Hoffman v. State

98 Ohio St. (N.S.) 137
CourtOhio Supreme Court
DecidedApril 2, 1918
DocketNo. 15704
StatusPublished

This text of 98 Ohio St. (N.S.) 137 (Hoffman v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hoffman v. State, 98 Ohio St. (N.S.) 137 (Ohio 1918).

Opinions

Wanamaker, J.

George A. Hoffman was convicted in the municipal court of Cleveland for a violation of Section 12628-1, General Code. Said section reads as follows:

“That it shall be a misdemeanor for any person to operate a motorcycle or motor vehicle of any kind upon any public highway or street while in a state of intoxication, and upon conviction he shall be subject to punishment by a fine not less than twenty-five dollars nor more than one hundred [138]*138dollars, or imprisonment in the county jail for not more than six months, or both.”

A motion for a new trial was filed and overruled, and error was prosecuted to the court of appeals, which court affirmed the judgment below.

The sole error claimed in the court of appeals and claimed here as the basis for a reversal of the conviction grows out of the following journal entry from the record of the municipal court:

“July 25, 1916. Affidavit filed, warrant issued’ and returned. Defendant in court and pleads not guilty. Hearing had and he is found guilty and he is sentenced to thirty days imprisonment in the county jail, and to pay a fine of fifty dollars and costs, and to be imprisoned in the county jail until said fine and costs are paid or secured to be paid or he is discharged according to law.”

Obviously in. this journal entry there is no specific reference to any jury in this trial; nor to a judge in the trial. The language is “defendant in court and * * * hearing had * * * and he is found guilty.” But the conceded facts are that this was all done by the municipal judge.

It is urged that before such municipal judge could try this cause there would have to be a prior waiving of a jury, and that such waiver must affirmatively appear in the record in order to give the judge sole jurisdiction, since imprisonment is a part of the penalty provided by the statute.

It must be conceded, of course, that such affirmative waiver does not expressly appear in this record.

Prosecutions for misdemeanors under federal and state laws, and for petty offenses under [139]*139municipal ordinances, may be divided into two classes, under the various statutes conferring jurisdiction:

1. Those where a jury must be waived before the judge has jurisdiction to try the offense without a jury.

2. Those in which a jury must be demanded before the judge has jurisdiction to try the case with a jury — before the defendant is entitled to a jury.

Manifestly an affirmative act is therefore contemplated by the statute under the. first class to avoid a jury, and under the second class to avail oneself of a jury.

How does the statute giving jurisdiction read in this case?

Plaintiff in error admits that the municipal court, as such, had jurisdiction by virtue of Section 1579-12 et seq., General Code, and that Section 1579-20, General Code, provides the general plan of practice and procedure in reference to criminal jurisdiction of the municipal court, said section providing that it shall be the same as that now, or hereafter “possessed by police courts in municipalities.”

By virtue of the foregoing sections plaintiff in error contends that Section 4577, General Code, relating to the jurisdiction of police courts, controls in this case in the municipal court. The latter part of that section is as follows:

“Cases in which the accused is entitled to a jury trial, shall be so tried, unless a jury be waived.”

[140]*140There is much virtue in plaintiff in error’s contention for reversible error if Section 4577, General Code, applies to the municipal courts, and- in the absence of any provision relating specifically to municipal courts doubtless said section would apply. But the general assembly of Ohio, in the municipal-court act of Cleveland, expressly provided otherwise by Section 1579-24, General Code, which reads:

“All causes in the municipal court shall be tried to the court unless a jury trial be demanded by a party.”

This language is all-comprehensive and includes both civil causes and criminal causes. If there -be any doubt as to this construction, the subsequent provisions will remove such doubt.

Now, what is guaranteed by the Constitution? It is “the right of trial by jury;” that is, no law may be passed denying, restricting or limiting this right, as it is known at the common law. But a requirement imposed by law upon the accused to demand his right before he may enjoy it is not a restriction, limitation or violation of such right.

This has been the uniform holding in Ohio for so long a time, and with such strong show of reason, that it ought not now to be disturbed, as will fully appear from the following cases.

One of the earliest cases decided by this court involving this question is that of Dailey v. State, 4 Ohio St., 57, where there was a,criminal prosecution in the probate court for the unlawful sale of intoxicating liquors. The statute regulating trial by jury in the probate court then provided “upon [141]*141a plea other than a plea of guilty, if the defendant do not demand a trial by jury, the probate judge shall proceed to try the issue.”

This was held to be a valid and constitutional statute in no wise violating the constitutional provision safeguarding the right of trial by jury.

Judge Kennon, speaking for the court, then composed of himself and Judges Thurman, Ranney, Bartley and Swan, said:

“Does this act in any sense interfere with the right of trial by a jury? If the act had provided, in express terms, that the accused might have his own choice of two modes of trial, either by the court or jury, as he might think proper, and if he supposed the court the safer mode of trial, should expressly waive his right of trial by jury, and request that the court should try the issue, it would be hard to see how his right of trial by jury was violated. The provision of the constitution was intended to limit the power of the legislature in this particular, and prohibit it from depriving the accused of the right to have a jury of twelve impartial men to pass on his guilt or innocence. That right still exists; all he has to do is to demand a jury trial, and the law awards it to him; but if he will not demand such trial, then the law authorizes the judge to try the issue. * * * The accused does not demand a jury, but submits to he tried by the court; and after trial, and after he is found guilty, says T have been deprived of my right of jury trial.’ But who deprived him of that right? Surely, not the court nor the statute.”

[142]*142True in the above case the record affirmatively-showed that the accused “did not demand a jury,” but had the record been silent touching this matter the presumption would be that the journal entry showed what had taken place, and the journal entry being silent as to a demand, which was necessary to secure a jury, the presumption would be that the accused was silent, in not demanding. The logic of the opinion, no less than the syllabus of the case* abundantly sustained the conviction there and sustains the conviction here.

The case of Billigheimer v. State, 32 Ohio St., 435, is to the same general effect.

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Bluebook (online)
98 Ohio St. (N.S.) 137, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hoffman-v-state-ohio-1918.