Morse v. State

1938 OK CR 15, 77 P.2d 757, 63 Okla. Crim. 445, 1938 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 130
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedFebruary 4, 1938
DocketNo. A-9301.
StatusPublished
Cited by33 cases

This text of 1938 OK CR 15 (Morse 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
Morse v. State, 1938 OK CR 15, 77 P.2d 757, 63 Okla. Crim. 445, 1938 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 130 (Okla. Ct. App. 1938).

Opinion

BAREFOOT, J.

The defendant was tried in the district court of Custer county for a violation of the liquor laws, was convicted and sentenced to serve a term of nine months in the reformatory at Granite, and has appealed.

The record discloses that a complaint was filed in the county court of Custer county on the 29th day of June, 1936, charging the defendant with the unlawful possession of intoxicating liquor on the 27th day of June, 1936, and of having been convicted of a violation of the liquor laws at a prior date of November 28, 1933. At the preliminary examination held during the month of June, 1936, defendant waived preliminary, and was bound over to the district court of Custer county. The bond provided for his appearance in the district court of said county on the 21st day of July, 1936. An information was not filed by the county attorney in the district court of said county until the 28th day of September, 1936. In the meantime the next regular term of the district court of Custer county was set to begin on the 26th day of September, 1936, and the jury for said term was summoned to be present on the 28th day of September, 1936, the very date that the information was filed against this defendant. The defend *448 ant was arraigned on the same day the information was filed. He had not procured counsel to defend him at that time, but immediately procured counsel and the plea of not guilty, which he had entered, was permitted to be withdrawn, and he filed a demurrer to the information, which was overruled by the court. He then made a motion for a continuance which was as follows :

“Comes now the defendant and moves that the trial of this cause be continued for the following reasons, which appear of record:
“That the assignment of causes for trial at this session was duly made by the presiding judge of this court inore than ten days prior to the 26th day of September, 1936, the said jury session beginning on said 28th day of September, 1936, and after said assignment was made, the same was printed and sent to attorneys and litigants. That this cause was not assigned nor included in the printed assignment.
“That no information had been filed in this cause at the time of making and printing said assignment; that said information was not filed until the 28th day of September, 1936, and that no arraignment of the defendant was had until the late afternoon of September 28, 1936, after which the case was set for trial the 30th day of September, 1936, and for that reason is not triable at this time (September 30, 1936).
“For these reasons and for the reason that said case was not put at issue until the 28th day of September, 1936, said case is not triable at this term.
“For this reason and the additional reason that the defendant had not had sufficient time to prepare for trial nor to confer with witnesses, defendant cannot proceed to the trial of this cause.”

A hearing was had upon this motion and evidence offered supporting the same. A stipu]ation of agreement *449 between tbe county attorney and counsel for defendant was as follows:

“It is stipulated between counsel for tbe state and for tbe defendant that tbe assignment of cases for trial in this session of tbe court was duly made by tbe presiding judge of this court more than ten days prior to tbe 28th day of September, 1986, tbe jury session beginning on said 28th day of September, 1936; that after said assignment was made tbe docket was duly printed and sent to tbe attorneys; that case number 1002, tbe state of Oklahoma against Roy Morse was not included in the printed assignment; that tbe case itself was not transferred from tbe county court to tbe district court until tbe 28th day of September, tbe first day of tbe jury term and that tbe information in tbe case was not filed until that date, tbe 28th day of September.”

Tbe defendant also offered in evidence Rule 9 of tbe Rules of tbe District Court of tbe Twelfth Judicial District, which was as follows:

“If any case, which stands for trial at any term, shall not have been assigned for trial at such term such case may be called for assignment by either party giving notice to tbe adverse party of not less than one day of the intention to move the assignment of said cause.”

This motion for continuance was overruled by tbe court on tbe 30th day of .September, 1936, and exception taken, and defendant was placed on trial on that date. The overruling of tbe motion for a continuance in this case, based upon tbe above facts, is tbe first error complained of by defendant.

It will be seen from tbe record in this case that tbe defendant was given a preliminary examination during tbe month of June, 1936, and was bound over to tbe district court at its next term, but that tbe county attorney failed to file an information against tbe defendant until *450 tbe 28th day of September, 1936, which was two days after the term of court had begun, and after a written assignment of the cases, both civil and criminal, had been made and printed and distributed to the attorneys and litigants of Custer county. The case of defendant was not upon this assignment, for the reason that the county attorney had not filed an information at the time that the assignment ivas made, yet when it was filed defendant was arraigned on the same day, September 28th, and was forced to trial two- days thereafter, on the 30th day of September, 1936. This court has heretofore had this question before it upon several occasions. As stated in those cases there is no statute in this state with reference to when criminal cases should be set. The statute pertaining to civil cases, Oklahoma Statutes 1931, § 395, Okla. St. Ann., tit. 12, p. 386, § 666, provides that civil cases may stand for trial ten days after the issues are made up. It has been the universal holding of this court that a reasonable time should be given to the defendant to prepare for his trial. A distinction has been made between the cases where a defendant is being tried upon a felony charge and a misdemeanor. Jacobs v. State, 29 Okla. Cr. 140, 232 Pac. 861.

In the case of Westbrook v. State, 14 Okla. Cr. 423, 172 Pac. 464, 469, this court says :

“It is the right of every person accused of crime to have a fair trial and compulsory process to compel the attendance of his witnesses, and this involves as a matter of course the time reasonably necessary to prepare for trial. The statute prescribes that civil cases in the district court shall not stand for trial until ten days after the issues are made up and no felony case should be set over the objection of the defendant within ten days after his plea is entered.”

*451 In the case of Noel v. State, 17 Okla. Cr. 308, 188 Pac. 688, 690, this court said:

“Every person charged with crime is entitled to a fair trial according to the due and orderly course of the law.

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Related

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656 A.2d 1246 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 1995)
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Drake v. State
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Gilmore v. State
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Woods v. State
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Jackson v. State
1957 OK CR 25 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1957)
Tice v. State
1955 OK CR 59 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1955)
Dawson v. State
1954 OK CR 94 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1954)
McAllister v. State
1953 OK CR 116 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1953)
Raper v. State
1952 OK CR 113 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1952)
Williams v. State
1952 OK CR 19 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1952)
State v. Ward
239 S.W.2d 313 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1951)
Flynt v. State
1950 OK CR 36 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1950)
Thomas v. State
1946 OK CR 86 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1946)
Johnson v. Yellow Cab Transit Co.
321 U.S. 383 (Supreme Court, 1944)
Clasby v. State
143 P.2d 430 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1943)
Johnson v. Yellow Cab Transit Co.
137 F.2d 274 (Tenth Circuit, 1943)
Ex Parte White
1942 OK CR 135 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1942)
Young v. State
1942 OK CR 37 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1942)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1938 OK CR 15, 77 P.2d 757, 63 Okla. Crim. 445, 1938 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 130, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/morse-v-state-oklacrimapp-1938.