State v. Myers

2011 NMSC 028, 256 P.3d 13, 150 N.M. 1
CourtNew Mexico Supreme Court
DecidedJune 17, 2011
Docket32,126
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 2011 NMSC 028 (State v. Myers) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico 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. Myers, 2011 NMSC 028, 256 P.3d 13, 150 N.M. 1 (N.M. 2011).

Opinion

OPINION

BOSSON, Justice.

{1} In this, our second review of Defendant’s convictions under the Sexual Exploitation of Children Act, we once again affirm the result of the trial below, and we also hold that trial judges have neither the power nor the discretion to stay the application of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) pending the outcome of an appeal. In affirming Defendant’s convictions, we reverse a second opinion of the Court of Appeals. After our first opinion in this case issued, the Court of Appeals held on remand that retroactively applying our opinion to Defendant’s conduct “violates due process because it constitutes an unforeseeable judicial enlargement of the [Sexual Exploitation of Children Act], which operates like an ex-post facto law.” State v. Myers (Myers III), 2010-NMCA-007, ¶23, 147 N.M. 574, 226 P.3d 673, cert, granted, 2010-NMCERT-001, 147 N.M. 674, 227 P.3d 1056. For the reasons that follow, we conclude that the Court of Appeals misapprehended both our opinion and the law relative to retroactive application of judicial decisions. Accordingly, we reverse and remand to the district court for further proceedings enforcing Defendant’s convictions.

BACKGROUND

{2} Defendant was convicted of seven counts of the Sexual Exploitation of Children Act (the Act), NMSA 1978, §§ 30-6A-1 to -4 (1984, as amended through 2007), for covertly videotaping two female minors while they used the bathroom in a government office in 2004. State v. Myers (Myers II), 2009-NMSC-016, ¶¶ 1-4, 146 N.M. 128, 207 P.3d 1105. Defendant hid the video camera beneath a radiator and positioned it to capture the pubic area of the victims before and after they used the restroom. State v. Myers (Myers I), 2008-NMCA-047, ¶¶2, 16, 143 N.M. 710, 181 P.3d 702, rev’d, Myers II, 2009-NMSC-016, 146 N.M. 128, 207 P.3d 1105. Defendant was convicted under that portion of the Act which prohibits the intentional “ ‘manufacturing of] any obscene visual or print medium depicting any prohibited sexual act or simulation of such an act if one or more of the participants in that act is a child under eighteen years of age.’ ” Myers I, 2008-NMCA-047, ¶ 9, 143 N.M. 710, 181 P.3d 702 (quoting § 30-6A-3(D)).

{3} Defendant appealed the convictions claiming that the images did not depict a “prohibited sexual act” and were not “obscene.” Myers II, 2009-NMSC-016, ¶¶ 24, 34, 146 N.M. 128, 207 P.3d 1105. Upon motion by Defendant, the district court ordered a stay of Defendant’s required registration under SORNA, NMSA 1978, §§ 29-11A-1 to -10 (1995, as amended through 2007), pending the outcome of Defendant’s appeal. Myers I, 2008-NMCA-047, ¶ 20,143 N.M. 710, 181 P.3d 702; Myers III, 2010-NMCA-007, ¶ 28, 147 N.M. 574, 226 P.3d 673.

{4} The Court of Appeals reversed Defendant’s convictions, relying on the only case, State v. Rendleman, 2003-NMCA-150, 134 N.M. 744, 82 P.3d 554, overruled in part by Myers II, 2009-NMSC-016, 146 N.M. 128, 207 P.3d 1105, that had previously applied the Act. Myers I, 2008-NMCA-047, ¶¶ 17-19, 143 N.M. 710, 181 P.3d 702. Of the five prohibited sexual acts defined in the Act, the one at issue was “a ‘lewd and sexually explicit exhibition with a focus on the genitals or pubic area of any person for the purpose of sexual stimulation.’ ” Id. ¶ 11 (citing § 30-6A-2(A) and defining the “prohibited sexual act” at issue). The Court of Appeals concluded that the videotaped images did not depict a “prohibited sexual act” because the images were neither “lewd and sexually explicit” nor manufactured “for the purpose of sexual stimulation” within the meaning of the Act. Id¶¶ 17-19.

{5} The State petitioned for certiorari, and this Court reversed. Myers II, 2009-NMSC-016, ¶¶ 12, 47, 146 N.M. 128, 207 P.3d 1105. In Myers II, we explained that the images did depict a “prohibited sexual act” under Section 30-6A-2(A)(5)(l) as “‘lewd and sexually explicit,’ ” Myers II, 2009-NMSC-016, ¶ 30, 146 N.M. 128, 207 P.3d 1105, (2) focused on “ ‘the genitals or pubic area,’ ” id., and (3) they were made “ ‘for the purpose of sexual stimulation,’ ” id. ¶ 27. We also held that the images were obscene within the meaning of the Act. Id. ¶ 40.

{6} We remanded Defendant’s appeal for the Court of Appeals to consider two remaining issues raised by the parties in the initial appeal that the appellate court had not yet addressed: (1) “whether the Act is void for vagueness as applied to Defendant’s conduct,” and (2) “whether the trial court properly entered a stay of execution that relieved Defendant of the obligation to register as a sex offender [under SORNA] pending the outcome of this appeal.” Myers II, 2009-NMSC-016, ¶ 47, 146 N.M. 128, 207 P.3d 1105. Instead of addressing the constitutionality of applying the Act to Defendant’s conduct — one of only two remaining issues — the Court of Appeals reframed that issue, asked for additional briefing from the parties on that reframed issue, and proceeded down a different course. See Myers III, 2010-NMCA-007, ¶¶ 11-25, 147 N.M. 574, 226 P.3d 673.

{7} The Court of Appeals held that our Myers II Opinion interpreting the Act had itself made the Act unconstitutionally vague as applied to Defendant. Id. ¶¶ 22-25. Through the eyes of the Court of Appeals, Myers II was an “unforeseeable judicial enlargement of the statute, which operates like an ex post facto law,” such that Defendant could not fairly have foreseen that his conduct would be “lewd” within the reach of the Act. Myers III, 2010-NMCA-007, ¶¶ 22-23, 147 N.M. 574, 226 P.3d 673. Notably, the Court of Appeals on remand adopted a position not endorsed by either party to the appeal and certainly not one requested by this Court’s mandate. See id. Instead, the parties in their supplemental briefing to the Court of Appeals agreed that Myers II did not create a vagueness issue. Defendant responded that Myers II had no impact on his earlier void for vagueness claim. 1 The State argued that Myers II had “foreclose[d] any claim of vagueness.” Subsequently, during oral argument before this Court, Defendant admitted he had previously argued that Myers II had no effect on his original void for vagueness claim, although he asks us now to uphold the ultimate conclusion in Myers III.

{8} The Court of Appeals did address the second of the two issues remaining on remand — whether the district court could lawfully issue a stay of the SORNA registration requirements pending appeal — which the Court of Appeals answered in the affirmative. Myers III, 2010-NMCA-007, ¶¶ 26-33, 147 N.M. 574, 226 P.3d 673. The State then petitioned for certiorari as to both rulings, asking us to reverse the Court of Appeals by upholding Defendant’s convictions and clarifying that SORNA sexual offender registration cannot be stayed pending appeal. We do so in this Opinion.

ANALYSIS

{9} As explained, we review Defendant’s convictions for a second time. Initially, we address the Court of Appeals conclusion that our Myers II Opinion made the Act unconstitutionally vague as applied to Defendant’s conduct. We also perform the constitutional analysis of the Act’s statutory language that we requested on remand. Finally, we consider whether any district judge has the authority to stay the SORNA requirements pending appeal. We review such “issues of statutory and constitutional interpretation de novo.” State v. Lucero, 2007-NMSC-041, ¶ 8, 142 N.M. 102, 163 P.3d 489.

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

Related

State v. Siegel
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2025
State v. Rael
New Mexico Supreme Court, 2024
State v. Gutierrez
2020 NMCA 045 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2020)
United States v. Private First Class KEVIN L. WEST
Army Court of Criminal Appeals, 2018
Esquibel v. Esquibel
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2016
State v. Martinez
2016 Ohio 5515 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2016)
United States v. Reese
2014 NMSC 013 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 2014)
State v. Trammell
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2014
State v. Menchaca
New Mexico Supreme Court, 2013
State v. Hall
2013 NMSC 1 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 2012)
Tri-State Generation & Transmission. Ass'n. v. D'Antonio
2012 NMSC 39 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 2012)
City of Albuquerque v. Pangaea Cinema LLC
2012 NMCA 075 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2012)
State v. Leticia T.
2012 NMCA 050 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2012)
State v. LETICIA
278 P.3d 553 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2012)
In Re Mw
2012 MT 44 (Montana Supreme Court, 2012)
Jackson Constr., Inc. v. Smith
2012 NMCA 33 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2012)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2011 NMSC 028, 256 P.3d 13, 150 N.M. 1, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-myers-nm-2011.