WPCd ? z\ N4*:tIHSėbwCm2YQՙ'Fâ[8>OFnmU47cJ?aZā.|*M# dtxVj, ń ģ!hHfx$R5 jGQHl ˘<ĕW~KwZAA{!,>_?xE!u 26Z{SSD{Q l$7f 4.1wr6V/&&35Ó\S+ƴkI5TU7S d`rɝsy#9T)G7j9Nmϔzh5cF .Ǻ%y6knu Go3jW#@-`sR%mㅰb %\ b 0n UN ^ [ wg 4k z    m # z@NE 0Db 0 B 0; D3 D-) 0KVV AS 0 0Du A  R$        1  \  _Thecourtminuteswerenotpresentedtothetrialcourt,andtheyarenotincludedintherecordonappeal.The  onlyevidenceofcourtminutespresentedtothisCourtisanaffidavitbydefensecounselassertingthathelookedatthe x minutesandthattheyarenotsigned.Becausethisevidencewasnotpresentedtothetrialcourt,wemakenofindings @ andreachnoconclusionsaboutwhetherthecourtminuteswereactuallysigned.Ourdecisionisbasedsolelyonour X conclusionthattheDefendantfailedtostateaclaimforhabeascorpusrelief.(wY$    ..8dXXd8    ("  Z6Times New Roman Regularנ{) jW)\`2Xg 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.wpt3|xUHP LaserJet 4,,,,,,0Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5(#$  0  - -(G2$ Y!    .8dd8         0  \ d(3V$ Y!    .8dd8     VVVV'dxd)!dxdx( $ Figure  1  ^_X`YE<<CLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5(3V$ Y!    .8dd8     ($$   1  X[Z&OLE 2.0 Box <=8C HKKKK Y!    .8dd8     _  83XXdd8@ttgINTHECOURTOFCRIMINALAPPEALSOFTENNESSEE  @WW$ATKNOXVILLE#g#Ԉ ,    @  @` AssignedonBriefsOctober17,2000 X X3X #XX3,#KENNETHLEEWESTONv.STATEOFTENNESSEEX3X   ` @@ AppealfromtheCriminalCourtforMorganCounty  h @@No.8601E.Eugene_Eblen_,Judge  X @@*AV) ` dE<` A (  @@TTNo.E199902095CCAR3CO '  November27,_2000_   AV) ` dE<` A      TheDefendant,KennethLeeWeston,appealsasofrightfromthesummarydismissalofhispetition  forwritofhabeascorpus.Heassertsthathisconvictionsarevoidbecausethetrialjudgedidnotsign  thecourtminutesreflectingthejudgment.Weholdthatthefailureofthetrialjudgetosignthecourt  minutesdoesnotrenderajudgmentofconvictionvoid.Accordingly,weaffirmthejudgmentofthe  trialcourt. v  Tenn.R.App.P.3AppealasofRight;JudgmentoftheCriminalCourtAffirmed.  V   #X3#X3X.DavidH.Welles,J.,deliveredtheopinionofthecourt,inwhichJohnEverettWilliams,J.,and 6 WilliamB._Acree_,Jr.,_Sp.J._,joined. &v JoeH.Walker,Harriman,Tennessee,fortheappellant,KennethWeston. V PaulG.Summers,AttorneyGeneralandReporter;R.Stephen_Jobe_,AssistantAttorneyGeneral;and 6 J.Scott_McCluen_,DistrictAttorneyGeneral,fortheappellee,StateofTennessee. & y@@OO& OPINION #XX3#X3X !  #XX3 #X3X    TheDefendantwasconvictedofrobberywithadeadlyweaponandbeingahabitualcriminal, #" andhewassentencedtolifeimprisonment.Weupheldhisconvictionsondirectappeal,andthe $# supremecourtdeniedreview.SeeStatev.KennethLeeWeston,No.1235,1989WL139693(Tenn. v% $ _Crim_.App.,Knoxville,Nov.20,1989),perm.app.denied(Tenn.Mar.5,1990).OnJuly6,1999, f&!% theDefendantfiledapetitionforwritofhabeascorpus,inwhichheassertedthathisconvictions V'"& werevoidbecausethetrialjudgefailedtosignthe"convictionhearingpapers."Thetrialcourt F(#' summarilydismissedhispetitiononOctober25,1999,stating, 6)$( 8  Specifically,theCourtnotesthatPetitionerdoesnotmaintainthathissentencehas +f&* expiredbutratherseekstoattackthevalidityoftheconvictionagainsthim,alleging ,V'+ thattheoriginalJudgmentagainsthimwasnotsignedbytheTrialJudge.Itisthe ,F(, burdenofthePetitionertoestablishavoidJudgmentbyapreponderanceofthe -6)- _evidenceandPetitionerhasfailedtodosoherein.Hehassubmittedonlyacopyof  the"AbstractoftheJudgment"againsthim,thatbeingadocumentsignedonlybythe   8  ClerkforthepurposeofenteringtheJudgment.Hehasfailedtoestablishhisclaim  thattheJudgmentagainsthimisvoidbyprovidingacopyofsaidJudgmentor  otherwise.p   Onappeal,theDefendantconcedesthatthejudgmentwasinfactsignedbythetrialjudge,buthe P  arguesthathisconvictionsarevoidbecausethetrialjudgedidnotsignthecourtminutes. *#  1       @    Habeascorpusreliefisavailableonlywhenajudgmentisvoidorasentencehasexpired.  p  Archerv.State,851S.W.2d157,164(Tenn.1993).Iftheallegationsinthepetitionforhabeas `  corpusrelieffailtosateacognizableclaim,thetrialcourtmaysummarilydismissthepetition. P  Passarellav.State,891S.W.2d619,627(Tenn.Crim.App.1994).Theburdenisonthedefendant @  toestablishbyapreponderanceoftheevidencethatthejudgmentisvoidorthathisorhertermof 0  imprisonmenthasexpired.Id.     TheDefendanturgesustoconcludethatifthetrialjudgefailedtosigntheminutesofthe  court,thejudgmentagainsthimisvoid.HedirectsourattentiontoTennesseeCodeAnnotated  section161106(a),whichprovidesasfollows:  8  Theminutesofthecourtforeachday'sworkshallbesignedbythejudge.The p minutebookshallprovideaplaceforthejudge'ssignatureaftertheminuteentries ` eachday;however,wheretheordersofthecourtarephotocopiedsothatanaccurate P facsimileoftheentireorderandthejudge'ssignatureappears,itshallbesufficient @ forthejudgetosignattheendoftheminutebookapprovingalltheminutesinthe 0 book. p   #XX3 #X3XHealsoreliesuponHowardv.State,399S.W.2d738(Tenn.1966),inwhichoursupremecourt P observed, @ 8  WithallduerespecttowhathasheretoforebeensaidbythisCourtonthesubject   nowbeforeus,weareconstrainedtotheviewthatsoimportantajudicialfunction ! asauthenticatingtheminutesofaCourtofRecordisnotpermissiblytobeeither "  lightlytreatedorignored.Anyotherruleappearstobefraughtwithsomuchof #! potentialmistake,mischief,andevenevildoing,astodemonstratesuchtobe $" impermissible.% #    p&!$ Id.at74041.TheDefendantarguesthatHowardmandatesthesigningofthecourtminutesbythe  trialjudgeandthatthefailuretodosorendersajudgmentvoid.    WehaverecentlyhadtheopportunitytoconsidertheDefendant'spreciseissue,andweheld  thatthelackofthetrialjudge'ssignatureonthecourtminutesdoesnotrenderajudgmentvoid.See p JerryL.Johnsv.State,No.E199900260CCAR3CD,2000WL262901,at*2(Tenn.Crim.App., `  Knoxville,Mar.9,2000),perm.app.denied(Tenn.Sept.11,2000);PaulA.Mayesv.State,No. P  E199901374CCAR3CD,2000WL215675,at*2(Tenn.Crim.App.,Knoxville,Feb.24,2000), @  perm.app.denied(Tenn.Sept.11,2000);WillieJamesRobinson,NO.E19990045CCAR3PC, 0  2000WL1228023,at*2(Tenn.Crim.App.,Knoxville,Aug.30,2000);seealsoJackP.Carrv.  p  DavidMills,Warden,No.E200000156CCAR3PC,2000WL1520267,at*2(Tenn.Crim.App., `  Knoxville,Oct.13,2000)(holdingthatthefailureofthetrialjudgetosignthemittimusorthe P  originaljudgmentwouldnotrenderthejudgmentvoid).Insodoing,wecommentedthatour @  supremecourthaspreviously"concludedthatthestatutoryprovisionforthetrialjudgesigningthe 0  minutesisdirectoryratherthanmandatoryandthatthefailuretosigntheminutesdoesnotinvalidate   ajudgment."JerryL.Johns,2000WL262901,at*2(citingDuBoisev.State,290S.W.2d646,647  (Tenn.1956)).Whileacknowledgingthesupremecourt'sstatementsinHoward,whicharerelied  uponbytheDefendant,wenoted,"Howarddoesnotstandforthepropositionthatafailuretosign  theminutesrendersajudgmentvoid."Id.;seealsoHoward,399S.W.2dat740("Itistruethatthis  [statute]hasrepeatedlybeenconstruedasbeingdirectory,ratherthanmandatory.").Wethusheld  thatthetrialcourtproperlydeniedhabeascorpusrelief.JerryL.Johns,2000WL262901,at*2. p   Applyingthisprecedent,weconcludethatanyfailureonthepartofthetrialjudgetosignthe P courtminuteswouldnotrenderthejudgmentvoid.Accordingly,theDefendantfailedtoestablish @ groundsforhabeascorpusrelief,andthetrialcourtproperlydismissedhispetition.Thejudgment 0 ofthetrialcourtisaffirmed.  p    `     h     ___________________________________ 0    `     h     DAVIDH.WELLES,JUDGE