State Ex Rel. Johnson v. McGougan

433 So. 2d 827
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 17, 1983
Docket82 KW 0799
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 433 So. 2d 827 (State Ex Rel. Johnson v. McGougan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State Ex Rel. Johnson v. McGougan, 433 So. 2d 827 (La. Ct. App. 1983).

Opinion

433 So.2d 827 (1983)

STATE of Louisiana, ex rel. Douglas JOHNSON
v.
McGOUGAN, Warden.

No. 82 KW 0799.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

May 17, 1983.

*828 Ossie B. Brown, Dist. Atty. by Brett Grayson, Asst. Dist. Atty., Baton Rouge, for plaintiff-appellee.

Ernest Smithling, Asst. Public Defender, Baton Rouge, for defendant-appellant.

Before COVINGTON, LANIER and ALFORD, JJ.

LANIER, Judge.

By a bill of information filed on April 14, 1982, the relator herein, Douglas Johnson, was charged with committing criminal mischief on January 28, 1982, by giving a false report to an officer of the law, in violation of La.R.S. 14:59(5). On June 11, 1982, the relator was brought before the district court and advised of his right to counsel and to court-appointed counsel if indigent. The defendant waived his right to counsel, was arraigned and pled not guilty, and the case was fixed for trial on July 19, 1982. Prior to trial, the relator, in proper person, filed for a writ of habeas corpus, a motion for a continuance to hire retained counsel, and a motion to recuse the trial judge. All of these motions were denied by the trial judge prior to the commencement of the trial on July 19, 1982. The trial commenced, the state introduced its evidence and rested. The relator filed a motion to subpoena an additional witness and the trial was continued to July 22, 1982, so the witness could be served. On July 22, 1982, the witness failed to appear. The court ordered that the trial be continued until August 26, 1982, and for the subpoena to reissue. On August 26, 1982, prior to commencing the trial, the relator requested court-appointed counsel for the remainder of the trial. The court appointed an assistant public defender who was present in court to represent the accused. The defense presented its evidence and rested. The court found the accused guilty as charged and sentenced him "to pay a fine of $100.00 and court costs or in default of payment thereof to be confined in the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison for a period of one days (sic), receiving credit for time served."

On September 7, 1982, relator, in proper person, filed a motion for the trial transcript "... in order to seek Review of his Conviction and Sentence to a higher Court...". In an order dated September 8, 1982, the trial judge denied the motion for the transcript with the following language: *829 "A review of the record reveals that the sentence in the case has been served. Therefore, applicant is not entitled to a copy of these records."

In a pleading dated September 9, 1982, the relator, in proper person, applied to the district court for a writ of habeas corpus alleging that he was denied his right to a writ of review because his court-appointed counsel refused to act on his behalf and that he was denied his right to a trial transcript. The trial court denied this application. This pleading is marked received on September 16, 1982, (but not by whom) and was filed in the Clerk of Court's office on September 22, 1982.

In a pleading dated September 12, 1982, the relator, in proper person, applied to the Louisiana Supreme Court for a "Writ of Habeas Corpus". This pleading was received by the Louisiana Supreme Court on September 16, 1982. In this pleading, relator advised the court that he had been refused his right to invoke post conviction relief for the following reasons:

Immediately after sentencing Petitioner informed his Court appointed attorney Mr. Ernest Smithling that he wished to exercise the right to the Writ of Review. Mr. Smithling gave no answer to Petitioner and as of this date there has been no answer.
On or about September 1, 1982 Petitioner filed a Motion for Transcript of trial and Post Conviction documents and said motion was denied because Petitioner has served the sentence (6 months). Petitioner admits to this Honorable Court that he has indeed served the sentence but that he has not paid the $100.00 fine imposed upon him and thus he stills (sic) satisfies the Custody requirement for Post Conviction relief because he is still being held under restraint(s) of said Conviction and that he is entitled to Post Conviction relief.

Relator further contended that the trial court committed error by denying his motions to recuse and for a continuance and that the finding of guilty was contrary to the law and the evidence. On October 1, 1982, the Louisiana Supreme Court granted the application for the purpose of transferring it to this court for consideration and action.[1]

We reviewed the relator's application and noted that, in different places, he referred to habeas corpus (La.C.Cr.P. art. 351 et seq.), post conviction relief (La.C. Cr.P. art. 924 et seq.) and the writ of review (La.C.Cr.P. art. 912.1[C]). No person can be subjected to imprisonment or forfeiture of rights or property without the right of judicial review. La. Const. of 1974, art. I, § 19. The right to judicial review may be accomplished under the appellate or supervisory jurisdiction of a court. The offense of criminal mischief is a misdemeanor and a defendant charged with that offense is not entitled to a trial by jury. La.R.S. 14:59; La.C.Cr.P. art. 779. Because the relator was not entitled to a jury trial for criminal mischief, this court has no appellate jurisdiction in this case. La. Const. of 1974, art. V, § 10(A)(3). The relator only has a right of review as is provided by law. La. Const. of 1974, art. V, § 10(C). By Act 516 of 1980 (La.C.Cr.P. art. 912.1), which became effective on July 1, 1982, when this court obtained criminal jurisdiction, the relator "has the right of judicial review by application to the court of appeal for a writ of review." Further, under our appellate jurisdiction, a person is not entitled to post conviction relief if he has a right to appeal or has an appeal pending. La.C.Cr.P. art. 924.1. The person must first exhaust his appellate rights. By analogy, a party should also exhaust his right to the writ of review before he can seek post conviction relief in those types of cases. To hold otherwise would authorize multiple post conviction proceedings involving the same matters to be pending at the same time in non-jury trial cases when no such right exists in more serious cases. For these reasons, we *830 felt that the proper procedural device for the relator to assert his grievances was the writ of review provided for in La.C.Cr.P. art. 912.1(C).

Rule 4[2] of the Uniform Rules of the Courts of Appeal of the State of Louisiana is applicable to applications for supervisory writs of any kind (including the writ of review). The relator's application transferred to us by the Louisiana Supreme Court was reviewed and failed to comply with Rule 4 in the following significant respects:

(1) no affidavit verifying the allegations of the application, Rule 4-5. The purpose of this Rule is to promote justice by preventing, so far as possible, fictitious defenses. See La.R.S. 14:123 (perjury);
(2) no affidavit certifying that a copy of the application had been delivered or mailed to the respondent judge and to opposing counsel, Rule 4-5. Fundamental fairness requires that notice of the relator's complaints be served on opposing counsel so that he can properly represent his client's interests in the proceedings. Fundamental fairness also dictates that the trial judge be given an opportunity to modify or reverse an erroneous decision (if he still has jurisdiction to do so) or to defend his ruling by way of a per curiam;

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Bluebook (online)
433 So. 2d 827, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-johnson-v-mcgougan-lactapp-1983.