State v. Miller
State v. Miller
Opinion of the Court
In 1953 defendant was convicted of kidnapping. At that time while unrepresented by counsel he waived his right to be indicted by the grand jury and consented to the filing of an information. He was then arraigned and pleaded guilty and was given a sentence of 25 3>uars.
Thereafter, defendant commenced proceedings in the nature of coram nobis. The trial court refused to assert jurisdiction, defendant appealed, and the circuit court’s ruling was affirmed. State v. Miller, 214 Or 208, 328 P2d 869 (1958). Subsequently, defendant filed habeas corpus proceedings which were dismissed, and he again appealed to this court. The dismissal was affirmed. Miller v. Gladden, 219 Or 538, 348 P2d 44 (1959). Defendant then brought a proceeding for post-conviction relief, claiming that he had not knowingty waived his right to be represented by counsel at the time of his plea of guilt. His request for relief ivas denied by the trial court. Hpon appeal, this
Defendant was thereafter indicted by the grand jury in 1968 and charged with the identical crime. A demurrer based upon the statute of limitations was filed to the indictment. The demurrer was sustained. Thereafter, the state proceeded upon the 1953 information. Defendant contended that the information was invalid but his contention was denied. He subsequently appeared at a time set for the entering of a plea. At this time he refused to plead because he had not received a copy of the information after his plea of guilt was set aside. The court entered a plea of “not guilty” for him. Defendant then filed a demurrer to the information which was overruled on its merits. At this time he contended that he had not been arraigned. Although he and his attorney were present at all times during trial, they refused to participate. The jury returned a verdict of guilty, and this appeal is from that conviction.
Defendant contends that the 1953 information is of no validity and that the running of the statute of limitations prevents any new prosecution. He argues that the information is not valid because it was set aside by this court’s prior decision overturning his conviction. This court’s decision set aside his plea of guilt because he had not waived the aid of counsel at the time he pleaded. The decision did not and was not intended to invalidate the information.
Defendant also contends that the information is invalid for the same reason the plea was held invalid; i.e., because he had not waived counsel at the time he waived indictment by the grand jury. He does not
Defendant’s right to be indicted by the grand jury before he can be prosecuted criminally is embodied in Art. VII (Amended), § 5, Constitution of Oregon.
Had defendant chosen to insist upon indictment, there is nothing that a lawyer could have done to represent him before the grand jury, because that is a closed and nonadversary proceeding. All that a lawyer could have done for him was warn him not to voluntarily testify in front of the grand jury where, while unrepresented, he would have been subject to questioning by the district attorney and the grand jurors. Commonwealth v. Phillips, 208 Pa Super 121, 220 A2d 345 (1966), was a ease where the relevant facts were similar to those here. In holding that waiver of grand jury was not a “critical stage” in criminal proceedings, the court said as follows:
“* * * The possibility that the grand jury would have ignored the bill of indictment, which possibility appellant could not have influenced in*250 the slightest, is not a right which is lost any more than the ‘right’ to remain unarrested is given up when a suspect voluntarily turns himself in to the police. * * 208 Pa Super at 130, 220 A2d at 349-350.
Defendant next contends that the 1953 information was invalidated by the state’s ineffective attempt to proceed by indictment in 1968. He argues that when the trial court sustained the demurrer, it was obligated by ORS 135.670
Defendant next appears to contend that the statute of limitations, ORS 131.110(2),
Defendant relies upon the following language found in the annotation at 90 ALR 452, 456:
“It is generally held that the return of an indictment or the filing of an information on which no valid conviction or judgment can be had will not operate to stop the running of the Statute of Limitations pending the return or filing of another indictment or information, in the absence of a statute expressly so providing. * * ®.”
Defendant attempts to equate the language “no valid conviction can be had” with “no valid conviction was had.” We do not so equate the language. The 1953 information was valid and its filing tolled the statute. It is still pending and has never been dismissed. De
Defendant admits in bis statement of facts that he wTas arraigned in 1953. However, he argues that he was never “arraigned”. We presume he means that he was never rearraigned after his plea of guilt was set aside. This raises the question whether under Oregon law he was required, at the time of his unrepresented 1953 arraignment, either to avail himself of or forfeit substantial rights. If he was so required, his arraignment was a “critical stage” in the proceedings, and would be invalid under the rule of Hamilton v. Alabama, supra, because he was unrepresented at that time.
Art. VII, § 5 of the Constitution of Oregon states that after the filing of an information, the procedure shall be the same as upon indictment. An arraignment upon indictment consists of reading the indictment to the defendant, delivering to him a copy thereof, and asking him whether he pleads “guilty” or “not guilty.” ORS 135.020.
It thus appears that, unless there is an extension of time, a defendant is required to answer; i.e., move, demur, or plead, at the time of the arraignment. If,
In State v. Pool, 20 Or 150, 25 P 375 (1890), defendant was arraigned and took time to plead. Within that time he moved against the indictment, but the motion was denied. Upon appeal, it was contended by the state that the motion was not timely because it had not been made at the time of the arraignment. The court treated the record showing that defendant had taken additional time to plead as the equivalent of being allowed time within which he could also do those
“® * ® was argued here with much force that the defendant was bound to make this motion when the indictment was read to him and he was furnished with a copy thereof or be forever precluded. Such a construction would be very inconvenient in practice. Counsel would never be aide to make an objection according to the facts. If compelled to make the objection at that particular instant, he must do it in ignorance of all of the facts upon which such objection would have to be based. * * 20 Or at 152, 25 P at 375-376.
It is our conclusion that the 1953 arraignment in which defendant was unrepresented was not a critical stage in the 1968 conviction because after the original plea was set aside, he still had available, at a time when he was represented, all means for attacking the information which had existed at the time of his arraignment.
We are not unmindful that ORS 135.310 and 135.320 provide that a defendant shall be informed of his right to counsel before arraignment and that counsel shall be appointed for him unless he waives this right. This is to insure that he has representation when he takes any important action or makes any decision of consequence at arraignment. These actions and decisions were all available to this defendant in 1968 when he did have counsel. It would be useless formality to read again the information to him and to hand him a copy of it. He already knew the nature of the charge on which he was being held.
The judgment of the trial court is affirmed.
Constitution of Oregon, Art. VII (Amended), §5:
3= * No person shall be charged in any circuit court with the commission of any crime or misdemeanor defined or made punishable by any of the laws of this state, except upon indictment found by a grand jury; provided, however, that any district attorney may file an amended indictment whenever an indictment has, by a ruling of the court, been held to be defective in form. Provided further, however, that if any person appear before any judge of the circuit court and waive indictment, such person may be charged in such court with any such crime or misdemeanor on information filed by the district attorney. Such information shall be substantially in the form provided by law for indictments, and the procedure after the filing of such information shall be as provided by law upon indictment.”
ORS 135.670. “If the demurrer is allowed, the judgment is final upon the indictment demurred to and is a bar to another action for the same crime unless the court, being of opinion that the objection on which the demurrer is allowed may be avoided in a new indictment, directs the case to be resubmitted to the same or another grand jury.”
ORS 135.680. “If the court does not direct the case to be resubmitted, the defendant, if in custody, shall be discharged. If he has been admitted to bail, his bail shall be exonerated. If he has deposited money in lieu of bail, the money shall be refunded to him.”
ORS 131.110(2). “Unless otherwise expressly provided by law, the time within which criminal actions must be commenced is as follows:
“(1) For murder or manslaughter, at any time after the death of the person killed.
*251 “(2) For any other felony, within three years after its commission.
“(3) * *
ORS 135.020. “The arraignment shall be made by the court, or by the clerk or the district attorney under its direction, and consists of reading the indictment to the defendant, delivering to him a copy thereof and the indorsements thereon, including
ORS 135.410. “If on the arraignment the defendant requires it, he shall be allowed until the next day, or until such further time as the court deems reasonable, to answer the indictment.”
ORS 135.420. “If the defendant does not require time, as provided in ORS 135.410, or if he does, then on the next day or at such further day as the court may have allowed him, he may, in answer to the arraignment, move the court to set aside the indictment or demur or plead thereto.”
ORS 135.520. “The motion to set aside the indictment shall be made and heard at the time of the arraignment unless for good cause the court postpones the hearing to a future time. If not so made, the defendant is precluded from afterwards taking the objections mentioned in ORS 135.510.”
ORS 135.610. “The demurrer shall be put in, in open court, either at the time of the arraignment or at such other time as may be allowed to the defendant for that purpose.”
ORS 135.810. “The plea shall be put in, in open court, either at the time of the arraignment or at such other time as may be allowed to the defendant for that purpose.”
Dissenting Opinion
dissenting.
It is no longer practicable or advisable to attempt to make fine distinctions about the “critical stage” of
In the abstract it can be said that nothing takes place at the waiver of an indictment which impairs the accused’s ability to have a fair trial, that the accused still possesses every defense that would be available if he were indicted. In practice, however, we know that an attorney can be of a material assistance in protecting his client at and before a waiver proceeding. In most instances a waiver of indictment and the consent to an information is part and parcel of a plea of guilty, as in the instant case. When an information is filed, in the usual setting, the prosecutor is the only person who has any way of knowing whether the evidence will ¡justify the charge stated in the information. It would be impossible for an unassisted accused to know whether or not he ma.y have committed the degree of the crime charged in the information nor could he know if the crime is properly charged at all. Counsel may later find that his client has consented to a more serious charge than
Common knowledge and experience tells me that an attorney can frequently be of important assistance before and during the grand jury process. It can and does happen that with the aid of counsel an accused is discharged by the grand jury or a less serious offense is charged. Certainly, the absence of counsel at this stage reduces the prospect of plea bargaining, a process that is now accorded respectability. See The Challenge of Crime in a Free Society, a Eeport by the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice, p 135. At the same cite this statement is made:
“Prosecutors should be available to defense counsel from the beginning of the case for the purpose of discussing the possibility of a disposition by plea of guilty. Except in the most petty eases, such discussion should be had with counsel rather than directly with the defendant. These discussions should thoroughly assess the facts underlying the prosecution’s case, consider information on the offender’s background and correctional needs, and explore all available correctional alternatives as well as review the charge to which the plea will be entered. * *
In the Oregon practice this could best be accom
If, as we recently held, it is necessary to have counsel in the traffic court, Stevenson v. Holzman, 1969, 254 Or 94, 458 P2d 414 it seems unrealistic and incongruous to say that an attorney is not necessary when a waiver of indictment is made. It is not possible for me to agree that this is not a critical act. In spite of the one case cited by the majority, Commonwealth v. Phillips, 208 Pa Super 121, 220 A2d 345 (1966), Supreme Court cases such as Powell v. Alabama, 257 US 45, 53 S Ct 55, 77 L Ed 159 (1932), Hamilton v. Alabama, 368 US 52, 82 S Ct 157, 7 L Ed 2d 114 (1961), and White v. Maryland, 373 US 59, 83 S Ct 1050, 10 L Ed 2d 193 (1963), the majority and concurring opinion in Miranda v. Arizona, 1966, 384 US 436, 86 S Ct 1602, 16 L Ed 2d 694, 10 ALR3d 974, and United States v. Wade, supra, and others lead me to the conclusion that the practical as well as legal need of an accused for an attorney at the -waiver proceeding is, indeed, critical.
In Clark v. Gladden, 1967, 247 Or 629, 638, 432 P2d 182, we held that any conviction obtained with a denial of counsel will render the conviction void. This is such a case and we should so hold.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- STATE OF OREGON, Respondent, v. LEONARD ELLSWORTH MILLER, Appellant
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- 12 cases
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- Published