State v. Brooks

Mississippi Supreme Court

State v. Brooks

59 So. 860, 102 Miss. 661

CourtMississippi Supreme Court

DecidedOctober 15, 1912

StatusPublished

Cited by14 cases

This text of 59 So. 860 (State v. Brooks) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

State v. Brooks, 59 So. 860, 102 Miss. 661 (Mich. 1912).

Pincite

Opinion

Cook, J.,

delivered the opinion of the court..

This is an appeal by the state from the action of the circuit court in instructing the jury to find the defendant not guilty.

[662]*662When the state closed its evidence, the court excluded the testimony, upon the motion of defendant, and directed the jury to acquit the defendant. “No question of law is presented by this record, but a decision of the court merely passing upon the sufficiency of the proof to sustain a conviction. In such state of case there is no warrant of law for the taking of an appeal by the state.” This is the language of Judge Truly, speaking for the court, in the case of State v. Willingham et al., 86 Miss. 203, 38 South. 334. The statute construed in that case was section 39, Code 1892. Section 40, Code 1906, under which this appeal is prosecuted, is a transcript of the law of 1892.

Experimental appeals by the state are not authorized by the statute, and this court is not required to read the evidence taken in the trial court to ascertain whether, taken as a whole, the jury would have been warranted in finding the defendant guilty. This would be'a waste of the court’s time, which could be more profitably employed in the investigation of real lawsuits.

The following appeals are. in the same category, viz.: State v. R. C. Wilkerson, 59 South. 830; State v. J. J. Olive, 59 South. 830.

Wherefore the appeals of all are dismissed.

Appeal dismissed.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Cook, J.,

delivered the opinion of the court..

This is an appeal by the state from the action of the circuit court in instructing the jury to find the defendant not guilty.

[662]*662When the state closed its evidence, the court excluded the testimony, upon the motion of defendant, and directed the jury to acquit the defendant. “No question of law is presented by this record, but a decision of the court merely passing upon the sufficiency of the proof to sustain a conviction. In such state of case there is no warrant of law for the taking of an appeal by the state.” This is the language of Judge Truly, speaking for the court, in the case of State v. Willingham et al., 86 Miss. 203, 38 South. 334. The statute construed in that case was section 39, Code 1892. Section 40, Code 1906, under which this appeal is prosecuted, is a transcript of the law of 1892.

Experimental appeals by the state are not authorized by the statute, and this court is not required to read the evidence taken in the trial court to ascertain whether, taken as a whole, the jury would have been warranted in finding the defendant guilty. This would be'a waste of the court’s time, which could be more profitably employed in the investigation of real lawsuits.

The following appeals are. in the same category, viz.: State v. R. C. Wilkerson, 59 South. 830; State v. J. J. Olive, 59 South. 830.

Wherefore the appeals of all are dismissed.

Appeal dismissed.

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)

59 So. 860, 102 Miss. 661, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-brooks-miss-1912.

Opinion

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack