Leigh v. Territory of Arizona
Leigh v. Territory of Arizona
Opinion of the Court
The only questions raised by the appellant in his assignment of errors, and upon the incomplete record which we have before us, are as to the correctness of the rulings of the trial court upon the challenges for éause to certain jurors. The first assignment of error is as follows: “The court erred in not sustaining the challenge for cause of defendant to the jurors: G. S. Haskins, Frank Irwin, George W. Miller, and Peter F. White, and caused defendant to exercise a peremptory challenge upon each of the above-named jurors, to his harm, for the reason that said jurors had expressed an unqualified opinion concerning the guilt or innocence of defendant, and that it would take evidence to remove said opinion.” By section 910 of our Penal Code it is provided that either party may challenge any individual juror for any of the various causes set forth in fifteen subdivisions of said section. The thirteenth subdivision of said section provides as a cause for such challenge: “For the existence of a state of mind on the part of the juror in reference to the case, or to the defendant, or to the person alleged to be injured by the offense charged, or on whose complaint the prosecution was instituted, which will prevent him from acting with entire impartiality and without prejudice to the substantial rights of either party.” By section 915 of the Penal Code it is provided: “When a challenge is made for the cause mentioned in subdivision thirteen (13) of section 910, no person shall be disqualified as a juror by reason of having formed or expressed an opinion upon the matter or facts to be submitted to such jury, founded upon public rumor, statements in public journals, or common notoriety; provided: It be a qualified opinion, and it appears to the court that such juror will act impartially and fairly upon the matter to be submitted to him. The court shall instruct the jurors as to the distinction between a qualified and an unqualified opinion, and if the person has formed or expressed an unqualified opinion, he shall be excluded.”
The assignment which we are considering alleges error in the refusal of the court to sustain the challenge for cause, in that the jurors had expressed an unqualified opinion, and is not based upon the existence of a qualified opinion such as would prevent the jurors from acting impartially. If there was any such unqualified opinion in the mind of any'of the jurors, it was the duty of the court to sustain the challenge. An examination of the record before us discloses that the jurors, upon their voir dire, stated in substance as follows: Juror Haskins stated, on his direct examination, that from what he had heard he had not formed or expressed an opinion of the guilt or innocence of the defendant; that he had no fixed opinion, because he knew nothing of the case, and no bias or prejudice against the
It is apparent that the opinion of the jurors Haskins and Miller were not fixed and settled opinions as to the guilt or innocence of the defendant, but that they were qualified opinions formed upon rumor and common notoriety. They were clearly competent, qualified jurors. As to the juror Irwin, it is true that in answer to the last question put to
In considering this assignment of error, we have treated the matter as if proper challenges for cause had been interposed by the defendant. In each instance, after the examination of the juror, a challenge was interposed in the
The second assignment of error is as follows: “That the court erred in allowing a challenge for cause of the territory to the juror J. W. Thompson, and the juror John Musser, for the reason that said jurors were not disqualified under our statute' as to the conscientious scruples concerning the death penalty. And for the further reason that said jurors did not entertain any such conscientious opinions as would preclude them from finding the defendant guilty of murder in the first degree. For the further reason that under our statute the jury may find the person guilty of murder in the first degree, and fix his punishment at either death or imprisonment, and the objections to conscientious scruples must be that the juror would be precluded from finding the defendant guilty, and not that he would dislike to hang a man.” Subdivision 14 of section 910 of the Penal Code, provides, as a ground of challenge for cause: “If the offense charged be punishable with death, the entertaining of such conscientious opinions as would preclude his finding the defendant guilty; in which ease he must neither be permitted nor compelled to serve as a juror.” The record shows that both these jurors stated that they entertained such conscientious opinions as would preclude them from finding the defendant guilty. The juror Thompson, however, on further examination, stated that his opinion would not prevent his finding the defendant guilty and fixing the punishment at imprisonment for life, if the evidence warranted it; but that the opinion he held would preclude him from fixing the death penalty. This qualification did not bring the juror outside the clear meaning and intent of the statute. Although the jury may fix the punishment for murder in the first degree at either death or imprisonment for life, the offense of murder in the first
These are the only errors, as alleged, discussed in the appellant’s brief, or which are presented to us from the record as it is before us.
The judgment of the district court is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- C. C. LEIGH v. TERRITORY OF ARIZONA
- Cited By
- 13 cases
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- Syllabus
- 1. Criminal Law — Juror—Qualifications—Opinion—Qualified—Unqualified — Kev. Stats. Ariz. 1901, Pen. Code, Seo. 910, Subd. 13, Seo. 915, Construed. — Under section 910, subdivision 13, supra, providing that a juror may be challenged for cause for the existence of a state of mind which will prevent him from acting with entire impartiality, and section 915, supra, providing that when a challenge is interposed for the above reason no person shall be disqualified by reason o£ having formed or expressed an opinion founded upon public rumor, statements in public journals, or common notoriety, provided it be a qualified opinion, and it appears to the court that the juror will act impartially, the existence of an unqualified opinion, derived from any source whatever, disqualifies the juror; but a qualified opinion, whether founded upon public rumor, statements in public journals, common notoriety, actual knowledge of the facts, or statements by a party or witness, does-not disqualify, if in the opinion of the court the juror can nevertheless act fairly and impartially. 2. Same- — -Appeal—Juror-—Qualification—In Discretion of Court— When not Disturbed on Appeal. — The determination of the question whether or not a juror who has formed an opinion is able-to act impartially, is one which must be left largely to the wise-discretion of the trial court, and the determination of the trial court in that regard will not be disturbed on appeal, unless it appears, to be clearly erroneous. 3. Same — Jurors—Competency—Opinions.—A juror in a criminal ease,. who stated that the opinion he had was formed upon what he heard about the case, that it was not a fixed opinion, but it would take-, evidence to remove it, and that he had not expressed a settled opinion of his guilt or innocence, as well as one who testified that he had not talked with the witnesses, but formed his opinion, on hearsay, that his opinion could be changed by evidence, and that, he did not know that he had a fixed and settled opinion of the guilt, or innocence of the accused, was not subject to challenge for causa for partiality. 4. Same — Same—Same—Same.—A juror in a criminal trial who stated that he had formed an opinion which could be changed by evidence; that his opinion was formed on facts which he had heard and was fixed if the facts were true, otherwise it could be changed,, and who in his last answer merely acceded to the statement of counsel, that he had a fixed, unqualified opinion, was not necessarily disqualified. 5. Same — Challenge—Ground Must Be Stated — Rev. Stats. Ariz. 1901, Pen. Code, Sec. 914, Held Mandatory. — Section 914, suprar providing, “In every challenge for any of the causes specified in section 910, the particular cause must be stated,” is for the purpose of bringing to the attention of the trial court the ground upon which the challenge is based, and is mandatory in its terms, and must be followed, in order to enable a party to present for review on appeal the action of the trial court in respect to such challenge or to predicate error thereon. 6. Same — Juror—Scruples against Death Penalty — Disqualifies— Rev. Stats. Ariz. 1901, Pen. Code, Sec. 910, Subd. 14, Construed. , — A juror who has conscientious scruples against the infliction off the death penalty is not competent on the trial of an offense which is punishable in the option of the jury by death or imprisonment for life, under section 910, subdivision 14, supra, providing “If the-offense charged be punishable with death, the entertaining of such conscientious opinions as would preclude his finding the defendant-guilty; in which ease he must neither be permitted nor compelled to serve as a juror.”