State v. Northrup

35 P. 228, 13 Mont. 522, 1893 Mont. LEXIS 78
Montana Supreme Court·Decided December 23, 1893·Published·Cited by 13 cases

Opinions

De Witt, J.

The defendant was convicted in the district court of murder in the second degree. He moved for a new trial, which motion was by the court granted. From the order granting defendant’s motion for a new trial, the state has appealed to this court. The respondent moves to dismiss the appeal on the ground that the law does not permit the slate to appeal from that order granting defendant a new trial.

The state took a bill of exceptions to the order of the district court granting the motion for a new trial, and reserved what it contends is a question of law decided (and erroneously decided) by the district court, in granting the motion. Respondent says that the question so decided by the district court was not one purely of law, but one of discretion. (Crim. Prac. Act, § 340.) But this contention of counsel will be passed. In the view that I take of this appeal, I may assume that the question decided by the district court and reserved by the state was one of law purely.

The state bases its claim to the right of appeal upon section 396, Criminal Practice Act, which section is contained in chapter 15 of that act, and which chapter is devoted to the subject of appeals in criminal cases. That section is as follows:

“Sec. 396. Appeal to the supreme court may be taken,by the state in the following cases, and no other: 1. Upon a judgment for the defendant in quashing or setting aside an indictment; 2. Upon an order of the court arresting the judgment; 3. Upon a question of law reserved by the state.”

The state takes its appeal under what it claims is the authority granted by the third subdivision of the section just quoted.

[530] We may start with the settled proposition of law that the state has no appeal in criminal cases, unless the same is expressly granted by law. This is the law of almost all the courts of this country. (See cases cited by counsel on this argument.)

Mr. Justice Gray, of the United States supreme court, says, after reviewing the English decisions: “But whatever may have been, or may be, the law of England upon that question, it is settled by an overwhelming weight of American authority that the state has no right to sue out a writ of error upon a judgment in favor of the defendant in a criminal case, except under and'in accordance with express statutes, whether that judgment was rendered upon a verdict of acquittal or upon the determination by the court of a question of law.” (United States v. Sanges, 144 U. S. 312.) The learned justice then reviews the American authorities upon the subject.

' I am satisfied with the reasoning and authority of the eminent tribunal rendering that decision, and of the distinguished courts cited by Mr. Justice Gray. In the same line of thought is the following language of this court in Territory v. Laun, 8 Mont. 325:

“The right of appeal by the state should be strictly construed and limited to those instances mentioned; and that such was the intention of the legislature is most evident, or it would never have used the emphatic language found in section 396 of the act referred to, where it says, appeal to the supreme court may be taken by the state in the following cases and no other’ ”:

I will, therefore, direct my inquiry to a determination of whether section 396, subdivision third (in connection with the whole of chapter 15 of our Criminal Practice Act), gives the state the right of appeal from an order of the district court granting defendant’s motion for a new trial. That section and subdivision third give an appeal “ upon a question of law reserved by the state.” That section does not itself provide how the question of law is to be reserved, but I think that this is made clear by sections 401 and 340, Criminal Practice Act. Section 401, found in the chapter 15, above noted, provides as follows:

“Sec. 401. In case of an appeal from a question reserved, [531] on the part of the state, it is not necessary for the clerk of the court below to certify, in the transcript, any part of the proceeding and records, except the bill of exceptions and the judgment of acquittal. When the question reserved is defectively stated, the supreme court may direct any other part of the proceedings and record to be certified to them.”

This section thus has in view an appeal under the provisions of the third subdivision of section 396, that is to say, upon the question of law reserved; and it provides for bringing the bill of exceptions to the supreme court, and if the bill of exceptions defectively states the question of law reserved, the court may direct other portions of the record to be certified up. This seems to contemplate the reserving of the question oí law by a bill of exceptions.

Turning to section 340, Criminal Practice Act, we find it provides that, “ The district attorney, or any counsel for the state, may except to any decision of the court upon a question of law, in admitting or rejecting witnesses, or testimony, or in deciding any question of law, not a matter of discretion, or in giving or refusing any instructions to the jury, when the case is finally submitted to them.”

Thus we here find matters to which the state may except. They are defined specifically and are not as extensive as the rights of exception given to a defendant for, “exceptions may be taken by the defendant to any decision of the court upou matters of law affecting his substantial rights.” Among the exceptions given to the state (section 340) is not one given in terms to an order granting a new trial to defendant. Of course, I understand that the language of section 340, “ in deciding any question of law not a matter of discretion,” is broad enough to include an exception to an order granting defendant a new trial, if such an order decides a pure question of law, not of discretion. But I suggest these views of section 340 simply as a tendency of the intent of the Criminal Practice Act (taken in connection with the more pointed expressions of the intent, which I will review below) to exclude the appeal by the state from an order granting a new trial to a defendant. For it is observed, that section 340 descends into details in some matters; for example, it mentions a decision in admitting or re[532] jecfcing -witnesses or testimony, and in giving or refusing instructions. The granting of a new trial is a decision as important and vital as are those specifically mentioned in section 340. Indeed it is a decision of such prominence in the case, that I have found no court ever holding that an appeal could be taken from it, unless specially authorized by statute. California is the only state in which I find that the statute provides for such an appeal, and that state seems to have had such statute since its organization.

Therefore if our legislature had intended that an exception could be taken to such an order, as laying a foundation for appeal on a question of law reserved, it would seem, in view of the history of jurisprudence on this subject, that it would have been natural that such order be mentioned specifically in section 340. As above noted, these considerations do not at all conclude my views as to the appealability of the order. But they do indicate a tendency of expressed intent, not out of line with the direct expressions of the legislature, which I shall examine later in this opinion.

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State v. Northrup, 35 P. 228, 13 Mont. 522, 1893 Mont. LEXIS 78 (Mo. 1893).

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