A criminal case is filled with deadlines and procedural rules. Often when those deadlines are missed, there’s no recourse—no matter the reason. So, when a death row inmate missed an appeal deadline through no fault of his own, he has seen little sympathy from the courts.
Cory Maples sits on death row in Alabama for the murder of two companions. His guilt isn’t in question, according to this New York Times article. Instead, his appeals rest on whether the death penalty was an appropriate sentence. These issues have taken a back seat, for now at least, as the courts determine how and if to rectify the missed appeals deadline.
An Alabama court made a ruling on Mr. Maples case. Copies of this ruling were sent to the prestigious firm representing him in New York. Both copies were returned to the court’s clerk unopened and stamped with “Return to sender”.
It seems the two attorneys at this New York firm handling his case had left. But, two others had taken over Maples’ case, something the mailroom was unaware of. The clerk failed to notify Maples himself of the ruling and made no further effort to contact a representative of the death row inmate.
Time ticked away on Mr. Maples appeal deadline, which passed without him even realizing it. Now, his attorneys fight for an exception—a matter that has made it all the way to the Supreme Court steps.
A federal appeals court ruled last year that the issue was Maples’ fault because it is his case and he didn’t request to be notified of such rulings by the clerk. His attorneys argue the gravity of the case dictates Mr. Maples should not be held responsible for a mistake he didn’t commit—novel idea, don’t you think?
Though an extreme example, this represents the same sort of hold ups and technicalities that can happen in any criminal case. While you may “only” be facing several years behind bars, a relatively “small” mix up can have disastrous repercussions.
It isn’t clear how the Supreme Court will rule on Mr. Maples’ case or if they will even elect to hear it. However, it seems if a man is sent to death with any doubt of the appropriateness of the sentence, the system has seriously failed.
About David Matson