Felder v. Commissioner of Correction

Summary

The court affirmed dismissal of the petitioner's successive state habeas petition. It held that the statutory phrase "prior petition" refers only to a prior state habeas petition, so the petition was subject to the statutory presumption of untimeliness despite the intervening federal habeas proceeding. The court also held that the petitioner failed to establish good cause because his ignorance of the statute, without evidence that the ignorance resulted from forces beyond his control, was insufficient. No separate opinions were filed.