State v. Megorden

88 P. 306, 49 Or. 259, 1907 Ore. LEXIS 113
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 12, 1907
StatusPublished
Cited by45 cases

This text of 88 P. 306 (State v. Megorden) 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. Megorden, 88 P. 306, 49 Or. 259, 1907 Ore. LEXIS 113 (Or. 1907).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Hailey

delivered the opinion of the court.

1. There are numerous assignments of error, but they can be grouped under a few heads. The first 17 assignments relate to impaneling the jury, and are based upon the action of the court in denying challenges for actual bias made by defendant. The defendant peremptorily challenged several jurors after his challenges to them for actual bias had been disallowed. After 11 jurors had been taken and before the last juror was called the defendant had exhausted all his peremptory challenges, but he accepted the last juror without challenge of any kind. It is now sought to review here the action of the court in disallowing the challenges for actual bias to such jurors peremptorily challenged. The erroneous overruling of a good challenge for cause, thereby compelling the use of a peremptory challenge, is not prejudicial error where it does not appear that the challenger was compelled [264]*264to accept an objectionable juror: 12 Ency. PI. & Pr. 505. In this ease the challenger was not compelled to accept an objectionable juror after exhausting his peremptory challenges, but, on the contrary, the juror was accepted without question as to his qualifications, and it must be presumed that he was qualified in every respect. In Ford v. Umatilla County, 15 Or. 313, 324 (16 Pac. 33), the rule as stated above is approved and authorities cited in support thereof. In Holt v. State, 9 Tex. App. 580, it is said: “Unless objection is shown to some one or more of the jury who tried the case, the antecedent rulings of the court upon the competency or incompetency of jurors who have been challenged and stood aside will not be inquired into in this court.” The question here raised is exhaustively treated in Loggins v. State, 12 Tex. App. 85, where the gist of the matter is tersely stated, as follows: “The simple question, after the peremptory challenges are exhausted, is: ‘Is the jury which finally tries the case impartial?’ If so, we ■cannot imagine that the accused has any just ground of complaint with regard to it. All that the constitution, all that the law, requires and demands is a trial ‘by an impartial jury.’ If he makes no complaint or has no complaint to make of it as finally organized, .the presumption is legitimate that it is impartial.” Mr. Justice Field in Hayes v. Missouri, 120 U. S. 71 (7 Sup. Ct. 352: 30 L. Ed. 578), says: “The right to challenge is the right to reject, not to select, a juror. If from those who remain, an impartial jury is -obtained, the constitutional right of the accused is maintained” : Spies v. Illinois, 123 U. S. 131 [8 Sup. Ct. 21: 31 L. Ed. 80). In Wooten v. State, 99 Tenn. 189 (41 S. W. 815). the defendant had exhausted all his peremptory challenges when 11 jurors had been accepted and the twelfth juror was accepted without objection or challenge. Defendant on appeal sought to question the rulings of the lower court in disallowing his challenges for cause to the jurors whom he afterwards challenged peremptorily, but the court held that, unless defendant was forced to accept other jurors after exhausting his challenges, the question of the competency of the jurors challenged per[265]*265emptorily could not be raised. To the same effect is State v. White, 48 Or. 416 (87 Pac. 137-141), recently decided by this court.

2. It is suggested, however, that our statute (Section 123, B. & C. Comp.) providing that, upon the trial of a challenge for actual bias, “although it should appear that the juror challenged has formed or expressed an opinion upon the merits of the cause from what he may have heard or read, such opinion shall not of itself be sufficient to sustain the challenge, but the court must be satisfied, from all the circumstances, that the juror cannot disregard such opinion and try the issue impartially,” is broader than the terms of Section 11, Article I of the state constitution, which declares: “The accused shall have the right to public trial by an impartial jury,” and is therefore void. Similar statutes in other states have been held valid, and our statute is within the doctrine of such cases: Spies v. Illinois, 123 U. S. 169 (8 Sup. Ct. 21: 31 L. Ed. 80); Jones v. People, 2 Colo. 351; Stout v. State, 90 Ind. 1; Teritory v. Bryson, 9 Mont. 32 (22 Pac. 147); ‘ Stokes v. People, 53 N. Y. 164 (13 Am. Eep. 492); Cooper v. State, 16 Ohio St. 328; People v. Thiede, 11 Utah, 241 (39 Pac. 837). This court in Kumli v. Southern Pac. Co. 21 Or. 505, 510 (28 Pac. 637), has practically so decided.

3. The only question, then, for determination regarding the impaneling of the jury is whether or not any of the jurors who tried the cause were disqualified. Of the 12 jurors who tried the case, 9 were accepted without challenge. Of the three remaining, one, Pennington, although challenged for actual bias, was, after further examination by counsel for defendant, accepted, thus waiving his challenge. One of the jurors challenged for actual bias, Patch, testified in substance that he was not acquainted with the defendant, nor to any extent in or about the town of Nyssa. although he knew a few people around there; that he had read of the case and discussed it with people, but as to whether they knew all the facts or not he could not say; that from what he had read and heard he had formed an opinion, [266]*266but did not know that he had ever expressed it, and that it would take considerable evidence to remove it, but that, if he were on trial, he would be willing to have one sit on the jury who was in the same frame of mind as he then was; that he could enter upon the trial of the case giving the defendant the presumption of innocence; that he knew nothing about the ease except what he had read and heard, and that he had read of it about the time the homicide occurred, some time in the spring; that he had seen a little notice in the paper about it since; that the persons with whom he talked about the case knew about the same amount of facts as he did, and his opinion was based upon the truth or falsity of the report he had heard, and, if it developed on the trial that the report was false, he would not hang to it as evidence in the case, but would disregard the report he had heard if it was different from the evidence. He also stated that he would have no difficulty in disregarding the opinion he had and trying the issue in the case impartially. The other juror Lofton testified substantially the same as to his qualifications, and, the challenges being disallowed, exceptions were saved.

The facts stated by these jurors are practically identical with the facts stated by the jurors in the case of State v. Amstrong, 43 Or. 207, 217 (73 Pac. 1022). That case and the cases therein cited from this court upon the same point are conclusive upon the point raised here. The challenges were properly disallowed. It is claimed, however, that the case at bar is within the rule of State v. Miller, 46 Or. 485, 491 (81 Pac. 365).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
88 P. 306, 49 Or. 259, 1907 Ore. LEXIS 113, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-megorden-or-1907.