MacPherson v. State

533 P.2d 1103, 1975 Alas. LEXIS 356
CourtAlaska Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 27, 1975
Docket2266
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 533 P.2d 1103 (MacPherson v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Alaska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
MacPherson v. State, 533 P.2d 1103, 1975 Alas. LEXIS 356 (Ala. 1975).

Opinions

OPINION

RABINOWITZ, Chief Justice.

This case presents difficult questions as to the circumstances under which a mistrial may be said to have been declared sua sponte by the trial judge and as to the impact of a court’s sua sponte declaration of mistrial on the ability of the state to retry the defendant. Following two and one-half days of jury selection, MacPherson’s trial for the sale of amphetamines commenced on August 14, 1973. During the abbreviated course of the trial, defense counsel twice moved for a mistrial. While we are not in agreement as to how the record should be interpreted, it does disclose that subsequent to the second motion based on the alleged prejudice of the court toward the defense and the jury’s awareness of the bias, the court recessed. Upon reconvening out of the presence of the jury, Judge Occhipinti declared a mistrial, at least initially in response to defense counsel’s motion. Prior to recalling the jury, an exchange took place between Judge Occhipinti and defense counsel during the course of which defense counsel seemingly attempted to withdraw his request for a mistrial although the withdrawal was more in the form of a denial that the request had ever been made. Among other things, defense counsel indicated that he was well pleased with the jury presently impanelled and felt that a better one could not be found. The trial judge acknowledged the fact that defense counsel had changed his mind concerning the desirability of a mistrial but [1104]*1104decided that a mistrial was necessary in the best interest of the defendant and therefore declared the mistrial, referring to it as sua sponte.1 The jury was then called back and dismissed.

The case was subsequently scheduled for retrial. Defendant moved for dismissal of the charges, asserting that the state was barred from reprosecution by virtue of the constitutional prohibition against double jeopardy.2 The motion was denied, and defendant now petitions this court seeking a reversal of the order denying dismissal of charges against her. We have previously held that our extraordinary review jurisdiction is properly exercised in cases presenting an issue identical to that posed here and, adhering to these past decisions, we grant review in this case.3

On the merits, MacPherson urges that, there being no manifest necessity for the declaration of a mistrial, the federal and state constitutional guarantees4 against being placed twice in jeopardy for the same offense bar reprosecution. It is not disputed that jeopardy had attached since the declaration of mistrial took place on the third day of trial.5 Nor is there any question as to the basic rule of law to be applied. Following the United States Supreme Court decision in United States v. Perez,6 this court has adopted the rule that the premature termination of a trial will bar retrial under the double jeopardy prohibition unless the termination was justified by manifest necessity.7 Thus the question presented for review is whether manifest necessity existed for the declaration of a mistrial.

It is a well settled rule, which the state contends may appropriately be applied to this case, that the requisite manifest necessity which prevents a declaration of mistrial from barring reprosecution will generally be found where the mistrial is declared at the request of the defendant.8 There can be no doubt but that Judge Occhipinti was initially respond[1105]*1105ing to the requests of defense counsel when the judge called a recess and subsequently informed counsel for both sides out of the presence of the jury of his intent to declare a mistrial. However, on the crucial question of whether defense council then attempted to withdraw his request for a mistrial prior to binding judicial action thereon, this court is divided. The majority is of the opinion that defense counsel did not effectively attempt to withdraw his request for a mistrial; that the trial court judge, in declaring a mistrial, was responding to defense counsel’s request and that, since the mistrial was thus declared at the request of the defendant, reprosecution of the defendant is not barred by the constitutional prohibitions against being placed twice in jeopardy.9 In reaching this conclusion, we focus on the exchange which took place between defense counsel and the trial judge immediately prior to the declaration of mistrial. Mr. Kulik, defense counsel, stated:

Well, I think that this court’s feelings for defense counsel in this case are not only obvious, you know, in this last few minutes as the court has stated them explicitly, but I think in more subtle ways they’ve been made obvious to the jury and if you want my honest opinion I do think that the jury has picked up on the court’s bias toward the defense in this case. Whether it’s toward me personally I don’t know, but I think the jury has picked up on it and I would ask for a mistrial.

To this the court replied:

Mr. Kulik, you’ve been aiming for a mistrial. You’ve been baiting this court and this record will so show. Let’s recess for a few minutes.

Upon reconvening out of the presence of the jury, the judge stated:

I have recessed and cooled off a little, but I find I must declare a mistrial at this time. The defense has asked for a mistrial.

The court then requested defense counsel to locate the defendant and bring her into the courtroom with which request counsel complied. At this point, the record shows that defense counsel then made the following disingenuous statement:

May the record also reflect that at the time the defense asked for a mistrial the mistrial was based on the fact that the defendant thought that evidence was being brought in on redirect examination which was prejudicial and inadmissible for the reasons stated at the time and that was the only reason that the defense asked for a mistrial and that the court is granting a mistrial for' separate reasons which are the court’s.10

In response to defense counsel’s inaccurate statement, the court said in part:

Your innuendos and your assertions made when I excused the jurors is a basis for my mistrial. You’ve implied certain things here that may have been prejudicial — unduly prejudicial for your client and my opinion is that the prejudice that’s derived for your client is probably your own doing and that’s why I’m going to declare a mistrial right now, and I’m doing so. And if you want to make [it] sua sponte, it’ll be sua sponte because I think the defendant’s entitled to a better defense than she’s been getting, and by better I mean not necessarily factually but attitude-wise.
So you can say whatever you wish for the record. Go ahead.

Defense counsel’s reply was again disingenuous. His response was:

. . . Your Honor, I think we had an excellent jury panel. Mr.

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Related

Tritt v. State
134 P.3d 364 (Court of Appeals of Alaska, 2006)
State v. Hurd
496 N.W.2d 274 (Court of Appeals of Iowa, 1992)
Peel v. State
751 P.2d 1366 (Court of Appeals of Alaska, 1988)
State v. Pennington
365 S.E.2d 803 (West Virginia Supreme Court, 1987)
State v. Earnest
703 P.2d 872 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 1985)
Elder v. Commonwealth
431 N.E.2d 571 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1982)
Braxton v. United States
395 A.2d 759 (District of Columbia Court of Appeals, 1978)
Piesik v. State
572 P.2d 94 (Alaska Supreme Court, 1977)
State v. Pulawa
569 P.2d 900 (Hawaii Supreme Court, 1977)
MacPherson v. State
533 P.2d 1103 (Alaska Supreme Court, 1975)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
533 P.2d 1103, 1975 Alas. LEXIS 356, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/macpherson-v-state-alaska-1975.