In Re Colacasides
In Re Colacasides
Opinion of the Court
This is an appeal on leave granted by this Court from the circuit court for Wayne county, bypassing the Court of Appeals pursuant to GCR 1963, 852.
Appellant was found guilty of contempt, by the Honorable Charles Kaufman, a judge of the Wayne circuit court, for refusal to testify in a one-man grand jury proceeding presided over by the Honorable George E. Bowles, also a judge of the Wayne circuit court. Judge Kaufman sentenced appellant to six months’ confinement in the Detroit house of correction, or until the expiration of the above designated grand jury, or until such time as he should purge himself of such contempt by answering the questions addressed to him in the grand jury proceeding. Upon his initial refusal to answer the questions, appellant was ordered so to do under a grant of immunity by the grand juror. The grant of immunity was from all subsequent prosecution for any offense concerning which any responsive answer to such questions may have tended to incriminate appellant.
Appellant challenges his conviction for contempt on multiple grounds. He contends that the one-man grand jury proceeding from which his contempt conviction resulted is an illegal extension of a prior one-man grand jury beyond the one-year period allowed
The questions put to him by the grand juror all relate to so-called “little black books” seized in the appellant’s restaurant-tavern. In it are entries purported to be in the handwriting of appellant and allegedly showing payments of money to Detroit police officers presumably as bribes to induce the officers to refrain from enforcing the law as to defendant.
We conclude that the Bowles grand jury is not an illegal extension of a preceding one-man grand jury; that the immunity granted appellant is as broad as is required by the Fifth Amendment’s guarantee against self-incrimination; that the State performed its obligation of advising appellant of its grant of immunity to him; that the one-man grand jury statute does not violate either our State Constitution’s separation of powers provision or the Fourteenth Amendment’s due process clause; and that, therefore, the appellant’s contempt conviction for refusal
I.
Appellant contends that Grand Juror Bowles exceeded the permissible scope of his inquiry when he put questions to appellant relating to the “little black books” seized by a previous one-man grand jury presided over by the Honorable Edward S. Piggins, another of the judges of the Wayne circuit court, and that appellant’s refusal to answer those questions, therefore, was not conduct punishable as contempt. His theory is that the statute, CLS 1961, § 767.1 (Stat Ann 1951 Rev § 28.911), imposes a 12-month time limit upon grand juror inquiry into the subject matter of any granted petition for such inquiry and that no subsequent grand juror thereafter can investigate the same subject matter. The pertinent portion of the cited statute, added by PA 1951, No 276, reads as follows: ,
“No inquiry or proceeding hereunder shall continue longer than 6 months unless extended by specific order of the said judge or his successor for an additional period not to exceed 6 months.”
The record before us discloses that while Grand Juror Piggins was conducting his inquiry certain documents came into his possession on the basis of which this appellant and another person were indicted for conspiracy to bribe a Detroit police officer. Judge Piggins served as grand juror for two successive six-month periods ending in August of 1966. Shortly before expiration of the Piggins grand jury, the judges of the Wayne circuit court granted a petition by the attorney general for another Wayne county one-man grand jury inquiry and Judge Bowles thereafter, on September 8,1966,. was designated by his colleagues to conduct it. On
Later in January, 1967, appellant was subpoenaed to appear before Grand Juror Bowles and was asked the questions for his refusal to answer which he-was cited and subsequently convicted of contempt. The questions related to certain documents transferred by our order to the Bowles grand jury from those deposited with us by the Piggins grand jury. These documents were the evidentiary basis upon which
We do not accept as correct appellant’s construction of the above-quoted provision of the statute, that is to say, that no grand juror may investigate the subject matter of a prior one-man grand jury. The quoted language added to the statute by PA 1951, No 276, does not indicate intrinsically the legislature’s purpose, nor has our attention been directed to anything extrinsic of the statutory amendatory language from which we can discern that legislative purpose. We must determine the legislature’s meaning from the statutory language alone, therefore. While it may be conceded that the language is not literally inconsistent with the construction put upon it by appellant, that is not the only construction consistent with its terms, nor is it the construction we believe most consistent with the permissible objectives sought to be achieved by the one-man grand jury law.
We construe the above-quoted statutory language to mean that no judicial officer designated to serve as a onerman grand juror to investigate specified allegations of crime may do so for more than two •consecutive six-month periods. By this provision we believe the legislature manifested its intent to limit the time within which a particular judge could exercise the- extraordinary powers of a grand juror. 'That a grand juror’s powers are extraordinary, for a judicial officer, will be considered subsequently in this opinion. That the legislature was aware of the possible : political consequences of such power is manifest in that part of CL 1948, § 767.3, as amended, PA 1965, No 251 (Stat Ann 1965 Cum Supp § 28.943) quoted in the. margin.
Because we construe tbe time limitation as affecting the grand juror, rather than tbe inquiry, another issue is presented: may one grand juror utilize tbe evidence produced by a predecessor grand juror? Pertinent to this issue are tbe so-called secrecy provisions of CL 1948, § 767.3, as amended (Stat Ann 1965 Cum Supp § 28.943), CLS 1961, § 767.4 (Stat Ann 1954 Rev § 28.944), and CLS 1961, § 767.6 (Stat Ann 1954 Rev § 28.946), tbe pertinent provisions of which are italicized in tbe margin.
On the foregoing basis, this Court entered its order of January 6, 1967.
II.
A.
Appellant’s principal argument on this appeal is that the immunity granted him, to induce his answering the questions put to him, is not coextensive with the Fifth Amendment to the United States Consti
The order of immunity granted by Grand Juror Bowles reads, in pertinent part, as follows:
“It is therefore Ordered that said Gus Colaoasides be and he hereby is directed to forthwith responsively answer said questions and all related questions which may hereafter be put to said witness, and, in accordance with said statute, this court does hereby grant immunity to said Gus Colaoasides from all subsequent prosecution for any offense concerning which any responsive answer to such questions may have tended to incriminate him.”
Appellant argues that the phrase “subsequent prosecution” is too narrow in view of the scope of the self-incrimination rights granted by the State
Looking to the language of the order, one notes that immunity is granted “in accordance with said statute.” The statute earlier in the order was described as “the statute in such case made and provided”, which means CLS 1961, § 767.6 (Stat Ann 1954 Rev § 28.946), set forth in the margin, supra, at pp 80, 81.
Appellant does not challenge the validity of section 767.6; rather, his attack is upon the immunity order that was issued pursuant to the statutory provision. That order, however, must be read in the light of the statute as it, in turn, was interpreted by this Court in Watson, supra.
In Watson, the Court used broad language in finding the one-man grand jury immunity provision constitutional. Said the Court (p 277):
“The grant of immunity from crime is a large responsibility. The legislature, acting in the public interest for the detection and suppression of crime, has lodged this extraordinary power in the discretion of the magistrate, and the immunity granted extends to any prosecution by the State for any offenses that may he disclosed by the answers of the witness or for any offenses to which such testimony may lead.”
Earlier the Court had said (p 276):
“The witness shall not ‘thereafter he prosecuted for any offense concerning which such answers may have tended to incriminate him’; and we construe the statute to afford a protection against prosecution by the State as broad as the Constitutional provision securing the privilege against self-incrimination.” (Emphasis added.)
“No person required to answer such questions shall thereafter be prosecuted for any offense concerning which such answers may have tended to incriminate him.”
Watson, then, gives CLS 1961, § 767.6 as broad a scope as the Federal privilege against self-incrimination. See Malloy v. Hogan (1964), 378 US 1 (84 S Ct 1489,12 L ed 2d 653). We conclude that the following statement, from Malloy, is a principle of law binding upon us (p 8) :
“The Fourteenth Amendment secures against State invasion the same privilege that the Fifth Amendment guarantees against Federal infringement — the right of a person to remain silent unless he chooses to speak in the unfettered exercise of his own will, and to suffer no penalty, as held in Twining [Twining v. New Jersey (1908), 211 US 78 (29 S Ct 14, 53 L ed 97)] for such silence.”
and that Watson gives Michigan’s immunity statute a scope as broad as the Malloy decision requires.
Thus we conclude that Watson, instead of being a “judicial relic”, as appellant contends, construes section 767.6 to be consistent with our Federal and State constitutional requirements. The immunity order explicitly says the immunity grant is in accordance with the statute, and the statute, as interpreted by Watson, gives immunity coextensive with the privilege. The statute, and the order issued thereunder, thus are constitutionally valid. We need determine only whether the privilege and, thus, the granted immunity apply to preclude use of the evidence sought from appellant in criminal proceedings now pending and in any subsequent license forfeiture proceedings.
“I shall assume that the inquiry is of the .subject matter of some crime, and, indeed, of the crime laid in the existing indictment. When so questioned, the witness must answer. * * * And, when given, his answer will thereafter protect him from further prosecution. It will be a good bar to this very pending prosecution, if it be pertinent to the subject matter.” (Emphasis added.)
The Watson decision adopted the foregoing language as its own, and its application to the present situation means that matter obtained by the grand juror would not be usable — either by itself or as a lead — in the pending prosecution. Appellant’s fears concerning the pending case against him thus are unfounded — at least insofar as they are based on information the grand juror has requested.
The Watson Case, by its express terms, applied to the pending prosecution against the defendant Watson. We do not believe we are obligated to anticipate that the judge in the pending prosecution will incorrectly apply the law of that case, and we decline to do so. The grand juror, in granting immunity, is not required to list every proceeding covered by the immunity.for the rather obvious reason that the statute and the Watsón Case, by their terms, apply to prosecution for any offense, directly .or indirectly
The next question is that of the use of the compelled answers in any possible future license forfeiture proceedings. The following language of the revised judicature act, presumably based upon the Federal and State privileges against self-incrimination, is in point:
“Any competent witness in a cause shall not be excused from answering a question relevant to the matter in issue, on the ground merely that the answer to such question may establish, or tend to establish, that such witness owes a debt, or is otherwise subject to a civil suit; but this provision shall not be construed to require a witness to give any answer which will have a tendency to accuse himself of any crime or misdemeanor, or to expose him to any penalty or forfeiture, nor in any respect to vary or alter any other rule respecting the examination of witnesses.” CLS 1961, § 600.2154 (Stat Ann 1962 Rev § 27A. 2154).
This statute states the legislature’s understanding of the scope of the privilege against self-incrimination. Although the statute may not be all-inclusive, according to constitutional standards, it expressly prohibits a witness from being exposed to a forfeiture if he is required to give testimony. We draw two conclusions from the provision: first, that a license forfeiture may not be imposed because of testimony or leads from such testimony if appellant is required to testify despite his assertion of the privilege against self-incrimination ,• and, second, that the immunity granted under section 767.6 must
B.
Another aspect of appellant’s immunity argument merits our attention. He claims that before a witness who has been granted immunity can be convicted of contempt for refusal to answer questions put to him, he must be apprised of “the nature and extent of said immunity.” For this proposition appellant relies upon Raley v. Ohio (1959), 360 US 423 (79 S Ct 1257, 3 L ed 2d 1344), and Stevens v. Marks (1966), 383 US 234 (86 S Ct 788, 15 L ed 2d 724). He concludes that because he was not advised by the grand juror whether the grant of immunity extended to the currently pending criminal prosecution against him and to alcoholic beverage license forfeiture proceedings, his contempt conviction was invalid.
Neither Raley nor Stevens stands for the proposition for which appellant cites them. In Raley, the witnesses were not advised at a legislative hearing that a State statute granted them immunity. In Stevens, investigators tried to hold the witness to a waiver of immunity. In both cases the Supreme Court reversed contempt convictions, not because, as appellant asserts, the witnesses were not advised of “the nature and extent” of the immunity granted them but, rather, because the witnesses were left in doubt as to whether they had any immunity whatsoever. In this case of Colacasides, on the other hand, appellant was not only advised orally that he was granted immunity but, as well, and pursuant to
As authority for this proposition he relies on the following language in footnote 11 in Stevens:
“The suggestion that we should remand the case to the New York courts for a finding of whether or not petitioner was misled is, we think, wide of the mark. A State must affirmatively demonstrate to the witness that a valid immunity from prosecution is his before it may hold him in contempt for refusing to answer questions that would otherwise be incriminating. Whether the State has met its burden must be measured at the time of the alleged contempt. A declaration that there was a valid immunity uttered for the first time on appeal would come too late.”
We think appellant misreads Stevens. Of course the “burden” must be measured at the time of the alleged contempt. But the “burden” the United States Supreme Court alluded to in Stevens was whether any grant of immunity was in fact made, not the legal construction of its scope, nor the specific proceedings to which it applied. These were and remain, and of necessity by the nature of things have to be, matters of judicial construction. We do
III.
Finally, we come to appellant’s contentions that this State’s one-man grand jury law violates the separation of powers doctrine, as set forth in Const 1963, art 3, § 2, and the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
A.
In this country it is not normally the function of a judge to investigate the occurrence of crime. That function normally is performed by the executive branch of government as part of its duty to enforce .the laws. Experience has demonstrated, however, that regularly constituted law enforcement agencies sometimes are unable effectively and lawfully to enforce the laws, particularly with respect to corrupt conduct by officers of government and conspiratorial criminal activity on an organized and continuing basis. Our experience also has demonstrated that the common-law 23-man grand jury is unwieldy and ineffective for the investigation of such crimes in a modern, industrialized, and mobile society.
This dilemma has been resolved in this State by its unique one-man grand jury, comprised of a judicial officer who can properly exercise the subpoena power and the power to grant immunity in order to compel testimony. Appellant, however, contends that a judicial officer cannot also perform investigative duties without violating the separation of powers mandate of Const 1963, art 3, § 2.
The nature of the conservator’s power was considered by this Court in In re Slattery (1945), 310 Mich 458, in another unsuccessful challenge to the constitutionality of our one-man grand jury law. A few years earlier, in In re Sanderson (1939), 289 Mich 165, the Court traced the historical development of the office of conservator of the peace from its origin in England to its ultimate merger in the office of justice of the peace. Little more need be added to what was written in Slattery and Sander-son in support of the conclusions we have reached, conclusions which are consistent with those to be found in those two cases.
Taswell-Langmead’s English Constitutional History (11th ed, Theodore F. T. Plucknett), summarizes this historical development:
*92 “Conservators of the peace. In the appointment of knights to receive the oaths may probably be discerned the germ of the office of conservator, later justice, of the peace. Custodes pads were assigned in 1252, 1253 and 1264 and from 1285 were closely associated with the enforcement of the Statute of Winchester. They afterwards appear to have been occasionally chosen by the landholders of the county, but were finally appointed to their office by the royal writ or commission. Their constant function was to take indictments of felonies and misdemeanours, and to hold the accused until trial by royal judges. In 1329, 1332, 1338, and from 1350 to 1364 they were given powers to try their prisoners, and this became permanent in 1368. Their early functions of supervising the militia were soon transferred to separate commissions of array, but after the Black Death they frequently dealt with the new labour and price-control legislation. The local courts paled before them, the sheriff became their servant, and parliament (where many J.P.s sat in the House of Commons) constantly confided new and important tasks to them.” (p 126.)
“The principal organ [of county government] in fact had come to be the justices of the peace. Their early history has already been mentioned; as time went on their duties were immensely increased by statute, not only in the sphere of criminal administration but also in that of poor law and general local government. A vast and confused mass of legislation which defies analysis conferred wide and very miscellaneous powers.” (pp 685, 686.)
Another historian, discussing criminal jurisdiction in England, reports these conclusions about the office of justice of the peace:
“The remedy was found in the office of justice of the peace. This office has late twelfth-century origins, but the important steps were taken in the fourteenth century. A statute provided that ‘worthy’ men were to be appointed to keep the peace*93 and hear and determine felonies. Further statutes enacted that they were to hold their sessions four times a year. Before these statutes these worthy men were more conservators of the peace than justices ; the duty of hearing and determining felonies made them ‘justices of the peace’, or more simply ‘justices’. * * * .
“The powers of justices were extended somewhat in the fifteenth century, and increased greatly in the sixteenth century. * * * Thirdly, the justices were instructed to hold preliminary inquiries into allegations of crime that might lead to trial at assizes or quarter sessions. This.was in the nature of police powers in ‘getting up’ a case, not really a judicial activity and suitable only for a-society that lacked an adequate police force. No substantial change took place until the middle of the nineteenth century.” The Machinery of Justice in England, it. M. Jackson, LLD (4th Ed 1964), at pp 92, 93.
History adds weight to the reasoning of Justice Butzel’s opinion in Slattery. . Conservators of the peace, historically, were empowered to make investigations and “get up” a case. Circuit judges, possessing the conservator’s powers by virtue of article 6, § 29, therefore, do no violence to our separation of powers doctrine, article 3, § 2, by exercising such powers of investigation as one-man grand jurors.
While we recognize that in Slattery this Court said that a judge conducting a one-man grand jury proceeding acts in a judicial capacity, 310 Mich at 467, we do not believe it necessary to re-examine that question in this case. We mention the matter only because appellant asserts, without citing any supporting authority, that if grand jury proceedings are not judicial, appellant cannot be held in contempt. Whether a circuit judge acts in a judicial capacity or in an executive capacity as grand juror, there is no constitutional bar to the legislature’s
The debates of the recent constitutional convention which produced our Constitution of 1963 disclose that the delegates considered omitting from the new Constitution all reference to the conservators of the peace. Indeed, the convention’s judiciary committee so recommended, but when it was brought to the delegates’ attention in debate that omission of the grant to judges of conservator’s powers might affect adversely the validity of our one-man grand jury law, the delegates voted to include in their final proposal the language which now appears as Const 1963, art 6, § 29. The official record of the convention’s proceedings reports the following introductory comment on the “conservator” proposal by the chairman of the convention’s judiciary committee :
“Mr. Danhok: Mr. President, members of the convention, some time back, we had an exclusion report to strike the provision in the 1908 Constitution which made the Supreme Court judges, the circuit judges and the justices of the peace conservators of the peace within their respective jurisdiction. I might state at the time we considered this matter, none of the attorneys nor the circuit judges serving on my committee could see any par*95 ticular advantage to the section, nor did research indicate that there was any reason that it be retained. The governor’s advisory committee likewise recommended its removal. But we received a letter from Detroit from Circuit Judge Joseph Sullivan in which he brought to our attention a case involving the validity of the one-man grand jury system in the State of Michigan.11 In this particular case, the question was on the validity of the one-man grand jury and Justice Butzel, writing the majority opinion of the court, pointed out the difference between Michigan and New York, and the reason why Michigan could sustain a one-man grand jury system and why New York could not. And one of the items which Justice Butzel referred to constantly in about 3 pages of his opinion was the fact that circuit judges by the Constitution of 1908 were authorized to be conservators of the peace and that their duties and functions sitting as a grand jury would be within this particular section. Now, the odd part of it is that he went on to state that even in spite of this provision, he did not feel that sitting as a one-man grand jury was a nonjudicial function. But in going over it with Mr. Joiner and other members of the staff, and in talking with Mr. Ford, we came to this conclusion: that we should not endanger the one-man grand jury system; that if it is to be abolished, it should be abolished by the agency and the body which created the one-man grand jury system, namely, the legislature, and that we would not be worried if Justice Butzel had not spent approximately 3 pages of the opinion pointing-out that Michigan could have a one-man grand jury system while New York could not because we had this provision making the judges conservators of the peace.
“Now, we have amended it slightly to read Supreme Court, Court of Appeals and circuit judges and other judges as provided by law, so that the*96 legislature, if it deems, in its wisdom, to have the judges of courts of limited jurisdiction be conservators of the peace, it can so do. The committee considered this at the time that it was brought before the committee. We had about 14 people. We got 10 votes in favor. Eleven are needed on a committee proposal. I did not get the 11. However, Mr. Ford was absent. He joined with me in this particular amendment. We would urge the adoption thereof.” 2 Constitutional Convention 1961 Record, p 2703.
In addition to the chairman of the convention’s judiciary committee, others expressed the view that if the State’s one-man grand jury system were to be changed, it should be accomplished by the legislature. The convention then approved the “conservator” clause by a 58-55 margin. Shortly afterward, a delegate specifically proposed a clause to be added to the article on the judiciary, to provide as follows:
“One-man grand juries are hereby abolished.” The proposal was defeated, 73-32. 2 Constitutional Convention 1961, Record, pp 2709, 2710.
The significance we place upon the foregoing actions of the constitutional convention is that the delegates correctly regarded the “conservator” clause important to the constitutional validity of our one-man grand jury law. When the convention and, thereafter, the people of this State approved the document that was to become the Constitution of 1963, including both the “separation of powers” clause (article 3, § 2) and the “conservator” clause (article 6, § 29), they declared in legal effect that a judge exercising the powers of a conservator of the peace was not thereby violating the separation of powers clause.
Relying generally upon Mr. Justice Rutledge’s concurring opinion in In re Oliver (1949), 333 US 257 (68 S Ct 499, 92 L ed 682), appellant invites our reconsideration of the constitutionality of Michigan’s one-man grand jury law. It is his claim that our law is incompatible with current concepts of due process, citing recent United States Supreme Court decisions
Judicial declarations of statutory unconstitutionality we think should be made of sterner stuff. We cannot, by the suggested process, strike down a presumptively constitutional legislative act. The fact is that the one-man grand jury law, as it appears on our statute books today, is very much different from that which heretofore has been reviewed for constitutional validity by this Court and by the United States Supreme Court in In re Oliver, supra.
Today, a witness called before the grand juror is entitled to the presence and assistance of counsel in the room where he is being examined. CL 1948, § 767.3, as amended by PA 1965, No 251 (Stat Ann 1965 Cum Supp § 28.943). The grand juror no longer may act as the examining magistrate at a hearing on a complaint or indictment resulting from the inquiry,
However deficient this State’s one-man grand jury statute once may have been, when measured against now recognized standards of due process, appellant has failed to persuade us that, as now written, it denies due process.
We find the present statute meets all of the re-' quirements of the Michigan Constitution of 1963 and the Constitution of the United States. No rights of appellant guaranteed thereby have been denied him. The judgment of contempt entered by the Wayne circuit court and the sentence imposed pursuant thereto are affirmed. No costs, constitutional issues being involved.
See In re Colacasides (On Application for Bail), 6 Mich App 298.
“In the Matter of the Petition of George E. Bowles, Grand Juror
“The petition of George E. Bowles, grand juror, for an order of this Court authorizing petitioner or any member of his staff to take custody of boxes 1 through 13 of the Judge Edward S. Piggins grand jury records from the clerk of this Court having been duly considered,
“It is Ordered by the Court, That the elerk of this Court is hereby directed to deliver to Grand Juror George E. Bowles, or a member of his staff designated therefor by Grand Juror.George E. Bowles yn writing, boxes 1 through 13 of the records of the Edward S. Piggins grand jury and to take a receipt for such records;
“It is Purther Ordered, That Grand Juror -George E. Bowles shall obtain all synopses of testimony, doekets, journals, reporters' notes, transcripts, exhibits, and all other records, originals or duplicates, not heretofore filed by the Edward S. Piggins grand jury with this Court, whether in the hands of the Michigan State police •or the Detroit police department or any other person or persons, -and shall deliver an inventory of the same and a receipt therefor to the clerk of the Supreme Court;
“It is Purther Ordered, That said records be kept in the possession of Grand Juror Bowles until the further order of this Court iu the same manner and subject to the same conditions of secrecy as are provided by statute for all other records acquired during the course of the grand jury inquiry and that, pursuant to statute, they may, be made available to the State of Michigan for its lawful use thereof in prosecutions and other proceedings arising out of the Edward S. Piggins grand jury.
Sgd. John R. Dethmers Chief Justice
Dated; January 6, 1967”
“Any judge, prosecuting attorney or special prosecuting attorney, or the attorney general participating in any inquiry .under this sec-
“Any person called before the grand jury shall at all times be entitled to legal eounsel not involving delay and he may discuss fully with his eounsel all matters relative to his part in the inquiry without being subject to a citation for contempt. The witness shall have the right to have eounsel present in the room where the inquiry is held. All matters revealed to the attorney shall be subject to the requirements of secrecy in section 4, and any revelation thereof by
“Except in cases of prosecutions for contempt or perjury against ivitnesses who may have been summoned before the judge conducting such inquiry, or for the purpose of determining whether the testimony of a witness examined before such judge is consistent with or different from the testimony given by such witness before a court in any subsequent proceeding, or in cases of disciplinary action against attorneys and counselors in this State, any judge conducting such inquiry, any prosecuting attorney and other persons who may at the discretion of such judge be admitted to such inquiry, who shall while conducting such inquiry or while in the services of such judge or after his services with such judge shall have been discontinued, utter or publish any statement pertaining to any information or evidence involved im any such inquiry, or who shall disclose the fact that any indictment for a felony has been found against any person not in custody or under recognizance, or who shall disclose that any person has been questioned or summoned in connection with any such inquiry, or who shall disclose or publish or cause to be published any of the proceedings of such inquiry otherwise than by issuing or executing processes prior to such indictment, or shall disclose, publish or cause to be published any comment, opinion or conclusions related thereto, shall be guilty df a misdemeanor. punishable by imprisonment in the county jail not more than 1 year or by a fine of not less than $100.00 nor more than $1,000.00, or both such fine and imprisonment in the discretion of the court, and such offense when committed by a public official shall also constitute malfeasance in office. Upon the termination of such inquiry if the judge shall malee no presentment of crime or wrongdoing as to any person or persons whose apprehension or removal from office he has not so caused, he may, in his discretion, with the consent of the person who may be named, file with the cleric of the county in which such inquiry has been conducted, a report of no finding of criminal guilt as to any person or persons involved in such inquiry, either as witness or otherwise, whose involvement in such inquiry has become public.” (CLS 1961, § 767.4 [Stat Ann 1954 Rev § 28.944].)
“No witness shall upon such inquiry be required to answer any questions, or shall be convieted for contempt upon refusal to do so, when the' answers might tend to incriminate him. A written order granting to such witness immunity from such incrimination may be 'entered by said judge pursuant to a written motion by the prosecuting attorney or other duly authorized representative of the State in such proceeding; which order shall set forth verbatim the questions which such. witness refused to answer. A true copy of such motion and order.-shall be delivered to such witness before he shall answer such questions.; The order granting immunity so made shall thereafter exténd to all -related questions which may thereafter be put to such witness until such judge advises the witness that said immunity no longer-applies. All-such questions and the answers thereto shall be '-reduced to writing under the direction of such judge and a true co'py
See footnote 2, supra.
“No person shall be compelled in any criminal ease to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty or property, without due process of law. The right of all individuals, firms, corporations and voluntary associations to fair and just treatment in the course of legislative and executive investigations and hearings. shaJl not l?e infringed.” Const 1963, art 1, § 17,
CLS 1961, § 767.6 (Stat Ann 1954 Rev § 28.946), see footnote 4, supra.
Even in 1850 the common-law grand jury was subjected to devastating criticism. See Constitutional Convention Debates, 1850, re
“The powers of government are divided into three branches; legislative, executive and judicial. No person exercising powers of one branch shall exercise powers properly belonging to another branch except as expressly provided in this Constitution.”
“Justices of the supreme court, judges of the court of appeals,
In re Slattery (1945) 310 Mich 458,
Mapp v. Ohio (1961), 367 US 643 (81 S Ct 1684, 6 L ed 2d 1081, 84 ALR2d 933) ; Gideon v. Wainwright (1963), 372 US 335 (83 S Ct 792, 9 L ed 2d 799, 93 ALR2d 733); Douglas v. California (1963), 372 US 353 (83 S Ct 814, 9 L ed 2d 811); and Malloy v. Hogan (1964), 378 US 1 (84 S Ct 1489, 12 L ed 2d 653).
A practice the statute allowed formerly and upheld in People v. McCrea (1942), 303 Mich 213, 247, 248. See, also, September 1948 Michigan State Bar Journal, p 66 (vol xxvii, No 9).
See In re Oliver (1947), 318 Mich 7, reversed (1949), 333 US 257 (68 S Ct 499, 92 L ed 682), and In re Murchison (1954), 340 Mich 151, reversed (1955), 349 US 133 (75 S Ct 623, 99 L ed 942).
Another practice the statute allowed formerly and upheld by an equally divided court in People v. St. John (1938), 284 Mich 24, 27, 28.
People v. Willson (1919), 205 Mich 28, 43, 44.
On December 9, 1966, this Court issued the following order directed, by its terms, to all judges of courts of record “now conducting or hereafter authorized to conduct” proceedings under our one-man grand jury law, to assure full compliance with the secrecy provisions of the statute:
“State op Michigan
in the Supreme Court
“In the Matter of
One-Man Grand Jury Proceedings
“To All Judges of Courts of Record:
“On this Court’s own motion, all judges now conducting or hereafter authorized to conduct one-man grand jury proceedings hereby are directed to order all members of their grand jury staffs and other persons admitted to sueh inquiries to eomply fully with the following provisions of CLS 1956, § 767.4 [Stat Ann 1954 Rev § 28.944]:
“ ‘Except in cases of prosecutions for contempt or perjury against witnesses who may have been summoned before the judge conducting sueh inquiry, or for the purpose of determining whether the testimony of a witness examined before sueh judge is consistent with or different from the testimony given by sueh witness before a court in any subsequent proceeding, or in eases of disciplinary action against attorneys and counselors in this state, any judge conducting sueh inquiry, any prosecuting attorney and other persons who may at the discretion of such judge be admitted to sueh inquiry, who shall while conducting such inquiry or while in the services of sueh judge or after his services with such judge shall have been discontinued, utter or publish any statement pertaining to any information or evidence involved in any sueh inquiry, or who shall diselose the fact that any indictment for a felony has been found against any person not in custody or under recognizance, or who shall diselose that any person has been questioned or summoned in connection with any such inquiry, or who shall diselose or publish or cause to be published any of the proceedings of sueh inquiry otherwise than by issuing or executing processes prior to such indictment, or shall diselose, publish or cause to be published any comment, opinion or conclusions related thereto, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in the county jail not more than 1 year or by a fine of not less than $100.00 nor more than $1,000.00 or both sueh fine and imprisonment in the discretion of the eourt, and sueh offense when committed by a public official shall also constitute malfeasance in office.’
“The foregoing direction of full compliance with section 767.4 shall apply equally to the judges performing duties as grand jurors. Any violations hereof shall be deemed to be eontempt of this Court.
Sgd. Thomas M. Kavanagh Chief Justice
“Dated: December 9, 1966”
Concurring Opinion
(concurring). I join in the opinion of Justices Souris and O’Hara except for section III-A of said opinion. As to the question of separation of powers, I believe that the decision of this Court in In re Slattery (1945), 310 Mich 458, that a judge conducting a one-man grand jury proceeding acts in a judicial capacity, is controlling-and disposes' of this question.
Concurring Opinion
(concurring). I concur in the result reached in the opinion of Justices Souris and O’Hara, except that I limit such concurrence with reference to the separation of powers question to the decision of this Court in In re Slattery, 310 Mich 458, which held that a judge conducting a one-man grand jury proceeding acts in a judicial capacity.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- In Re COLACASIDES
- Cited By
- 34 cases
- Status
- Published