James Morreno v. Hon. brickner/state/montgomery

416 P.3d 807
CourtArizona Supreme Court
DecidedMay 2, 2018
DocketCV-17-0193-SA
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 416 P.3d 807 (James Morreno v. Hon. brickner/state/montgomery) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Arizona Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
James Morreno v. Hon. brickner/state/montgomery, 416 P.3d 807 (Ark. 2018).

Opinion

VICE CHIEF JUSTICE PELANDER, opinion of the Court:

¶ 1 Article 2, section 22(A)(2), of the Arizona Constitution ("the On-Release provision") precludes bail "[f]or felony offenses committed when the person charged is already admitted to bail on a separate felony charge and where the proof is evident or the presumption great as to the present charge." We hold that, on its face, the On-Release provision satisfies heightened scrutiny under the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause.

I.

¶ 2 James Morreno was indicted for possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, both felonies, in March 2016. After his initial appearance in that case, Morreno was released on his own recognizance. As a condition of his release, Morreno was ordered to "refrain from committing any criminal offense."

¶ 3 In May, the police received reports of a suspicious person and contacted Morreno. He admitted possessing marijuana and a marijuana pipe and was again charged with felony possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. His initial appearance in that case was scheduled for July, but Morreno failed to appear and an arrest warrant was issued.

¶ 4 Morreno was arrested in 2017 and held without bail pursuant to the On-Release provision. Relying on Simpson v. Miller ( Simpson II ), 241 Ariz. 341 , 387 P.3d 1270 (2017), he moved to modify his release conditions and argued that the On-Release provision was facially invalid because it deprived him of a pre-detention individualized determination of future dangerousness to which he was constitutionally entitled. The superior court disagreed and denied the motion.

¶ 5 Morreno filed a petition for special action, which the court of appeals stayed pending this Court's decision on whether to grant review in a similar case. Thereafter, Morreno filed a petition for review in this Court challenging the superior court's ruling and the court of appeals' stay order.

¶ 6 Although Morreno has since pleaded guilty to the charged offenses in both cases (rendering his constitutional challenge moot as applied to him), we granted review to address the facial constitutionality of the On-Release provision, a recurring issue of statewide importance. We have jurisdiction under article 6, section 5(3), of the Arizona Constitution.

II.

¶ 7 We review de novo the validity of the On-Release provision. See Simpson II , 241 Ariz. at 344 ¶ 7, 387 P.3d at 1273 .

¶ 8 In 1970, Arizona voters passed Proposition 100, and thereby amended the state constitution, adding among other things the On-Release provision. See Ariz. Const. art. 2, § 22 (A)(2); see also Ariz. Sec'y of State, Referendum and Initiative Publicity Pamphlet 2-4 (1970), http://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/cdm/compoundobject/collection/statepubs/id/10654. Under that provision, a defendant charged with a felony allegedly committed while "already admitted to bail on a separate felony charge" is ineligible for bail "where the proof is evident or the presumption great as to the [new] charge." Ariz. Const. art. 2, § 22 (A)(2). A defendant like Morreno who was released on his own recognizance on a prior charge "has been 'admitted to bail' for purposes of [the On-Release provision]." Heath v. Kiger , 217 Ariz. 492 , 493 ¶ 1, 176 P.3d 690 , 691 (2008).

¶ 9 Throughout the briefing in this Court and below, Morreno framed his argument as a facial challenge to the On-Release provision. At oral argument in this Court, Morreno initially confirmed that position before contending that the provision is unconstitutional as applied to him. We consider only the facial challenge because Morreno's guilty plea renders moot any as-applied challenge. 1

III.

¶ 10 Morreno's challenge to the On-Release provision requires us to revisit the delicate balance between "state interests of the highest order" and "the fundamental due process right to be free from bodily restraint." Simpson II , 241 Ariz. at 345 ¶ 9, 387 P.3d at 1274 .

¶ 11 Our court of appeals has upheld and applied the On-Release provision against constitutional attack. See State ex rel. Romley v. Superior Court , 185 Ariz. 160 , 164, 913 P.2d 500 , 504 (App. 1996) (ordering the defendant "to be held without bond pending trial" when proof was evident and presumption great that he committed a felony while released on bail on prior charge); State v. Garrett , 16 Ariz. App. 427 , 429, 493 P.2d 1232 , 1234 (1972) (same, and finding the On-Release provision's purpose and policy "entirely reasonable"). Morreno argues that those cases do not survive Simpson II and that the On-Release provision "deprives defendants of due process because it fails to comport with" our opinion in that case. Under Simpson II , he contends, bail "cannot be denied without a showing of [future] dangerousness following an individualized adversarial hearing" under A.R.S. § 13-3961(D), and not before considering various factors such as those set forth in A.R.S. § 13-3967(B). The State, in contrast, argues that the On-Release provision is constitutional under Simpson II because it is "not offense-based," but is instead "status-based" and narrowly focused on "recidivistic tendencies."

¶ 12 Before evaluating these arguments, we first address the Attorney General's assertion that " Simpson II was incorrect" and should be overruled "to the extent that it misapplies the facial challenge and substantive due process tests from United States v. Salerno

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State of Arizona v. Hon. wein/goodman
417 P.3d 787 (Arizona Supreme Court, 2018)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
416 P.3d 807, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/james-morreno-v-hon-bricknerstatemontgomery-ariz-2018.