California.  Under California Penal Code § § 4800 et seq., a pardon may be based on either innocence or rehabilitation.  Generally, a pardon based on rehabilitation will be obtained by securing a “certificate of rehabilitation” under California Penal Code § 4852.  A person convicted of a felony and committed to state prison or other institution may petition for the certificate after having resided in California for a “rehabilitation period,” during which time the person has lived an upright, sober and law‑abiding life.  Under § 4852.03, the required rehabilitation period is calculated based on the maximum possible sentence for the crimes committed; a minimum three‑year period is required.  The period begins after completion of sentence or termination of parole or probation.

 

            After the rehabilitation period has been completed, a person may file for a hearing in superior court on the matter.  A certificate of rehabilitation is in fact a court‑issued recommendation that the governor grant a pardon, and constitutes an application for a pardon.[153]

 

            Misdemeanants may not petition for a certificate of rehabilitation,  and persons convicted twice of a felony must meet special requirements under California Penal Code § 4852.  Other persons, such as sex offenders, are not eligible.[154] 

 

            Persons who are not eligible for a certificate of rehabilitation or who assert that they are innocent of the charges may apply for a pardon directly to the governor.  Under California Penal Code § 4801, the Board of Prison and Paroles may recommend that the governor issue a pardon or commutation of sentence for individuals who are in state prison.  The governor grants or denies any pardon as a matter of discretion.

 

            Now that Arnold Schwartzenegger is Governor of the State of California, prospects of obtaining an executive pardon may have improved.  In the opening weeks of his reign, he has paroled several persons convicted of murder under sympathetic circumstances who have served lengthy sentences and turned their lives around.  He does not appear to need to avoid granting any boons to criminals because his right-wing credentials are sufficiently strong.  Therefore, it may have become worthwhile to apply for a pardon in California for the first time in many years.

 

Georgia.  An unconditional pardon given by the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles to a Greek permanent resident who had been convicted of simple larceny was held sufficient, where it was the only unconditional executive pardon that could be obtained in Georgia.[155]

 

More recently, the Georgia pardon board, insulated to some extent against the political pressures that preclude so many governors from exercising the power to pardon, has become active in granting pardons to avoid immigration consequences.  In Georgia, it is apparently the practice to sentence every misdemeanant to 12 months custody, and then suspend execution of that sentence in many cases so as to place the defendant on probation.  This practice has the unfortunate effect, under immigration law, of making many common misdemeanors, such as shoplifting and simple assault, into aggravated felonies.  In a celebrated case, in which a woman had been convicted of assault for pulling another person’s hair, the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles granted a pardon to avert imminent deportation on account of a misdemeanor aggravated felony.  This was followed by many more, and perhaps 50 such pardons have now been issued in Georgia.

 

Louisiana.  In Matter of Nolan,[156] the Board held that a pardon automatically given to an immigrant from Ireland pursuant to a state constitutional provision did not qualify as a full and unconditional pardon for immigration purposes.  The pardon was issued pursuant to the Louisiana Constitution, which partly provided that on the recommendation of the Board of Pardons the governor may commute sentences, pardon those convicted of criminal offenses, and remit fines and forfeitures imposed therefor, and also that “a first offender never previously convicted of a felony shall be pardoned automatically upon completion of his sentence, without a recommendation of the Board of Pardons and without action by the Governor.”  The BIA held that the pardon in this case was neither “full,” since it did not restore his former status of innocence, nor “unconditional,” since it was specifically conditioned on his completion of the sentence imposed for his conviction.  The BIA rejected the argument that because, under Louisiana law, no pardon was available to the noncitizen as a first-felony offender that would satisfy the requirements of the immigration laws, the crime of which he had been convicted should not be considered a “crime” for the purpose of deportability, overruling Matter of Cevallos.[157]

 

Washington State.  In the last few years, the Washington State Governor has been granting executive pardons for immigration purposes in selected cases in which the political downside is not too great.  Perhaps 10 or so pardons have now been granted.  It is therefore worth applying for an executive pardon in a highly sympathetic case in which considerable community support is present.

 

Wisconsin.  In Matter of R,[158] the BIA held the Governor’s Pardon received by a Mexican citizen was not sufficient to eliminate the immigration effects of convictions for rape, adultery, false swearing, and child abandonment, claiming it was a restoration of rights only, not an absolute pardon, and was issued as a matter of executive clemency in reward for rehabilitation, under a law making the restoration of rights automatic.  The BIA remanded the case, following the termination of deportation proceedings, to afford the noncitizen an opportunity to apply for a full and unconditional pardon under Wisconsin law.  The BIA observed that Matter of G,[159] which treated a certificate of executive clemency as a pardon under the Immigration Act of 1917, had involved the restoration of civil rights by the governor of Wisconsin in June 1946 before the 1947 session of the Wisconsin legislature, which passed a law providing for the automatic restoration of civil rights to a person by serving out his or her term of imprisonment or otherwise satisfying a sentence.  Before the 1947 legislation, civil rights could be restored only by a pardon, according to a 1916 opinion of the Wisconsin attorney general.  The then-incumbent attorney general had stated that the June 1946 order of the governor restoring civil rights was in legal effect a full pardon.

[153] See generally 5 Erwin, Millman, Monroe, Sevilla, Taklow, California Criminal Defense Practice, chap. 105 (executive clemency).

[154] See California Penal Code § 4852.01(d). Effective January 1, 1998, this provision states; “Th[e] chapter [beginning with section 4852.01 and establishing the certificate of rehabilitation procedure] shall not apply to . . . persons convicted of a violation of subdivision (c) of Section 286 [sodomy with a victim under age 14 or by force, fear, or retaliatory threat], Section 288 [lewd acts with a victim under age 14], subdivision (c) of Section 288a [oral copulation with a victim under age 14 or by force, fear, or retaliatory threat], Section 288.5 [continuous sexual abuse of a victim under age 14], or subdivision (j) of Section 289 [sexual penetration with a victim under age 14] . . . .”

[155] Matter of D, 7 I. & N. Dec. 476 (BIA 1957).  See also Matter of Cevallos, 12 I. & N. Dec. 750 (BIA 1968), overruled on other grounds by Matter of Nolan, 19 I. & N. Dec. 539 (BIA 1988) (pardon by a pardon board consisting of the Governor and other cabinet members is effective for immigration purposes, and pardon by the mayor for violation of a city ordinance is an effective pardon when the mayor constitutes the only pardoning authority).

[156] Matter of Nolan, 19 I. & N. Dec. 539 (BIA 1988).

[157] Matter of Cevallos, 12 I. & N. Dec. 750 (BIA 1968).

[158] Matter of R, 8 I. & N. Dec. 677 (BIA 1960).

[159] Matter of G, 4 I. & N. Dec. 73 (BIA 1950).

BIA

TEXAS - DEFERRED ADJUDICATION
A theft offense is only an aggravated felony (and therefore, a disqualification for cancellation), if the sentence imposed was at least one year.  Under Texas law, where deferred adjudication is granted, no sentence is imposed.  Therefore, crimes of violence, theft offenses, and other convictions for which a sentence imposed of one year is transforms the conviction into an aggravated felony, do not become aggravated felonies if the defendant received and successfully completed deferred adjudication without a violation since no sentence of one year or more has been imposed. But see, Matter of Punu, 22 I. & N. Dec. 224 (BIA 1998) (Texas deferred adjudication is a conviction for immigration purposes).

Lower Courts of Eleventh Circuit

POST CON RELIEF - FLORIDA - STATE ADVISAL STATUTE
Payne v. State, ___ Fla. App. ___, 2004 WL 2633459 (November 19, 2004) (reversing trial court's summary denial of motion for post-conviction relief filed under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.850 on grounds plea of guilty was involuntary because court failed to inform defendant that deportation was a possible consequence of his plea, and remanding for an evidentiary hearing because the present record does not conclusively show a lack of prejudice).      "Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.172(c)(8) provides that, when accepting a plea, a trial court must determine that the defendant understands that, if he is not a citizen of the United States, the plea could subject [*4]  him to deportation. To obtain post-conviction relief based on a Rule 3.172(c)(8) violation, a defendant must establish that: (1) he did not know the plea might result in deportation; (2) he is "threatened" with deportation because of the plea; and, (3) had he known of the possible consequence, he would not have entered the plea. Peart, 756 So. 2d at 47.

Other

POST CON RELIEF - ORDER VACATING CONVICTION - IMMIGRATION EFFECT OF GOVERNMENT APPEAL FROM ORDER VACATING CONVICTION - OREGON
The DHS has argued that a conviction still exists in Oregon, despite the trial court's order vacating a conviction on a ground of legal invalidity, where the prosecution is appealing the grant of post-conviction relief. O.R.S 138.610 states: "An appeal taken by the State stays the effect of the judgment or order in favor of the defendant, so that the release agreement and security for release is held . . . but if in custody the defendant may be released . . . ." The DHS argues therefore, a conviction still exists under Oregon law until the defendant wins on appeal.

CONVICTION - STATE ALTERNATIVE DISPOSITION - NEW YORK - "ACD" DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A CONVICTION FOR IMMIGRATION PURPOSES
An "Adjournment in Contemplation of Dismissal" or "ACD"  is an immigration neutral disposition in that it is a pre-plea disposition in which the prosecution eventually dismisses the case after a specified period of time (usually 6 months or a year) without ever taking any plea on the issue of guilt or making any determination.  During the ACD period, the criminal case is open. Since foreign nationals who fail to comply with ACD face criminal consequences, the Service is likely to treat applicants on ACD as potentially subject to immigration consequences and deny applications on the basis that there is no certainty that they will satisfactorily comply with the program. The means of contesting this characterization may be proof that failure to comply with ACD will only result in an immigration-neutral result. Do individuals who fail to comply end up with a new arraignment at which to fight their original charge, or does it result in a slow plea in which the judge decides guilt or innocence on the basis of the police reports alone? ACDs almost always result in dismissals.  The worst thing that can happen is that the case is back on the calendar and is tried.

POST CON RELIEF - TEXAS - PARDON
Refer to http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/bpp/ for info Texas pardons.