WPC v@7j:RH_wWh j}1~8Jn5(NvD@4陬A+Ԧ"aqOnMl;_͌FÒ!F,6(7W^xULVL$]_I^ۂ'3oǙge #O6>aW =JSpmG+ӝQO`BـDU:X.lVFn OWۤU8%e$,92nIAR6"Nv6i~T{aG"@j_=_| mP)"vFnx(˔0hQ 2Va1[~uOG%sM z(?2LqQ}̐;kMŬn]Pzl-ިR"G#~;NBO|ڐb %\^ b 0nUNwD4H\ zk m  #  _ %  NEb 0 B 0 D3i D- 0K ASg 0- 0D A}M) (`$.8dd8    ("  Z6Times New Roman Regularq\;'g(`3|x C:\PROGRA~1\COREL\WORDPE~1\TEMPLATE\CUSTOM~1\REVISE~1.WPTC:\Program Files\Corel\WordPerfect Office 2000\Template\Custom WP Templates\revised standard opinion.wptU HP LaserJet 4,,,,,,0Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5- -(|G2$ !.8dd8         0  L d(|3y0$ !.8dd8     VVVV'dxd)!dxdx( $ Figure  1  ^_X`YE<<CLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5(|3y0$ !.8dd8     ($$   1  X[Z&OLE 2.0 Box <=8C HKKKK !.8dd8     _   8XXdd8@ttgINTHECOURTOFCRIMINALAPPEALSOFTENNESSEE  @WW$ATKNOXVILLE#g #Ԉ ,   AssignedonBriefs @  @` July25,2000 X XX #XX#JACKP.CARRv.DAVIDMILLS,WARDENXX   ` @@ DirectAppealfromtheCriminalCourtforMorganCounty  h @@No.8629E.Eugene_Eblen_,Judge  X @@*AV) ` dE<` A (  @@TTNo.E200000156CCAR3PC '  October13,_2000_   AV) ` dE<` A      Thepetitionersoughtwritofhabeascorpus,allegingthathewasentitledtoreliefbecausethe  judgmentsofconvictionwerenotsignedbythetrialjudge.Weholdunsignedjudgmentsdonot  renderjudgmentsvoid,suchasentitlesadefendanttohabeascorpusrelief.Weaffirmthetrial  courtsdismissal.   Tenn.R.App.P.3,AppealasofRight;JudgmentoftheCriminalCourtAffirmed  f   #X#XX.JohnEverettWilliams,J.,deliveredtheopinionofthecourt,inwhichJosephM._Tipton_and F RobertW._Wedemeyer_,JJ.,joined. 6 JoeH.Walker,DistrictPublicDefender,andWalterB.Johnson,II,Harriman,Tennessee,forthe f appellant,JackP.Carr. V MichaelE.Moore,SolicitorGeneral;R.Stephen_Jobe_,AssistantAttorneyGeneral;J.Scott 6 _McCluen_,DistrictAttorneyGeneral,andFrankHarvey,AssistantDistrictAttorney,fortheappellee, & StateofTennessee.   @@OO& OPINION #XX$#XX $# #XX #XX    Facts  f&!% 1   Thepetitioner,JackP.Carr,wasconvictedbyaHamiltonCountyjuryinNovember1985 F(#' ofaggravatedchildabuse,assaultwithintenttocommitvoluntarymanslaughter,andtwocountsof 6)$( aggravatedsexualbattery.TheHamiltonCountyCriminalCourtsentencedthepetitionertotwenty &*v%) yearsforeachcountofaggravatedsexualbatteryandthreeyearseachfortheassaultandchildabuse +f&* counts.Thesentencesweretorunconsecutivelyforaneffectivetermoffortysixyears ,V'+ imprisonment.ThisCourtaffirmedthepetitioner'ssentenceondirectappealandtheTennessee ,F(, SupremeCourtdeniedpermissiontoappealonFebruary9,1987.Statev.Carr,No.975,1986WL -6)- _12496(Tenn.Crim.App.Nov.6,1986)perm.app.denied,Feb.9,1987.Afternumerousother  appeals,thepetitioner,onOctober15,1999,filedapetitionforwritofhabeascorpusintheMorgan  CountyCriminalCourt.Thepetitionerassertedinhispetitionthathisconvictionjudgmentswere  voidforlackofajudgessignature.Insupportofthisposition,thepetitionerattachedwhathe  purportedtobejudgmentsforeachofhisconvictions.However,thesedocumentsappeartobe p mittimusesinstructingthesherifforjailerastothepetitionerssentence. `    OnDecember20,1999,theMorganCountyCriminalCourtdismissedthepetitionforfailure @  toestablishabasisforhabeasrelief.Thepetitioner'sappealistimelybeforethisCourtandthe 0  petitionerassertsthatthetrialcourterredinholdingthathefailedtomeethisburdenofproofthat  p  thejudgmentdocumentswerenotsignedbythejudge. `    Analysis 0  4 XArticleI,15oftheTennesseeConstitutionguaranteestherighttoseekhabeascorpusrelief.  Awritofhabeascorpusisgrantedonly whenapetitionerestablisheslackofjurisdictionfortheorder  ofconfinementorentitlementtoimmediatereleasebecausethesentencehasexpired.Archerv.  State,851S.W.2d157,164(Tenn.1993);Pottsv.State,833S.W.2d60,62(Tenn.1992);seealso  Usseryv.Avery,432S.W.2d656(Tenn.1968);Stateexrel.Wadev.Norvell,443S.W.2d839  (Tenn.Crim.App.1969).Someone imprisonedorrestrainedofhisliberty,underanypretense p whatsoever,...mayprosecuteawritofhabeascorpus,toinquireintothecauseofsuch ` imprisonment.Tenn.CodeAnn.2921101.Inaddition,atrialcourtmaysummarilydismiss P apetitionforwritofhabeascorpuswithoutanevidentiaryhearingifnothingonthefaceofthe @ judgmentsindicatesthattheconvictionsarevoid.Passerellav.State,891S.W.2d619(Tenn.Crim. 0 App.1994).  p  ` Here,thepetitionerdoesnotassertthattheconvictingcourtwaswithoutjurisdictionand P doesnotcontendthathissentenceshaveexpired.HemerelyallegesthatjudgmentsinCaseNos. @ 160946,160949,161032,and161033arevoidfornotincludingthejudge'ssignature.Initially,we 0 notethatthetrialcourt,inreviewingthewritpetition#XX #XX,concludedthatnotonlydidthepetitionerfail   toallegethattheconvictingcourtwaswithoutjurisdictionorauthoritytosentencethedefendantor ! thathissentencehasexpired,butalsothepetitionerfailedtoshowlackofasignatureontheoriginal "  judgments.Thepetitionerattachedwhatheallegedwerejudgmentstohispetition#XX7#XXԀforwritofhabeas #! corpusandcitedtothelackofajudge'ssignatureontheseasabasisfornullifyingthejudgments. $" ЀThedocumentsweretitled COPYJUDGMENT!CONVICTION,PENITENTIARY(VERDICT % # OFJURY).InadditiontobeingcertifiedbytheHamiltonCountyCriminalCourtClerktobe true p&!$ andperfectcopiesofthesentencesrenderedincourtbytheHonorableDouglasMeyer,the `'"% documentsalsoreflectedthenatureofthecharges,thejurorsbeforewhomthepetitionerwastried, P(#& theverdicts,andthesentencesimposedbythetrialjudge.Infact,atthebottomofthesedocuments @)$' appears: TotheWardenoftheStatePenitentiary.Thedocumentsthatthepetitionersubmitted 0*%( appeartobemittimuses,whichareaffidavitstothesherifforjailerastothedefendantssentence.  +p&) SeeTenn.CodeAnn.414106.Amittimusservestodirectthejailerorsheriffastoaprisoners ,`'* commitmentordischargeandiskeptbythesheriff,orjailer,underthesheriffsdirection.SeeTenn.  CodeAnn.414106.Amittimusisessentiallydirectoryinnature;itisnotajudgmentanddoes  notrequireajudgessignature.    ThisCourtrecentlyaddressedsubstantiallythesameissueassertedbypetitioner,concluding p thatthelackofajudge'ssignaturedoesnotrenderajudgmentvoid.See,e.g.,Robinsonv.State,No. `  E199900945CCAR3PC(Tenn.Crim.App.,filedAug.30,2000,atKnoxville);Johnsv.State, P  No.E199900260CCAR3CD,2000WL262901(Tenn.Crim.App.March9,2000)(affirmingtrial @  court'sdenialofhabeascorpusrelief,holdinglackofsignatureonminutebookentrydoesnotrender 0  judgmentvoid)perm.app.denied,(Tenn.Sept.11,2000);seealsoMayesv.State,No.E1999  p  01374CCAR3CD,2000WL215675(Tenn.Crim.App.Feb.24,2000)(holdinglackofsignature `  onphotocopyofjudgmentdoesnotrenderjudgmentvoid)perm.app.denied,(Tenn.Sept.11, P  2000). @   0  Inthiscase,thetrialcourtconcludedthatpetitionerswritpetitionfailedtoassertavalid   basisforhabeasrelief.Webelievethatthedocumentssubmittedinsupportofthepetitionerswrit  aremittimusesandnotcopiesoftheoriginaljudgmentsnortheoriginaljudgments.Evenifthe  documentsqualifyasjudgmentsorpetitionerintroducedoriginaljudgmentsandsaidjudgmentswere  notsigned,theabsenceofthesignaturewouldnotrenderthejudgmentsvoid.See,e.g.,Duboisev.  State,200Tenn.93,290S.W.2d646(1956);Crumv.Fillers,6Tenn.App.547(1926).Therefore,  afterreviewingtherecord,weholdthatbasedupontheaboveprecedentandthisCourt'srecent p decisionsinRobinson,Johns,andMayes,thetrialcourtcorrectlydeniedpetitionerswritpetition ` and,thus,thepetitionerisnotentitledtoanyrelief. P  @  0    XConclusion   p G*  Accordingly,weaffirmthejudgmentofthetrialcourt. P  XS* @  0     !  "   #! 0 ` 0 ` (#` (#0 (# (#0h(#(#0h(#h(#0(#(#0p(#(#  ___________________________________$"p(#p(#  `     h     JOHNEVERETTWILLIAMS,JUDGE