Mooney v. State

1931 OK CR 296, 300 P. 639, 51 Okla. Crim. 170, 1931 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 282
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedJune 12, 1931
DocketNo. A-7827.
StatusPublished

This text of 1931 OK CR 296 (Mooney v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mooney v. State, 1931 OK CR 296, 300 P. 639, 51 Okla. Crim. 170, 1931 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 282 (Okla. Ct. App. 1931).

Opinion

CHAPPELL, J.

Plaintiff in error, hereinafter called defendant, was convicted in the district court of Woodward county of the crime of assault with intent to kill, and his punishment fixed by the jury at imprisonment in the state penitentiary for a period of four years.

*171 Tbe evidence of the state was that James H. Bonghan was a police officer in the city of Woodward; that at abont four o’clock on the morning of September' 9, 1928, Bonghan observed the defendant on the street attempting to break the lid off a trash box on the street installed by the city of Woodward; that the defendant went on down the street and Bonghan was joined by another officer and the two waited and watched for defendant; that defendant passed the officers and went into a cafe, and, as he passed, the officers noticed what appeared to be a pistol in his shirt front; that defendant went into the cafe and made some advances towards customers in the cafe; that Boughan followed the defendant into- the cafe and told him to wait, he wanted to see him; that defendant fled out through the back door of the cafe followed by Boughan, and when Boughan reached the screen door at the back of the restaurant the defendant was standing, outside of the door with a pistol in his hand, and said “I will kill you”; that Boughan said to the defendant, “Go on, kid, and put up your gun; you don’t want to kill anybody”; that thereupon defendant fired five shots at Boughan, one shot going in at the shoulder and coming out at the back, another striking a book in Boughan’s pocket and lodging back of a rib, and another striking Boughan’s scabbard; fortunately none of the wounds proving fatal.

Defendant, testifying for himself, admitted the shooting, but claimed he was afraid the officers intended to shoot him and shot in his own self-defense; that he had been driving a car and when it ran out of gasoline he looked under the cushions and found the pistol he did the shooting with; that he decided to hide this pistol and was trying to hide it in the trash can when the officers saw him; that he put the pistol in his shirt front in order to hide it from the officers, and that he fled from the *172 officers because he knew it was unlawful to carry a pistol, and be was afraid to be caugbt with it on him.

Tbe evidence is sufficient to support tbe verdict of tbe jury, and tbe cause must be affirmed unless tbe errors complained of by defendant require a reversal.

Defendant contends, first, that it was reversible error for tbe court to permit Honorable L. A. Foster, wbo defendant claims was county judge, to assist in tbe prosecution.

Counsel filing tbe brief did not assist in tbe trial of tbe case. Tbe record discloses that when tbe case was called for trial, tbe state appeared by S. M. .Smith, county attorney, and L. A. Foster, and tbe defendant appeared in person and by bis attorneys, Chas. B. Alexander and C. H. Wyand. At this time no objection was made to tbe appearance of Judge Foster and no question raised about bis right to appear. Tbe prosecution of tbe case appears from tbe record to have been conducted by tbe county attorney, Mr. Smith, and to have been exclusively in bis charge, be examining most of the witnesses and otherwise conducting tbe prosecution.

Section 4093, C. O. S. 1921, provides:

“No person shall practice as an attorney and counselor at law in any court of this state wbo is not a citizen of tbe United States, or wbo holds a commission as judge of any court of record, or wbo is a sheriff, coroner, or deputy sheriff; nor shall tbe Clerk of tbe Supreme Court, or tbe clerk of tbe district court, or probate court, or tbe deputy of either, practice in tbe particular court of which be is clerk or deputy clerk; but nothing herein contained shall prevent any judge of any of tbe courts of this state from finishing any business by him undertaken in tbe district, circuit or Supreme Court of tbe United States, prior to bis election or appointment as judge; and an alien wbo *173 has declared his intention to become a citizen of the United States may practice as if he were a citizen.”

Under this section, no judge of a court of record may engage in the practice of law. There are two* reasons for this inhibition. First, the state demands that the judge of a court of record shall devote his whole time to the discharge of his duties.

Section 11, art. 2, of the Constitution provides:

“Every person elected or appointed to any office or employment of trust or profit under the laws of the state, or under any ordinance of any municipality thereof, shall give personal attention to the duties of the office to which he is elected or appointed. Drunkenness and the excessive use of intoxicating liquors while in office shall constitute sufficient cause for impeachment or removal therefrom.”

Our attention has been called to section 2, chap. 354, Sess. Laws 1929, which provides:

“That the present county judge of Woodward county, Oklahoma, may engage in the private practice of law in cases not brought or had in the county court of said county and when such engagement will not interfere with’ the discharge of his official duties as county judge of said Woodward county.”

This act was approved June 10, 1929. The trial was had on the 17th day of October, 1929. We do not predicate the opinion, however, upon this statute.

The second reason is that the defendant is entitled to a fair and impartial trial. Where the judge of a court of record appears in the prosecution of a case, he brings to such action not only his ability as a lawyer, but his standing and influence in the community as a judge.

This court has held in a number of cases that a judge of a district court is disqualified to practice law, and that *174 it is reversible error for the trial court, over the objection of the defendant, to permit such judge to- appear and assist in the prosecution of a case. Lilly v. State, 7 Okla. Cr. 284, 123 Pac. 575; Roddie v. State, 19 Okla. Cr. 63, 198 Pac. 342; Knight v. State, 49 Okla. Cr. 123, 295 Pac. 409.

The state contends that defendant waived the disqualification of the county judge to assist in the prosecution of the case by failing to make timely objection.

In Ex parte Hudson, 3 Okla. Cr. 393, 106 Pac. 540, this court said:

“A party may waive any provision either of a Constitution, treaty, or statute, intended for his benefit.”

In State v. Frisbee, 8 Okla. Cr. 406, 127 Pac. 1091, this court said:

“A defendant in a criminal case may waive any right not inalienable, given him by the statute or by the Constitution, either by express agreement or by conduct, or by such failure to insist upon it in seasonable time as will operate as an estopped to his afterwards setting it up against the state.”

In Washington Fire Insurance Co. v. Hogan, 139 Ark. 130, 213 S. W. 7, 5 A. L. R. 1585, that court said:

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

Related

Knight v. State
1930 OK CR 474 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1930)
Ex Parte Hudson
1910 OK CR 17 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1910)
Crowell v. State
1929 OK CR 143 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1929)
State v. Frisbee
1912 OK CR 418 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1912)
Mann v. State
1930 OK CR 448 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1930)
Roddie v. State
1921 OK CR 86 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1921)
Ray v. State
1962 OK CR 371 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1926)
Hawkins v. State
1923 OK CR 182 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1923)
Lilly v. State
1912 OK CR 166 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1912)
Hooper v. State
1912 OK CR 122 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1912)
Carson v. State
1931 OK CR 153 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1931)
Caldwell v. State
1931 OK CR 7 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1931)
Hamilton v. State
1927 OK CR 254 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1927)
Bonner v. State
1923 OK CR 47 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1923)
Cox v. Barnes
63 N.W. 394 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1895)
Galloway v. State
129 N.W. 987 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1911)
Washington Fire Insurance v. Hogan
213 S.W. 7 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1919)
Webber v. Barry
33 N.W. 289 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1887)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1931 OK CR 296, 300 P. 639, 51 Okla. Crim. 170, 1931 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 282, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mooney-v-state-oklacrimapp-1931.