State v. Mai

656 P.2d 315, 294 Or. 269, 1982 Ore. LEXIS 1332
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 29, 1982
DocketCA 19767, SC 28146
StatusPublished
Cited by70 cases

This text of 656 P.2d 315 (State v. Mai) 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 v. Mai, 656 P.2d 315, 294 Or. 269, 1982 Ore. LEXIS 1332 (Or. 1982).

Opinions

[271]*271PETERSON, J.

This case involves the question whether a law which permits a trial judge to prohibit a witness from testifying because the defense failed to disclose the name of the witness prior to trial violates the defendant’s right to compulsory process under Article I, section 11, of the Oregon Constitution and the Sixth Amendment to the federal constitution. We hold that it does not.

ORS 135.805-.873 are comprehensive statutes which provide for reciprocal discovery by the prosecution and the defense. The statutes require, inter alia, the disclosure of the names and addresses of witnesses the party intends to call at trial. ORS 135.865 provides that the trial court, “[u]pon being apprised of any breach of the duty [of disclosure] * * * may * * * refuse to permit the witness to testify * *

The defendant was arrested, charged and convicted of driving under the influence of intoxicants (ORS 487.540) and evading a police officer (ORS 487.555). The defendant’s attorney refused to comply with the statutes, claiming that his client had an absolute right to call witnesses, a right guaranteed by the compulsory process clause of the state and federal constitutions. The trial court imposed a sanction permitted by ORS 135.8651 and refused to permit the witness to testify. After conviction, the defendant appealed to the Court of Appeals, which affirmed. 54 Or App 334, 634 P2d 1367 (1981). We affirm.

SCOPE OF THE RIGHT OF COMPULSORY PROCESS

The Oregon compulsory process clause is found in Article I, section 11, of the Oregon Constitution and provides in part: “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall have the right * * * to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor * * In State ex rel Gladden v. Lonergan, 201 Or 163, 269 P2d 491 (1954), we [272]*272noted the literal meaning of the compulsory process clause and held that the provision secures to the defendant the right to process to obtain the attendance of witnesses, saying:

“Under Art 1, § 11, Oregon Const., the accused not only is guaranteed the right ‘to meet the witnesses face to face’, but also the right of having ‘compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor’.
“At common law an accused charged with a felony could not demand as a matter of right compulsory process for his witnesses, but it was the duty of the prosecution to call and examine all persons who had knowledge of material facts connected with the crime, whether favorable or unfavorable to the defendant. But under the federal constitution and the constitutions of most states, the right of compulsory process for witnesses on behalf of defendant is secured. The right is not subject to the discretion of the court; it is usually absolute, at least as to process for necessary and material witnesses, even though the persons needed as witnesses live outside the county of the venue. * * *” 201 Or at 188.

See Clinton, The Right To Present a Defense: An Emergent Constitutional Guarantee in Criminal Trials, 9 Ind L Rev 711 (1976), and Westen, The Compulsory Process Clause, 73 Mich L Rev 71 (1973), for a detailed summary of the history of the compulsory process clause. Compare the concurring opinion of Lent, J., in State v. Douglas, 292 Or 516, 520-538, 641 P2d 561 (1982).

The right to subpoena a witness into the courtroom is an empty right absent the related right to obtain the testimony of the witness. We have no hesitation in concluding that the clause protects both the right to the attendance of the witness and the testimony of the witness. In this respect, we construe the state compulsory process clause in the same way as the Supreme Court construed the virtually identical federal counterpart in Washington v. Texas, 388 US 14, 87 S Ct 1920, 18 L Ed 2d 1019 (1967).2 In that case, after first holding that the federal compulsory process [273]*273clause “is so fundamental and essential to a fair trial that it is incorporated in the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment,” 388 US at 17-18, the court stated the issue as follows:

“* * * We are thus called upon to decide whether the Sixth Amendment guarantees a defendant the right under any circumstances to put his witnesses on the stand, as well as the right to compel their attendance in court. * * *” 388 US at 19.

Observing that the compulsory process clause was enacted to overcome the early common law rule prohibiting a defendant from calling witnesses on his behalf, the court held that the clause guaranteed the right to obtain the testimony of witnesses as well as the right to secure their attendance. “* * * The Framers of the Constitution did not intend to commit the futile act of giving to a defendant the right to secure the attendance of witnesses whose testimony he had no right to use.” 388 US at 23.

The specific question involved in this case is whether the preclusion sanction of ORS 135.865 is an unconstitutional limitation upon the right to obtain the testimony of a witness. We now turn to that question.3

CONDITIONING THE RIGHT OF COMPULSORY PROCESS

Reciprocal discovery statutes similar to ORS 135.835-135.865 have been enacted in most states.4 Their purposes include these: “To assure to both the state and the defendant the opportunity, in advance of trial, to be provided with the information required by these statutes so as to enable each party to prepare adequately for trial and to prevent ‘surprise’ at the time of trial * * “* * * to [274]*274avoid unnecessary trials, to expedite trials and to prevent the expense and delay of continuances when either party claims to be unprepared to go to trial because of failure by the other party to comply with these discovery statutes. * * State v. Dyson, 292 Or 26, 35-36, 636 P2d 961 (1981); and to promote pretrial resolution of criminal cases. See Westen, The Compulsory Process Clause, 73 Mich L Rev 71, 138 (1974); Comment, The Preclusion Sanction — A Violation of the Constitutional Right to Present a Defense, 81 Yale L J 1342, 1356 (1972).

Reciprocal discovery is a fairly recent development in the field of criminal law. Following the decisions in Brady v. Maryland, 373 US 83, 83 S Ct 1194, 10 L Ed 2d 215 (1963), and Jencks v. United States, 353 US 657, 77 S Ct 1007, 1 L Ed 2d 1103 (1957), most states enacted reciprocal discovery statutes. Oregon’s reciprocal discovery statutes were enacted in 1973. Or Laws 1973, ch 836, §§ 213-220. Discovery tends to equalize the investigative power of the parties.

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

Related

State v. Pilon
516 P.3d 1181 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2022)
State v. Pyle
516 P.3d 273 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2022)
State v. Hernandez-Sanchez
486 P.3d 806 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2021)
State v. Weaver
472 P.3d 717 (Oregon Supreme Court, 2020)
State v. Weaver
439 P.3d 531 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2019)
State v. Bray
383 P.3d 883 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2016)
State v. Summers
371 P.3d 1223 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2016)
State v. Wixom
366 P.3d 353 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2015)
State v. Ferraro
331 P.3d 1086 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2014)
State v. Harrell / Wilson
297 P.3d 461 (Oregon Supreme Court, 2013)
State v. Hemenway
295 P.3d 617 (Oregon Supreme Court, 2013)
State v. West
279 P.3d 354 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2012)
State v. Walker
258 P.3d 1228 (Oregon Supreme Court, 2011)
State v. BAKER/JAY
221 P.3d 749 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2009)
State v. Fowler
200 P.3d 591 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2009)
State v. Longo
148 P.3d 892 (Oregon Supreme Court, 2006)
State v. Miller
144 P.3d 1052 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2006)
Koennecke v. Lampert
108 P.3d 653 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2005)
State v. Cunningham
105 P.3d 929 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2005)
State v. Cox
98 P.3d 1103 (Oregon Supreme Court, 2004)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
656 P.2d 315, 294 Or. 269, 1982 Ore. LEXIS 1332, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-mai-or-1982.