State Ex Rel. Upham v. McElligott

956 P.2d 179, 326 Or. 547, 1998 Ore. LEXIS 269
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 26, 1998
DocketSC S43433 (Control); SC S43551
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 956 P.2d 179 (State Ex Rel. Upham v. McElligott) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State Ex Rel. Upham v. McElligott, 956 P.2d 179, 326 Or. 547, 1998 Ore. LEXIS 269 (Or. 1998).

Opinion

*550 GRABER, J.

These two consolidated mandamus proceedings arise out of the same underlying case. Petitions filed in the juvenile court allege that B.C.W., a youth, 1 is within the jurisdiction of the juvenile court pursuant to ORS 419C.005(1), 2 because he committed several acts that, if done by an adult, would constitute the crimes of sodomy in the first degree, rape in the first degree, and sexual abuse in the first degree. B.C.W. filed a motion for a jury trial, claiming a constitutional entitlement under Article I, section 11, of the Oregon Constitution, and under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. 3 B.C.W. then filed an alternative motion for an “advisory jury,” relying on ORCP 1A and ORCP 51 D. 4

The juvenile court denied the first motion, ruling that B.C.W. had no constitutional right to a jury trial and citing State ex rel Juv. Dept. v. Reynolds, 317 Or 560, 857 P2d 842 (1993). Relator B.C.W. filed a petition for an alternative writ of mandamus to challenge that ruling. Second, the juvenile court held that it “has discretion to grant an advisory jury to a youth in a juvenile delinquency proceeding” and granted B.C.W.’s motion for an advisory jury. Relator Scott D. Upham, district attorney, filed a petition for an alternative writ of mandamus to challenge that second ruling.

This court allowed both petitions, issued alternative writs, and ordered that the mandamus matters be consolidated. For the reasons that follow: (1) we hold that B.C.W. *551 has no constitutional right to a jury trial and, accordingly, dismiss the alternative writ in SC S43551; and (2) we hold that the juvenile court has no discretion to empanel an advisory jury in a juvenile delinquency proceeding and, accordingly, direct that a peremptory writ issue in SC S43433, requiring the juvenile court to vacate the order granting B.C.W.’s motion for an advisory jury.

B.C.W.’S PETITION FOR A WRIT OF MANDAMUS:

CONSTITUTIONAL CLAIMS OF A RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL

ARTICLE I, SECTION 11

In 1993, this court held that the jurisdictional phase of a juvenile court delinquency proceeding under former ORS 419.476(l)(a) 5 “is not a ‘criminal prosecution’ within the meaning of Article I, section 11, of the Oregon Constitution,” 6 and that “the juvenile court properly denied the child’s motion for a jury trial” Reynolds, 317 Or at 575.

Like the present proceedings, Reynolds involved allegations of sex-related crimes. The youth in that case had engaged in conduct that, if done by an adult, would constitute sodomy in the first degree, sexual abuse in the first degree, and furnishing obscene materials to minors. Id. at 563. As here, the youth argued that he was entitled to a jury trial, because the juvenile court delinquency proceeding was a “criminal prosecution” that called into play the right of jury trial embodied in Article I, section 11. Id. at 564. This court extensively examined the history of that constitutional provision and of Oregon’s juvenile justice system. Id. at 565-70. This court noted, among other things, the vastly different result for an adult convicted of first-degree sexual abuse (up to 10 years’ imprisonment, with a presumptive sentence of 16 *552 to 18 months’ imprisonment) than for the youth: “the juvenile court in this case merely upgraded the child’s previous informal probation to formal probation and sent him home.” Id. at 572. The court also explained in detail other differences between adult and youth adjudications such as, in the juvenile system, flexible, often noncustodial dispositional alternatives; parental involvement; and emphasis on the best interests of the child. Id. at 572-74. The court concluded:

“In summary, in the jurisdictional phase of a delinquency proceeding * * *, the issue is not whether the child should be punished for his or her conduct but, rather, whether the statutory grounds for jurisdiction have been established and, if so, what disposition is in the child’s best interests. Juvenile courts are concerned with rehabilitation, not punishment. If the state wishes to prosecute a child criminally, it must do so by transferring the child to an adult criminal court.
“We conclude that, in the juvenile code, the legislature so changed the way that a juvenile is treated as to create a proceeding that is sui generis. We hold that the jurisdictional phase of a juvenile proceeding * * * is not a ‘criminal prosecution’ within the meaning of Article I, section 11, of the Oregon Constitution. Accordingly, the juvenile court properly denied the * * * motion for a jury trial.” Id. at 574-75.

B.C.W. argues that Reynolds is not controlling, because various legislative changes in 1995 rendered a delinquency proceeding for a sexual offense “the functional equivalent of a criminal prosecution.” His wholesale attack on the 1995 legislation is not well taken, because the alleged delinquent acts occurred in 1994. B.C.W. has not demonstrated that whatever parts of the 1995 legislation may apply to this proceeding have rendered Reynolds distinguishable. Reynolds controls here, and B.C.W.’s argument under Article I, section 11, must fail. 7

*553 FEDERAL CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGE

B.C.W. next contends that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment 8 guarantees a right to a jury trial in this delinquency proceeding. However, binding federal precedent is to the contrary.

In McKeiver v. Pennsylvania, 403 US 528, 91 S Ct 1976, 29 L Ed 2d 647 (1971), five justices agreed that a juvenile delinquency proceeding is not a “criminal prosecution” within the meaning of the Sixth Amendment. Additionally, the court in McKeiver held that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment does not require a jury trial as a basic component of a juvenile delinquency proceeding. 403 US at 538-51.

B.C.W. points to no federal authority to the contrary. Neither does he point to anything peculiar in his situation that would cause due process to require a jury trial here. His federal constitutional claim is not well taken.

DISPOSITION

B.C.W. has no constitutional right to a jury trial.

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Related

State Ex Rel. Juvenile Department v. Kopp
43 P.3d 1197 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2002)
State ex rel. Travis v. Board of Parole
959 P.2d 629 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 1998)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
956 P.2d 179, 326 Or. 547, 1998 Ore. LEXIS 269, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-upham-v-mcelligott-or-1998.