Commonwealth v. Sargent
Commonwealth v. Sargent
Opinion of the Court
This is an appeal from the judgment of sentence for robbery and criminal conspiracy. Appellant contends that (1) he is entitled to a new trial because the prosecutor injected her opinion into her closing argument to the jury, and (2) the Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Act, 42 Pa.C. S.A. § 9713, is unconstitutional for the following reasons: (a) § 9713(c), which dictates the burden of proof to be employed at sentencing, violates Article V, § 10(c) of the Pennsylvania Constitution, which gives the judiciary exclusive control over matters of practice and procedure in the courts; (b) the Act denies him due process because it does not require the Commonwealth to provide notice of its intention to invoke the Act prior to trial, but only after conviction; (c) the Act denies him due process because the prosecution need only prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the offense occurred in or near public transportation; and (d) the Act gives the prosecutor unbridled discretion to decide whether to invoke the Act. For the following reasons, we affirm the judgment of the court below.
On December 5, 1983, appellant was arrested and charged with criminal conspiracy and robbery in connection with the robbery of a taxicab driver. The Commonwealth filed a notice of intention to proceed under 42 Pa.C.S.A. §§ 9712 and 9713, two mandatory minimum sentencing provisions, sixteen days after appellant’s arrest. Following a jury trial, appellant was found guilty of both charges and was
Appellant first contends that the following remark made by the prosecutor during her closing argument to the jury was prejudicial:
I am asking you not to let all the work and the performance of the duties of all of the people in this case go for naught. I ask you to do your duty and to return a just verdict in this case; and I believe that from all of the evidence that has been presented in this case, that the only just verdict is guilty on both Bills, Conspiracy and Robbery.
(N.T. May 4, 1984 at 352). Specifically, appellant argues that he was deprived of a fair trial because the prosecutor expressed her personal belief as to appellant’s guilt. We disagree. A prosecutor must have “reasonable latitude” in arguing a case to the jury, and his or her remarks may contain deductions and inferences from the testimony presented. Commonwealth v. Brown, 332 Pa.Superior 35, 44, 480 A.2d 1171, 1176 (1984). “[The prosecutor] may always argue to the jury that the evidence establishes the defendant’s guilt.” Id. See also Commonwealth v. Womack, 307 Pa.Superior 396, 407, 453 A.2d 642, 647 (1982) (prosecutor permissibly argued that evidence proved de
Appellant also contends that the Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Act, 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 9713, is unconstitutional. His arguments that the Act violates due process because it requires only proof by a preponderance of the evidence and that it gives the prosecutor unfettered discretion were considered and rejected by our Supreme Court in Commonwealth v. Wright, 508 Pa. 25, 494 A.2d 354 (1985), cert. granted, — U.S. —, 106 S.Ct. 58, 88 L.Ed.2d 47 (1985).
First, appellant argues that the Act is unconstitutional because § 9713(c)
Because this is a constitutional challenge to the validity of a statute, appellant must overcome the strong presumption that it is constitutional. “A statute is presumed to be constitutional and will not be declared otherwise unless it clearly, palpably and plainly violates the Constitution of the Commonwealth or the United States.” Spidle v. Livingston Construction Co., 311 Pa.Superior 201, 208, 457 A.2d 565, 568 (1983). “One who challenges the constitutionality of a statute is faced with a difficult task since there is a presumption of constitutionality, and the burden is on the challenger to prove that the statute clearly and plainly violates the constitution.” Id., 311 Pa.Superior Ct. at 207, 457 A.2d at 567. Our Legislature, unlike Congress, has jurisdiction to legislate on all subjects about which it is not prohibited from legislating. Ruano v. Barbieri, 42 Pa. Commonwealth 67, 74, 400 A.2d 235, 239 (1979). “[A] power does not inhere to the legislature if it has specifically been withheld or entrusted to another co-equal branch of government.” Commonwealth v. Sutley, 474 Pa. 256, 273, 378 A.2d 780, 788 (1977). Therefore, because Article V, § 10(c) grants to the Supreme Court the power to prescribe rules of practice and procedure, “ ‘the legislature ... is without power to control procedure.’ ” In re 42 Pa.C.S. § 1703, 482 Pa. 522, 529, 394 A.2d 444, 448 (1978), quoting Garrett v. Bamford, 582 F.2d 810, 814 (3d Cir. 1978). Appellant must therefore prove that § 9713(c) is a rule governing practice, procedure, or court conduct, which does not modify a litigant’s substantive rights.
A statute establishing a burden of proof is difficult to classify as either a procedural rule or a rule affecting substantive rights and seems to contain elements of each. Cf. Commonwealth v. Sorrell, 500 Pa. 355, 364, 456 A.2d
Finally, appellant argues that § 9713 unconstitutionally denies his right to due process of law because the Commonwealth is not required to provide notice of its intention to invoke the Act until after trial. However, because appellant received notice from the Commonwealth
For the foregoing reasons, we affirm the judgment of sentence.
Judgment of sentence affirmed.
. Section 9713 provides in relevant part:
(a) Mandatory sentence. — Any person who is convicted in any court of this Commonwealth of [robbery as defined in 18 Pa.C.S. § 3701(a)(i), (ii) or (iii) (relating to robbery) ], or who is convicted of attempt to commit any of these crimes, shall be sentenced to a minimum sentence of at least five years of total confinement if the crime occurs in or near public transportation____
42 Pa.C.S.A. § 9713(a). Appellant also contends that 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 9712, which mandates a five-year minimum sentence when the accused visibly possessed a firearm during the commission of certain enumerated offenses, is unconstitutional. The lower court did not find § 9712 applicable to the instant case, however, because "a weapon was never actually seen by the complainant during the course of this crime." See Lower Court Opinion at 16. Therefore, we will not consider appellant’s arguments with respect to § 9712.
. In Commonwealth v. Wright, supra, the Court considered these arguments as they relate to 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 9712, but we believe that the reasoning of Wright is controlling here as well.
. Section 9713(c) provides in relevant part:
(c) Proof at Sentencing. — ____The applicability of this section shall be determined at sentencing. The court shall consider any evidence presented at trial and shall afford the Commonwealth and the defendant an opportunity to present any necessary additional evidence and shall determine, by a preponderance of the evidence, if this section is applicable.
42 Pa.C.S.A. § 9713(c).
. Appellant also argues that § 9713(c) governs court procedure because it dictates that the court at sentencing shall consider the evidence presented at trial and any. additional evidence that the parties present.
. In this line of cases, the courts were referring to which party bears the initial burden of producing evidence. Appellant here appears to be challenging § 9713(c) because it sets forth the quantum of proof (a preponderance of the evidence) that the Commonwealth must present. While these are two different elements of the burden of proof, we see no reason to distinguish between them for purposes of determining the legislative authority to establish these standards. In any event, a standard determining which party bears the burden of proof is arguably closer to a rule of procedure than is a standard establishing the necessary quantum of proof.
. Because the Legislature is presumed to have enacted statutes that are constitutional, see Spidle v. Livingston Construction Co., supra, the existence of numerous statutes dictating burdens of proof for various proceedings is further evidence that the Legislature did not act outside of its legislative authority in enacting § 9713(c). See, e.g., 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 5349(b) (burden of proof on petitioner to show condition in custodial household harmful to child); id. § 6704(d) (burden of proof in paternity action is by preponderance of the evidence); id. § 8343 (burden of proof in defamation action); id. § 9711 (c)(l)(iii) (at sentencing, following conviction for first degree murder, aggravating circumstances must be proved by Commonwealth beyond a reasonable doubt; mitigating circumstances must be proved by defendant by a preponderance of the evidence).
Concurring Opinion
concurring:
I do not regard the prosecutor’s argument as “permis-. sibl[e]”, maj. op. at 5, but I agree that its impropriety was cured by the trial court’s instruction to the jury. Otherwise, I join in the majority’s opinion.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania v. Fred SARGENT, Jr., Appellant
- Cited By
- 12 cases
- Status
- Published