ordered that appellant's re-
quest for allowance of bail pending petition
for certiorari is granted upon the following
conditions :
a. Appellant shall file a ten thousand
dollar ($10,000) cash or corporate surety bond
with the clerk of the United States Court for
the District of New Mexico on or before October
1, 1982.
b. The clerk of the district court shall
notify the clerk of this Court when such bond
is filed.
c. If the bond is not filed with the clerk
of the district court by October 1, 1932, then
the mandate in case number 79-2180 shall issue
forthwith (mandate issued in 79-1004, June 25,
1982).
HOWARD K. PHILLIPS, Clerk
By: (Sig.)
ert L. Hoecker
Chief Deputy Clerk
C-2
(m.) Declaration of Attorney
Member of Bar of U. S. Supreme Court
Re Filing/Service of Petition for Certiorari
State of California)
County of Orange ee
Roger S. Hanson declares:
Ae I am a member of the Bar of the United
States Supreme Court.
2. On November 9, 1982, I caused to be
deposited in the UL. S. Mail in Ft. Worth, Texas,
copies of the Petition for certiorari in Joseph
Siviglia v. United States as follows:
(a.) Forty printed copies together
with Two Hundred Dollars ($200.00) filing fee
addressed to Clerk of U.S. Supreme Court,
Washington, D. C. 20543;
(b.) Three printed copies to U. S.
Solicitor General, Washington, D. C. 20543;
(c.) One copy to Don Svet, Asst.
U. S. Attorney, U.S. Court House, Albuquerque,
New Mexico 87103;
(d.) One copy to U.S. Court of
Appeals, Office of Clerk, U.S. 10th Circuit
Room C-404, U.S. Court House, Denver, Colorado
80294,
(e.) One copy to Jesse Casaus, Clerk
U.S. District Court, Albuquerque, New Mexico
87103.
I declare the foregoing to true and
correct under the Penalty of per.
! Phang
Roger Hanson, Esquire
Member of the Bar o the
United States Supreme Court
/
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