Deadlines After a Conviction
Conn. Practice Book § 63-1 — 20 days to appeal, and a habeas petition presumed delayed after five years
20 days. Unless a different time period is provided by statute, an appeal must be filed within twenty days of the date notice of the judgment or decision is given. In a criminal case where the appeal is from a judgment of conviction, the appeal period begins when sentence is pronounced in open court.
Who handles this in Connecticut: legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the Connecticut directory.
A new appeal period. If a motion is filed within the appeal period that, if granted, would render the judgment or decision ineffective, such as a motion for a new trial or to open or set aside the judgment, a new twenty day period begins on the day notice of the ruling on the last such motion is given. The appeal period may also be extended where Section 66-1 (a) permits.
Five years. There is a rebuttable presumption that a petition challenging a judgment of conviction has been delayed without good cause if it is filed after the later of: five years after the judgment is final through the conclusion of appellate review or the expiration of the time to seek it; or two years after a constitutional or statutory right asserted in it was first recognized and made retroactive.
A second petition. A petition filed after a judgment on a prior petition challenging the same conviction is presumed delayed if it is filed after the later of two years after the judgment on the prior petition is final, or two years after a new retroactive right is recognized.
Good cause. Where the presumption applies, the court, on the respondent's request, orders the petitioner to show cause why the petition should proceed, and dismisses it if good cause for the delay is not shown. Good cause includes new evidence that materially affects the merits and could not have been discovered with due diligence in time.
Assigned counsel on appeal, a stay pending appeal, and federal habeas corpus run on rules and deadlines of their own and are not on this page. Whether a deadline has passed in a particular case is a question for a licensed Connecticut attorney.
Sources for this section (2)
- Conn. Practice Book § 63-1 — Time to appeal
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-470 — Summary disposal of habeas corpus case. Determination of good cause for trial. Appeal by person convicted of crime
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Connecticut attorney.