Watts v. State

In 1999, Appellant was convicted of multiple felony-drug charges and sentenced to an aggregate life sentence. In 2012, Appellant filed a motion to vacate a void judgment. The circuit court denied the motion, determining that it did not have jurisdiction to consider the motion because the motion was an untimely petition under Ark. R. Crim. P. 37.1. Appellant appealed, asserting that the circuit court did have jurisdiction to consider his claim because he challenged the court's jurisdiction and a challenge to the court's jurisdiction can be raised as a matter of common law without regard to jurisdiction conferred by any statute or rule. The Supreme Court dismissed Appellant's appeal and declared the motion related to the appeal moot, holding that Appellant failed to establish that the circuit court had jurisdiction to consider his motion to vacate. View "Watts v. State" on Justia Law