State v. Neil

425 P.2d 842, 102 Ariz. 110, 1967 Ariz. LEXIS 213
CourtArizona Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 29, 1967
Docket8897-PR
StatusPublished
Cited by45 cases

This text of 425 P.2d 842 (State v. Neil) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Arizona 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. Neil, 425 P.2d 842, 102 Ariz. 110, 1967 Ariz. LEXIS 213 (Ark. 1967).

Opinions

McFarland, Justice:

Albert Dale Neil, herein referred to as defendant, appeals from a judgment and conviction of guilty of two counts of forgery, rendered by the Pima County Superior Court on February 8, 1966. The case is in this court on a petition for review of the decision of the Arizona Court of Appeals, Division Two, reported in 4 Ariz.App. 258, 419 P.2d 388.

A judgment and conviction on the same charge had been previously rendered in that court on May 25, 1965, and on appeal to the Arizona Court of Appeals the judgment was reversed, and the cause remanded to the superior court for a new trial. State v. Neil, 2 Ariz.App. 230, 407 P.2d 419. On the morning of the new trial counsel for defendant was informed that the case had been re-assigned to Judge Garrett, who had presided at the former trial. Before [112]*112the jury had been called, or the trial had commenced, an oral affidavit of bias and prejudice was presented to Judge Garrett. The ground on which the affidavit was based was that the reversal of the previous trial would tend to result in bias and prejudice on the part of the presiding judge.

The Arizona Rules of Criminal Procedure, 17 A.R.S., provide for a change of judge as follows:

“On a prosecution by indictment or information the state or a defendant may apply for a change of judge on the ground that a fair and impartial trial cannot be had by reason of the interest or prejudice of the trial judge.” Rule 196, Ariz. Rules Cr.Proc., 17 A.R.S.
“Neither the state nor any defendant in the same action may make more than one application for change of judge.” Rule 198 Ariz. Rules Cr.Proc., 17 A.R.S.
“When an application is made to a judge for a change of judge, he shall proceed no further in the action except to call another judge to preside therein.” Rule 200, Ariz. Rules Cr.Proc., 17 A.R.S.

This court has held that the rules of law pertaining to change of judge are essentially the same in civil cases as in criminal cases. Marsin v. Udall, 78 Ariz. 309, 279 P.2d 721. The right to a fair trial is a foundation stone upon which our present judicial system rests. Necessarily included in this right is the right to have the trial presided over by a judge who is completely impartial and free of bias or prejudice. In order to insure this right, this court early announced, in the case of Stephens v. Stephens, 17 Ariz. 306, 152 P. 164, that a litigant has a peremptory right of disqualification. It was there said:

“ ‘To disqualify a judge * * * the litigant is not required to state any facts upon which his claim of the judge’s bias or prejudice is founded, and in this aspect of the case the proceeding is analogous to that invoked in the exercise of a peremptory challenge to a juror. It is not the bias nor prejudice which works his disqualification, but the mere filing of the affidavit in time, even though the judge against whom it is aimed be entirely free from either charge.’ ” 17 Ariz. at 309, 152 P. at 165 (quoting from Washoe Copper Company v. Hickey, 46 Mont. 363, 128 P. 584)

In the Stephens case, supra, the trial judge had made several orders — one of which required the affiant to pay certain costs. It was suggested that it was this order which prompted the filing of the affidavit. We said:

“ * * * The law does not require the affiant to give or assign any reason or reasons for his belief that he cannot have a fair and impartial trial because of the judge’s bias or prejudice or interest. It requires him to make and file the affidavit and prescribes its contents, but it does not make it a condition of the affidavit that it shall be true, nor will it weigh or estimate the motive for making it. So then it matters not what may have prompted the affidavit, if it complies with the law and was made and filed in time.” 17 Ariz. at 311, 152 P. at 166

The timeliness of the filing of the affidavit has been considered several times by this court. In the case of Allan v. Allan, 21 Ariz. 70, 185 P. 539, it was held the affidavit was not timely where the trial judge had taken depositions in a prior hearing to be used at the trial. However, there were other considerations in the Allan case, as the affiant had not properly presented nor urged his motion. It was there stated that the affidavit would act to disqualify the judge if filed before the trial commences. In Sam v. State, 33 Ariz. 383, 265 P. 609, we said:

“ * * * — we have held that such affidavits when filed before trial are in effect a peremptory challenge to the trial judge, and that he has no discretion in passing thereon. Stephens v. Stephens, 17 Ariz. 306, 152 P. 164. The affidavits were not offered for filing until after the trial of the case had been commenced, nor in fact was defendant’s affidavit [113]*113even signed at that time. The trial commences, for this purpose at least, when the jurors are first called into the box. Caples v. State, 3 Okl.Cr. 72, 26 L.R.A. (N.S.) 1033, 104 P. 493.” 33 Ariz. at 402, 265 P. at 616

In Arizona Conference Corp. of Seventh Day Adventists v. Barry, 72 Ariz. 74, 231 P.2d 426, the rule in regard to waiver of the peremptory right was given a more strict interpretation, and the New Mexico rule that the affidavit was timely if filed before the judge has ruled on any contested matter whatsoever was adopted. This statement in the Barry case was later expressly disapproved in Marsin v. Udall, 78 Ariz. 309, 279 P.2d 721. In the Marsin case, supra, this rule was modified to the extent that evidence or ruling of the court on collateral matters not bearing on the final decision did not constitute a waiver of the right to challenge the fairness of the judge.

The question in the instant case is whether an affidavit of bias and prejudice filed after a new trial has been granted is timely. In Hendrickson v. Superior Court, 85 Ariz. 10, 330 P.2d 507, 73 A.L.R.2d 1235, we specifically recognized two types of affidavits of bias and prejudice. The first is an affidavit of bias and prejudice filed under such conditions that its timeliness cannot be questioned. Such an affidavit imports verity, cannot be challenged, and operates to disqualify the trial court; the second, an affidavit of bias and prejudice made when disqualifying facts are unknown to affiant until after the time has expired for the affidavit to be normally presented. Under the second the truth of the affidavit must be established. In the Hendrickson case, supra, there was a mistrial, and the affidavit was filed after the mistrial and before the commencement of the retrial. In disposing of this question, we said:

“The question for solution is whether under the foregoing circumstances the respondent judge could decide as a matter of law that the affidavit of bias was of no force and effect because not timely filed. The rule is that an affidavit of bias and prejudice must be seasonably filed or it is waived.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
425 P.2d 842, 102 Ariz. 110, 1967 Ariz. LEXIS 213, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-neil-ariz-1967.