Montana Code Annotated 2001

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     46-21-105. Amendment of petition -- waiver of grounds for relief. (1) (a) All grounds for relief claimed by a petitioner under 46-21-101 must be raised in the original or amended original petition. The original petition may be amended only once. At the request of the state or on its own motion, the court shall set a deadline for the filing of an amended original petition. If a hearing will be held, the deadline must be reasonably in advance of the hearing but may not be less than 30 days prior to the date of the hearing.
     (b) The court shall dismiss a second or subsequent petition by a person who has filed an original petition unless the second or subsequent petition raises grounds for relief that could not reasonably have been raised in the original or an amended original petition.
     (2) When a petitioner has been afforded the opportunity for a direct appeal of the petitioner's conviction, grounds for relief that were or could reasonably have been raised on direct appeal may not be raised, considered, or decided in a proceeding brought under this chapter. Ineffectiveness or incompetence of counsel in proceedings on an original or an amended original petition under this part may not be raised in a second or subsequent petition under this part.
     (3) For purposes of this section, "grounds for relief" includes all legal and factual issues that were or could have been raised in support of the petitioner's claim for relief.

     History: En. 95-2607 by Sec. 1, Ch. 196, L. 1967; R.C.M. 1947, 95-2607; amd. Sec. 4, Ch. 195, L. 1981; amd. Sec. 229, Ch. 800, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 96, L. 1995; amd. Secs. 3, 4, Ch. 302, L. 1997; amd. Sec. 5, Ch. 378, L. 1997.

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