Beoties Emory v. Clarence Peeler, Individually and in His Official Capacity as Superior Court Judge, Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit

756 F.2d 1547, 1985 U.S. App. LEXIS 28840
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
DecidedApril 8, 1985
Docket83-8477
StatusPublished
Cited by174 cases

This text of 756 F.2d 1547 (Beoties Emory v. Clarence Peeler, Individually and in His Official Capacity as Superior Court Judge, Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Beoties Emory v. Clarence Peeler, Individually and in His Official Capacity as Superior Court Judge, Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit, 756 F.2d 1547, 1985 U.S. App. LEXIS 28840 (11th Cir. 1985).

Opinion

TJOFLAT, Circuit Judge:

This is a suit brought by a juror in a state court murder trial against the judge who presided over the trial. The juror claimed that the judge violated his constitutional rights by singling him out in open court, after the jury returned its verdict, as the only juror to vote against the death penalty and by commenting about the juror to a news reporter in a published interview. The juror sought declaratory relief and money damages against the judge under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (1982) 1 and the state law of

*1550 defamation. 2 The district court dismissed the suit, concluding that the complaint failed to state a section 1983 claim for relief and that the court lacked subject matter jurisdiction over the state law claim. We agree with the district court’s disposition of Emory’s section 1983 claim but remand his state law claim for money damages so that the district court can reconsider whether to exercise pendent jurisdiction and decide its merits.

I.

We begin by paraphrasing the facts alleged in the plaintiff’s complaint. 3 In December 1981, the plaintiff, Beoties Emory, was summoned, qualified, and selected to serve on a twelve-member jury in a murder trial in the Superior Court of DeKalb County, Georgia before the defendant, Judge Clarence L. Peeler, Jr. The jury unanimously found the accused guilty of murder, but it was unable to reach a unanimous decision recommending the imposition of .the death penalty. 4 The jury therefore returned a verdict recommending a sentence of life imprisonment. After the jury’s verdict was published in open court, Judge Peeler examined the jurors to determine how they voted. Judge Peeler’s inquiry revealed that eleven jurors had voted for the imposition of the death penalty and that one juror, Emory, had held out for a sentence of life imprisonment. Judge Peeler accordingly sentenced the defendant to life imprisonment, as required by Georgia law. After the trial, Judge Peeler had an interview with a wireservice news reporter in which he stated that he had “considered” lodging perjury charges against the holdout juror for giving false responses to questions put to him during the pretrial voir dire examination of the jury venire. The statement was published in local and national newspapers. Emory was never charged with perjury.

Emory contends that these facts are sufficient to constitute a violation of rights guaranteed him by the first 5 and ninth amendments, 6 and protected against state infringement by the fourteenth amendment, 7 and that Judge Peeler is liable to *1551 him under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. 8 According to Emory, Judge Peeler’s conduct interfered with his first and ninth amendment right as a juror to deliberate and to reach a verdict free from “governmental dictation” and intrusion and had a “chilling effect” on his exercise of that right in the future. Put in other words, Emory says he had a constitutional right to keep his jury verdict confidential and that Judge Peeler had no authority to ascertain his verdict by questioning him. Emory also contends that Judge Peeler’s actions deprived him, without due process of law, of his constitutionally protected liberty interest in his reputation. With respect to his pendent state law claim, Emory asserts that Judge Peeler’s statement to the news reporter was slanderous under Georgia law 9 and that the judge’s conduct, considered as a whole, violated his common law right to serve and deliberate freely on a jury. Emory’s complaint seeks a declaration that Judge Peeler violated Emory’s rights under the U.S. Constitution and the law of Georgia and a judgment for money damages, an attorney’s fee, and costs.

II.

As noted, Emory seeks both money damages and declaratory relief in each of his claims, federal and state. We first dispose of his claims for declaratory relief, holding that he fails to present a case or controversy. As to his claims for money damages, we hold that the doctrine of judicial immunity bars Emory from recovering under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for Judge Peeler’s in-court conduct. Emory’s section 1983 claim based on Judge Peeler’s out-of-court conduct also fails, as it does not involve the deprivation of a constitutionally protected interest. Whether Judge Peeler’s statements to the news reporter transgressed the law of Georgia will be determined ■ in the district court, on remand, or in the state courts.

A.

Emory asks that the district court declare that the statements Judge Peeler made about him were in violation of Emory’s constitutional rights and of the laws of Georgia. 10 28 U.S.C. § 2201 (1982), echo *1552 ing the “case or controversy” requirement of article III of the Constitution, provides that a declaratory judgment may only be issued in the case of an “actual controversy.” That is, under the facts alleged, there must be a substantial continuing controversy between parties having adverse legal interests. Lake Carriers’ Association v. MacMullan, 406 U.S. 498, 506, 92 S.Ct. 1749, 1755, 32 L.Ed.2d 257 (1972); Golden v. Zwickler, 394 U.S. 103, 108, 89 S.Ct. 956, 959-60, 22 L.Ed.2d 113 (1969); Sullivan v. Division of Elections, 718 F.2d 363, 365 (11th Cir.1983). The plaintiff must allege facts from which the continuation of the dispute may be reasonably inferred. Ciudadanos Unidos de San Juan v. Hidalgo County Grand Jury Commissioners, 622 F.2d 807, 821-22 (5th Cir.1980), cert. denied, 450 U.S. 946, 101 S.Ct. 1479, 67 L.Ed.2d 613 (1981). 11 Additionally, the continuing controversy may not be conjectural, hypothetical, or contingent; it must be real and immediate, and create a definite, rather than speculative threat of future injury. City of Los Angeles v. Lyons, 461 U.S. 95, 103 S.Ct. 1660, 1666, 75 L.Ed.2d 675 (1983); Golden v. Zwickler, 394 U.S. at 108, 89 S.Ct. at 959-60; Wolfer v. Thaler, 525 F.2d 977, 979 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 425 U.S.

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Bluebook (online)
756 F.2d 1547, 1985 U.S. App. LEXIS 28840, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/beoties-emory-v-clarence-peeler-individually-and-in-his-official-capacity-ca11-1985.