State v. Dalton

116 N.W.2d 451, 254 Iowa 96, 1962 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 760
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedJuly 24, 1962
Docket50618
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 116 N.W.2d 451 (State v. Dalton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Dalton, 116 N.W.2d 451, 254 Iowa 96, 1962 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 760 (iowa 1962).

Opinion

Moore, J.

— On August 11, 1961, a county attorney’s information was filed in the Municipal Court of the City of Clinton charging defendant with the crime of operating a motor vehicle *98 while in an intoxicated condition. Defendant entered a plea of not guilty and trial was set for November 9. On that date, before any juror was sworn, defendant’s challenge of the November jury panel was sustained. It was established none of the proper public officers was present when the names were drawn from the jury box. The panel was then excused.

The case came on for trial on December 14 and defendant’s challenge to the December jury panel was overruled as was his challenge of each prospective juror who- had also been called for the November term. The jury returned a verdict of guilty. Defendant was sentenced to pay a $700 fine and costs. The trial court further ordered that in default of payment of the fine defendant be committed to the county jail at the rate of $6.66% per day. From the sentence and judgment defendant has appealed.

I. Defendant first contends the trial court erred in overruling the challenge to the December jury panel and to each of its 17 members who were on the November jury panel. It appears the clerk of the municipal court, after the November jury panel had been excused, deposited the slips containing the names of the prospective jurors back in the jury box and when the December panel was drawn 17 were again drawn. Defendant argues the clerk violated the provisions of section 602.38, Code, 1958; the panel was illegally constituted; the 17 prospective jurors were ineligible to serve.

Section 602.38 provides: “Jurors to serve one month — exemptions. The clerk of the court shall, at the end of each month, check off the jury list the names of all jurors who have served during that month, and such names shall not be again deposited in the jury box until after a new jury list has been prepared, but the names of those who have been drawn and excused from service shall be again deposited therei n .

The question is whether the 17 prospective jurors “served” during the November term. Such a question has not been heretofore decided by this court but similar questions have been decided in other jurisdictions.

In Waite v. People, 83 Colo. 162, 165, 262 P. 1009, 1010, three jurors - on the current panel had been called for service at a prior term and were challenged. The court said:

*99 “Our statute expressly makes a distinction between a person ‘summoned in any way to serve as a juror/ and one who ‘shall have served as a juror.’ The juror may be summoned to serve, but he may not actually serve, i.e., may not actually sit in the trial of any case, and unless he has actually done so, he has not served. The challenges were properly .overruled.”

In State v. Lowe, 56 Kan. 594, 597, 44 P. 20, 21, jurors were challenged because they had been called on a prior panel but had not been called to try a ease. That court said, “This is not sufficient to disqualify them under the law. To afford a sufficient ground of challenge they must have actually served as jurors — must have sat as such in the trial of a case.”

In 50 C. J. S., Juries, section 150, page 872, in discussing statutes relating to disqualification of jurors by prior service, it is stated:

“It is only actual prior service which disqualifies a juror under the operation of these statutes. The juror must have actually sat in the trial of a case, and not merely have been summoned.”

See also State v. Allison, 122 Mont. 120, 199 P.2d 279; State v. Rose, 271 Mo. 17, 195 S.W. 1013; Burnett v. Roanoke Mills Co., 152 N. C. 35, 67 S.E. 30.

A study of section 602.38 and the authorities above cited compels our holding it is only actual prior service which disqualifies a juror under that section. The juror must have actually sat in the trial of a ease and not merely have been summoned for jury service. The trial court properly overruled the challenges. „

II. Defendant next complains of the trial court’s refusal to permit his attorney to explain the challenge to the prospective jurors. The challenge and ruling were made out of the jury’s presence. When defendant’s counsel stated he would like to explain his challenge to the jury the court replied there was no reason why the jury should know anything about it. No ruling prevented counsel from asking questions of any juror concerning bias or prejudice.

The extent of counsel’s voir dire examination of jurors is within the trial court’s discretion. Kiesau v. Vangen, 226 *100 Iowa 824, 285 N.W. 181; Hawkins v. Burton, 225 Iowa 707, 281 N.W. 342; Kaufman v. Borg, 214 Iowa 293, 295, 296, 242 N.W. 104; Raines v. Wilson, 213 Iowa 1251, 239 N.W. 36; State v. Heft, 155 Iowa 21, 134 N.W. 950; 24A C. J. S., Criminal Law, section 1867.

In the Kaufman case we said:

“The matter of the latitude that shall be allowed in the examination of jurors upon voir dire necessarily and properly rests very largely in the discretion of the trial court. Improper matters should not be inquired into' and the examination should in no way be permitted to be utilized for the purpose of attempting to inject prejudicial matter improperly into the minds of the jury. Questions of procedure of this character are especially within the discretion of the trial court and in the case at bar we are satisfied from an examination of the record that no prejudicial error was committed.”

The interpretation of section 602.38 involved a question of law for the court. The trial court did not abuse its discretion in refusing to permit counsel to explain the challenge and ruling to the jurors.

III. Defendant also contends the trial court abused its discretion in determining the penalty and that the fine of $700 was excessive. Among other remarks made by the court at the time of sentence, the trial court said he had studied the case and there was considerable aggravation involved. The court also stated defendant’s attorney knew the grounds of challenge the day before it was asserted and could have saved an expense of $170; that the jury*expense was $170; that a court reporter costs $22.50 per day plus the county attorney’s time; that only a small part of the actual expenses were taxable in the case; and that a precedent was being set for future eases, but each case has different circumstances. The trial court also remarked he was not penalizing defendant for exercising his right to a trial by jury; that a defendant who threw himself on the mercy of the court and without expense to the county should be given consideration; and it was customary in such drunken driving cases to levy a $300' fine upon a plea of guilty.

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Bluebook (online)
116 N.W.2d 451, 254 Iowa 96, 1962 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 760, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-dalton-iowa-1962.