George Lombardi Missouri Cases

Gordon F. Goldsby, serving a life sentence for rape, appealed the circuit court's dismissal of his petition seeking to compel the Missouri Department of Corrections to provide him with a release date. The Supreme Court first addressed a jurisdictional issue, holding that the timely filing of a docket fee is not a jurisdictional prerequisite for an appeal, thus Goldsby's appeal was timely. On the merits, the Court affirmed the circuit court's decision, concluding that the "three-fourths rule" for sentence reduction does not apply to life sentences or to prisoners with conduct violations, and therefore, DOC was not required to set a release date for Goldsby.