{"disclaimer":"This is a summary of public court records and is not legal advice. Missouri slip opinions may be modified or withdrawn; consult the official source.","party":{"slug":"in-re-robert-j-branson","displayName":"IN RE ROBERT J. BRANSON","totalCases":2},"cases":[{"caseId":"mo:sc100870:2025-04-29","opinionId":"23ccca40-4f54-5a1e-bd27-4f235f945d52","slug":"in-re-robert-j-branson-petitioner-v-michael-shewmaker-warden-south-centra-100870","caseName":"In re Robert J. Branson, Petitioner, vs. Michael Shewmaker, Warden, South Central Correctional Center, Respondent.","caseNumber":"SC100870","court":"mo","courtLabel":"Supreme Court of Missouri","decisionDate":"2025-04-29","year":2025,"display_summary":"Robert J. Branson sought habeas corpus relief, arguing his life sentence for first-degree child molestation was unlawful because his guilty plea lacked a sufficient factual basis to support a class A felony, contending it should have been a class B felony. The Missouri Supreme Court denied relief, holding that Branson waived his sentencing claim by failing to raise it in his Rule 24.035 postconviction motion. The Court clarified that sentencing errors are not jurisdictional defects that permit habeas review of procedurally defaulted claims and explicitly overruled prior precedent to the contrary.","primaryTopic":"criminal-procedure","topicSlugs":["criminal-procedure","appellate-procedure","civil-procedure"],"outcomeNorm":"unknown","officialSourceUrl":"https://www.courts.mo.gov/file.jsp?id=220174","detailUrl":"https://ott.law/missouri-courts/opinions/in-re-robert-j-branson-petitioner-v-michael-shewmaker-warden-south-centra-100870","relatedPracticeAreas":[{"slug":"criminal-law","label":"Criminal Law","href":"/practice-areas/criminal-law","score":38,"source":"tag","evidence":["tag: criminal-law","topic: criminal-procedure","text: sentence","text: felony"],"url":"https://ott.law/practice-areas/criminal-law"},{"slug":"litigation","label":"Civil Litigation","href":"/practice-areas/litigation","score":12,"source":"topic","evidence":["topic: civil-procedure","topic: appellate-procedure"],"url":"https://ott.law/practice-areas/litigation"}],"role":"petitioner"},{"caseId":"moappsd:sd38312:2024-10-29","opinionId":"2ccaacad-3ff3-551c-93c7-d948fee5e226","slug":"in-re-robert-j-branson-petitioner-v-michele-buckner-warden-south-central-d38312","caseName":"IN RE ROBERT J. BRANSON, Petitioner\nv.\nMICHELE BUCKNER, WARDEN, SOUTH CENTRAL CORRECTIONAL CENTER, Respondent","caseNumber":"SD38312","court":"moappsd","courtLabel":"Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District","decisionDate":"2024-10-29","year":2024,"display_summary":"Robert J. Branson pleaded guilty to first-degree child molestation and was sentenced to life imprisonment, though the State only alleged facts supporting a class B felony, which carried a maximum of 15 years. Branson sought a writ of habeas corpus, arguing his sentence exceeded the statutory maximum. The appellate court granted the writ, vacating Branson's convictions and sentences, and remanded the case for further proceedings, holding that the illegal sentence constituted a sentencing defect and a material mistake in the plea agreement.","primaryTopic":"criminal-procedure","topicSlugs":["criminal-procedure","appellate-procedure","contracts","other"],"outcomeNorm":"mixed","officialSourceUrl":"https://www.courts.mo.gov/file.jsp?id=214095","detailUrl":"https://ott.law/missouri-courts/opinions/in-re-robert-j-branson-petitioner-v-michele-buckner-warden-south-central-d38312","relatedPracticeAreas":[{"slug":"criminal-law","label":"Criminal Law","href":"/practice-areas/criminal-law","score":38,"source":"tag","evidence":["tag: criminal-law","topic: criminal-procedure","text: felony","text: sentence"],"url":"https://ott.law/practice-areas/criminal-law"},{"slug":"corporate","label":"Corporate Law","href":"/practice-areas/corporate","score":12,"source":"topic","evidence":["topic: contracts"],"url":"https://ott.law/practice-areas/corporate"},{"slug":"litigation","label":"Civil Litigation","href":"/practice-areas/litigation","score":12,"source":"topic","evidence":["topic: appellate-procedure"],"url":"https://ott.law/practice-areas/litigation"}],"role":"petitioner"}]}