Missouri\u27s Requirements for Federal Habeas Corpus Review: An Analysis of Exhaustion and Tolling of Statutes of Limitations

This summary contends that exclusion of discretionary review by the Missouri Supreme Court from the available list of remedies will not impart the statute of limitation for two reasons. First, in Missouri, the right to apply for discretionary transfer is guaranteed by the state constitution. If the statute of limitation for federal habeas corpus petitions were not tolled by a prisioner’s pending application for discretionary transfer, state prisoners would be forced unfairly to choose between state and federal constitutional rights. Second, the characterization of a particular state remedy as “extraordinary” for exhaustion purposes should not affect its character as “direct” for statute of limitation purposes