Marvin Gene Pearson v. Larry Norris, Director, Arkansas Department of Correction

MORRIS SHEPPARD ARNOLD, Circuit Judge.

In 1990, a state court jury convicted Marvin Gene Pearson of kidnapping, burglary, and terroristic threatening. At that time, Arkansas law provided two avenues for challenging a conviction' — (1) within 30 days of sentencing, a pre-appeal petition to the trial court for a new trial on the ground of ineffective assistance of trial counsel, see In the Matter of the Abolishment of Rule 37 and the Revision of Rule 36, 299 Ark. 573, 770 S.W.2d 148 (1989) (per curiam)-, and (2) within 30 days of sentencing or 30 days of the denial of the new trial motion…