State Ex Rel. Burford v. Sullivan

1948 OK CR 41, 193 P.2d 594, 86 Okla. Crim. 364, 1948 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 168
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedMay 5, 1948
DocketNo. A-11007.
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 1948 OK CR 41 (State Ex Rel. Burford v. Sullivan) 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
State Ex Rel. Burford v. Sullivan, 1948 OK CR 41, 193 P.2d 594, 86 Okla. Crim. 364, 1948 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 168 (Okla. Ct. App. 1948).

Opinion

BBETT, J.

The State of Oklahoma, on relation of the warden of the State Penitentiary, filed a verified petition in this court asking that the court assume original jurisdiction for the purpose of issuing a writ of prohibition directed to the respondents, Honorable Sam Sullivan,, District Judge of Atoka County, and Honorable W. A., Lackey, District Judge of Pittsburg County, prohibiting them from proceeding in connection with certain actions concerning one Harr old Lee Motley as hereinafter set forth.

The verified petition alleged, in substance, that Har-rold Lee Motley, in the year 1936, was charged with the crime of murder in Atoka county; that after a preliminary hearing, where he was represented by counsel, he was bound over for trial to the district court where an information was duly filed; that after the said Harrold Lee Motley had spent several days in the county jail of Atoka county, and on the 27th day of October, 1936, according to the appearance docket and minutes of the court, the said Motley appeared before the district court with counsel and after being advised of all of his constitutional rights and the severity of punishment, insisted upon entering his plea of guilty to the charge of murder, whereupon the court accepted the plea and sentenced *368 the defendant to serve a term, of life imprisonment in the State Penitentiary where he is now incarcerated.

That on October 2, 1945, the Governor of the State of Oklahoma granted Motley a 60 days’ leave of absence; that thereafter said leave was extended at various times down to and including December 17, 1947, at which time the leave of absence was revoked by the Governor on account of the refusal of Motley to make the reports to the Pardon and Parole Board which were a part of the requirements agreed to by the defendant in accepting the leave of absence.

The verified petition. further alleged that prior to October 14, 1947, the said Motley filed a motion in the district court of Atoka county asking the court to set aside, vacate and hold for naught the original judgment and sentence imposing life imprisonment on the said Motley; that the respondent, Judge Sullivan, after a hearing on said motion, on October 14, 1947, entered an order captioned as follows:

“Journal Entry of Judgment Sustaining Defendant’s Motion to Vacate Void Judgment and Sentence.”

The concluding part of the above mentioned journal entry reads:

“Whereupon the Court finds that the purported judgment and sentence pronounced upon defendant herein was and is void, for the reason that said defendant was deprived and not fully advised of his constitutional and legal rights, as a result of which defendant’s plea was not entered voluntarily, thereby depriving the Court’s jurisdiction to accept said plea and enter judgment and sentence thereon.
“It is therefore ordered, adjudged and decreed by the Court that defendant’s motion to set aside, vacate and hold for naught the purported judgment and sentence *369 herein be and the same is hereby sustained, granted and allowed and the said defendant, Harrold Lee Motley, is hereby released therefrom, subject to any further official action the County Attorney may deem necessary and proper. And it is further ordered that the Warden of the State Penitentiary, and he is hereby directed, to release said defendant, Harrold Lee Motley, No. 35002, from his care custody and jurisdiction, subject only to any further order of the Court. It is further ordered that the Court Clerk cause certified copies of this order and judgment herein to be served on the said Warden of the State Penitentiary, at McAlester, Oklahoma.”

That subsequent to the entry of the order by Judge Sullivan, the Attorney General advised the Avarden of the State Penitentiary that in his opinion the order was null and void and not to obey the same; that the Attorney General Avas never served a notice that the said Motley had filed a motion to set aside the original judgment and sentence and did not know that the same would be heard, although the said Motley was then a ward of the state and in the custody of the warden of the State Penitentiary, and neither was said warden made a party to the proceedings had before the district court of Atoka county; that the order entered by the district judge of Atoka county on October 14, 1947, is not a final order of the district court and therefore not an order that could be appealed by the State of Oklahoma under the provisions of Title 22 O. S. 1941 §§ 1052, 1053, and that the writ of prohibition should be issued to prevent the enforcement of a void and illegal order by an inferior court.

That on or about January 8, 1948, the said Motley filed a petition for Avrit of habeas corpus before the respondent, Honorable W. A. Lackey, district judge of Pittsburg county, asking for his release from the penitentiary by virtue of the above mentioned void and illegal *370 order issued by tbe district court of Atoka county, and that oñ a hearing on this petition, the Honorable W. A. Lackey indicated that he felt bound to recognize and give legal effect to the order entered by Judge Sullivan, but that he continued the further hearing of said habeas corpus petition to January 21, 1948, but indicated that unless a writ of prohibition is issued by the Criminal Court of Appeals, that he would release the said Motley from prison pursuant to the order issued by Judge Sullivan.

The verified petition further alleged that many terms of court had expired since October 27, 1936, the date of the original judgment and sentence and that the said Motley has partially executed the original judgment and sentence by serving approximately nine years on said judgment; that the district judge of Atoka county had no jurisdiction to pass upon the custody of prisoners in the hands of the warden of the Penitentiary at McAlester, and that the attempt to secure and exercise jurisdiction in such manner and to free prisoners from the custody of the warden constitutes an usurpation of authority and jurisdiction not given to the respondent as judge of the district court of Atoka county, and is an attempt to make an unauthorized application of judicial force.

After a consideration of the verified petition, this court assumed original jurisdiction and issued an alternative writ of prohibition directed to the respondents. On the date set for hearing, a response was filed in which it was alleged:

“Respondent Sullivan further moves this Honorable Court to quash the alternative writ directed against him and moves that it be permanently denied for the reason that the matters herein are properly before the District *371 Court of Pittsburg County on a habeas corpus proceeding and he is not a party thereto.
“Respondent Lackey further moves this Honorable Court to quash the alternative writ directed against him and moves that it be permanently denied for the reason that he retains jurisdiction over Harr old Lee Motley in a habeas corpus proceeding, his Court being a court of concurrent jurisdiction in such matters with this Honorable Court.

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Bluebook (online)
1948 OK CR 41, 193 P.2d 594, 86 Okla. Crim. 364, 1948 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 168, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-burford-v-sullivan-oklacrimapp-1948.