Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District / Dec 14, 2021
Donald Johnson vs. Missouri Department of Corrections
Donald Johnson, a class X offender, appealed the trial court's grant of judgment on the pleadings in favor of the Missouri Department of Corrections. Johnson sought a declaratory judgment, arguing that a 2019 amendment to section 558.019 made him eligible for parole on his attempted robbery conviction. The appellate court affirmed the trial court's judgment, holding that the 2019 amendment does not apply to Johnson because his class X offender status and parole restriction were part of his final judgment under a prior, substantively different version of the statute.