People v. Castro
People v. Castro
Opinion of the Court
after making the above state-of facts, delivered the following opinion of the court:
Section 345 of the Code of Criminal Procedure prescribes that either party in a criminal action amounting to felony, may appeal to the Supreme Court, provided the appeal be based on a question of law, and Sections 347 and 348 of tbe same code, specify the decisions from which such appeal may be taken, this remedy not being allowed from decisions rendered in prosecutions for misdemeanor, wherefore it is obvious that whether the literal text of aforesaid section 345, or the rule of interpretation inclusio unius est exclusio alterius be followed, appeals in criminal cases lie only where the crime amounts to a felony, especially when it is remembered that in the Code of Criminal Procedure of California, from which the one now in force in this Island was in a great measure taken, such appeal is expressly allowed in actions both for felony and misdemeanor, whence it is to be inferred that in failing to mention the appeal in actions for misdemeanor in aforesaid section 345, it was the legislative intent to deny the benefit thereof in such cases.
Although sections 374 and 375 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, in providing when a defendant may be admitted
Inasmuch as Natividad and Crisanto Castro were sentenced to imprisonment in jail for one year, it is evident that the ofiense punished is, according to section 14 of the Penal Code, a misdemeanor, and therefore the appeal allowed by the District Court of San Juan, does not lie.
Said appeal not being admissible, this Supreme Court has no authority to take cognizance thereof, and consequently the judgment rendered by the District Court of San Juan must stand.
We adjudge that we should declare and do declare that the appeal taken by the accused Natividad and Crisanto ■Castro, and allowed, does not lie, and impose the costs upon them, and it is hereby ordered that a certified copy of this decision be forwarded to the District Court of San Juan, for
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.