State of Arizona v. Hon. Jeffrey T. Bergin, Hon. Danielle Liwski Remington

541 P.3d 587
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedDecember 19, 2023
Docket2 CA-SA 2023-0078
StatusPublished

This text of 541 P.3d 587 (State of Arizona v. Hon. Jeffrey T. Bergin, Hon. Danielle Liwski Remington) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State of Arizona v. Hon. Jeffrey T. Bergin, Hon. Danielle Liwski Remington, 541 P.3d 587 (Ark. Ct. App. 2023).

Opinion

IN THE ARIZONA COURT OF APPEALS DIVISION TWO

THE STATE OF ARIZONA, Petitioner,

v.

HON. JEFFREY T. BERGIN AND HON. DANELLE B. LIWSKI, JUDGES OF THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF ARIZONA, IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF PIMA, Respondents,

and

RYAN TAYLOR REMINGTON, Real Party in Interest.

No. 2 CA-SA 2023-0078 Filed December 19, 2023

Special Action Proceeding Pima County Cause No. CR20223150001

JURISDICTION ACCEPTED; RELIEF GRANTED

COUNSEL

Laura Conover, Pima County Attorney By Chris Ward, Deputy County Attorney, Tucson Counsel for Petitioner

Natasha Wrae PC, Tucson By Natasha Wrae

and STATE v. HON. BERGIN Opinion of the Court

Law Office of Michael W. Storie, Tucson By Michael Storie Counsel for Real Party in Interest

OPINION

Judge Gard authored the opinion of the Court, in which Presiding Judge Eppich and Chief Judge Vásquez concurred.

G A R D, Judge:

¶1 In this special-action proceeding, the state seeks review of the respondent presiding judge’s order granting real-party-in-interest Ryan Remington’s request for a transcript of a grand jury proceeding that resulted in the grand jurors declining to return an indictment against him.1 Because the respondent erred by entering that order, we accept jurisdiction and grant relief.

Factual and Procedural Background

¶2 In August 2022, a grand jury indicted Remington for one count of manslaughter. The superior court remanded the matter to the grand jury on Remington’s motion to redetermine probable cause. Before the second grand jury presentation, Remington submitted a Trebus letter, asking the prosecutor to present certain evidence to the grand jury.2 The second grand jury returned a “no bill,” meaning that it had not found

1The state seeks special-action relief as to both Presiding Judge Jeffrey Bergin and Judge Danelle Liwski, who initially ordered the grand jury transcript’s release. But we reversed Judge Liwski’s order in a previous special action in this matter. State v. Liwski, No. 2 CA-SA 2023-0032, ¶ 16 (Ariz. App. May 16, 2023) (mem. decision). We therefore do not address the state’s arguments as to that ruling. 2Trebus v. Davis, 189 Ariz. 621, 625-26 (1997) (requiring prosecutor to

advise grand jury of defendant’s request to appear or to present clearly exculpatory evidence).

2 STATE v. HON. BERGIN Opinion of the Court

probable cause and therefore had not returned an indictment. On the state’s request, the court dismissed the matter without prejudice.

¶3 Days later, Remington filed a request for a transcript of the second grand jury proceeding. Based on the state’s “indecision as to how it plan[ned] to proceed with the alleged homicide charges,” Remington argued he needed the transcript “to effectively prepare a follow-up Trebus letter.” The state opposed the request, asserting that Remington had “not made a particularized showing of why disclosure [was] needed to further the interests of justice such that grand jury secrecy should be set aside.” In reply, Remington explained that he needed the transcript to examine the grand jurors’ questions in the event they had focused on “areas not previously contemplated by the parties.”

¶4 Respondent Judge Liwski granted Remington’s request, and the state moved to reconsider, arguing, in part, that Judge Liwski lacked jurisdiction to enter the order because “there [were] no active criminal felony charges pending.” Judge Liwski denied the state’s motion, relying on Ariz. Const. article VI, § 14(1), (4), and (11) as the basis for the court’s jurisdiction.

¶5 The state sought special-action review, and this court ordered supplemental briefing on the applicability of A.R.S. § 21-411(A), which governs the preparation of grand jury transcripts. In its supplemental brief, the state conceded that “§ 21-411(A) appears to confer the trial court with authority and jurisdiction to order that a grand jury transcript be prepared in a case that did not end in an indictment.”

¶6 This court accepted special-action jurisdiction and granted relief, reversing Respondent Judge Liwski’s order disclosing the transcript to Remington. State v. Liwski, No. 2 CA-SA 2023-0032 (Ariz. App. May 16, 2023) (mem. decision). We explained, “The last sentence of § 21-411(A) plainly provides the presiding judge with the jurisdiction and authority to order the release of a grand jury transcript in situations not otherwise covered by the statute, such as when a ‘no bill’ is returned.” Id. ¶ 12. Because Judge Liwski was not the presiding judge, we concluded she had “lacked the authority to order the release of the second grand jury transcript to Remington.” Id. ¶ 15. Neither party filed a petition for review of this court’s decision.

¶7 Remington then filed another request for the transcript of the second grand jury proceeding, this time directed to Presiding Judge Bergin. Remington argued “there ha[d] been no indication from the [s]tate that it

3 STATE v. HON. BERGIN Opinion of the Court

no longer intends to submit the matter to a third grand jury” and, as a result, his “request remain[ed] the same.” In response, the state again maintained that Remington had failed to make “a particularized showing of why disclosure is needed.” Relying on A.R.S. § 13-2812(A), which criminalizes disclosure of grand jury proceedings, the state asserted that a court may release a grand jury transcript of a no-bill proceeding only when in furtherance of justice and that Remington’s request fell short of this standard. The state further reasoned that Remington was on a “fishing expedition” and that releasing the transcript would “erod[e] the public’s confidence that grand jury proceedings are truly secret proceedings.”

¶8 Judge Bergin granted Remington’s request for the second grand jury transcript. He explained that this was “a very unique case”:

As I described it before when we were looking at a third grand jury, one having been true billed, one no billed, and recognizing that the secrecy policy or the confidentiality policy is not well served in this case and recognizing that defense has put forward an argument showing a need and value for the representation of their client, and the Court does interpret that as in furtherance of justice.

¶9 He further ordered all juror identification redacted and limited the use of the transcript to “the defense of the criminal matter arising out of this incident.” This petition for special action followed.

Jurisdiction

¶10 “Our decision to accept jurisdiction of a special action is highly discretionary.” League of Ariz. Cities & Towns v. Martin, 219 Ariz. 556, ¶ 4 (2009); see also Ariz. R. P. Spec. Act. 3 bar committee note. Here, special action is the only means by which the state may obtain review of the presiding judge’s order to release the transcript to Remington. See A.R.S. § 13-4032 (providing orders from which state may appeal). This matter also raises a purely legal issue, making it particularly appropriate for special-action review. See ChartOne, Inc. v. Bernini, 207 Ariz. 162, ¶ 8 (App. 2004).

¶11 Further, a presiding judge’s authority to release a grand jury transcript of a proceeding that did not result in an indictment is a potentially recurring issue of statewide importance. See Devlin v. Browning,

4 STATE v. HON. BERGIN Opinion of the Court

249 Ariz. 143, ¶¶ 6-7 (App. 2020) (special-action review appropriate when case presents issue of statewide importance or issue likely to recur).

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Bluebook (online)
541 P.3d 587, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-of-arizona-v-hon-jeffrey-t-bergin-hon-danielle-liwski-remington-arizctapp-2023.