State v. VAIRIN M.

2002 WI 96, 647 N.W.2d 208, 255 Wis. 2d 137, 2002 Wisc. LEXIS 499
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 10, 2002
Docket01-0656
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 2002 WI 96 (State v. VAIRIN M.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wisconsin 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. VAIRIN M., 2002 WI 96, 647 N.W.2d 208, 255 Wis. 2d 137, 2002 Wisc. LEXIS 499 (Wis. 2002).

Opinions

DAVID T. PROSSER, J.

¶ 1. This case is before the court on certification by the court of appeals, pursuant to Wis. Stat. § (Rule) 809.61 (1999-2000).1 It is an appeal of a non-final order of the Circuit Court for Dane County, Diane M. Nicks, Judge. We restate the issue certified by the court of appeals as follows: "May a court with juvenile jurisdiction reconsider its order waiving a juvenile into adult court after the state has filed charges against the juvenile in adult court?" This question requires us to interpret Wis. Stat. § 938.18, the statute governing waiver into criminal court.

¶ 2. In this case, the juvenile court waived a juvenile into adult criminal court. After a criminal complaint had been filed, after the juvenile had made an initial appearance in criminal court, and after the juvenile had waived a preliminary examination, the juvenile filed a motion asking the juvenile court to reconsider its waiver order. The juvenile court determined that Wis. Stat. § 938.18(6) gives the criminal court "exclusive jurisdiction" after a waiver. As a result, the juvenile court did not have jurisdiction over the matter and did not have authority to grant the motion for reconsideration. Therefore, the court denied the motion.

¶ 3. The juvenile appealed, and the court of appeals certified the case to this court. We hold that a juvenile court has jurisdiction to reconsider its waiver order or to stay its waiver order pending appeal only [143]*143until the filing of a complaint in criminal court. After the filing of a criminal complaint, the juvenile court loses jurisdiction and the criminal court has exclusive jurisdiction.

f 4. In this case, criminal proceedings were commenced before the motion for reconsideration was filed. The criminal court assumed exclusive jurisdiction, and the juvenile court lost jurisdiction to reconsider its waiver order. The juvenile court's subsequent determination that it could not reconsider its waiver order was correct. Accordingly, we affirm the decision of the circuit court (juvenile court).

¶ 5. Because of our answer to the restated question, we are presented with a second question: Is there some means by which a juvenile may seek prompt review of an order waiving him or her into criminal court after the criminal court has assumed exclusive jurisdiction over the case?

¶ 6. We conclude that a juvenile seeking prompt review of a waiver order, after the criminal court has assumed jurisdiction, has two options. First, the juvenile may bring a timely interlocutory appeal under Wis. Stat. § 809.50 and may move the court of appeals or the criminal court to stay the criminal proceedings pending appeal.

¶ 7. Second, if the juvenile has compelling new grounds bearing on waiver, he or she may file a motion with the criminal court asking the court to relinquish its jurisdiction by transferring the matter to juvenile court. As grounds for the motion, the juvenile must allege a new factor that:

(1) was not in existence at the time of the waiver decision or, if it was in existence, was unknowingly overlooked by all parties;
[144]*144(2) is highly relevant to the criteria for waiver under Wis. Stat. § 938.18(5); and
(3) likely would have affected the juvenile court's determination that it would be contrary to the best interests of the juvenile or of the public for the juvenile court to hear the case.

f 8. After reviewing the motion, the criminal court may, in its discretion, conduct a hearing. If the court finds good cause, it may relinquish jurisdiction by transferring jurisdiction to the juvenile court. The juvenile may then file a motion for reconsideration with the juvenile court, which will have regained exclusive jurisdiction to entertain the motion.

I. BACKGROUND

¶ 9. Vairin M. (Vairin), then 15 years old, was the subject of two juvenile delinquency petitions filed by the state, one on November 17, 2000, and the other on December 7, 2000. The November 17 petition (00-JV-1140) alleged that Vairin had committed four delinquent acts.2 The December 7 petition (00-JV-1198) alleged that Vairin had committed three additional delinquent acts.3 The State petitioned for waiver into adult criminal court for both cases. The juvenile court, Judge Nicks presiding, held a waiver hearing on December 18 and 20.

[145]*145¶ 10. On December 21, the court signed an order waiving Vairin into adult criminal court in both cases. Vairin filed with the juvenile court a motion for stay pending appeal, and the juvenile court scheduled a January 31, 2001 hearing to decide the motion.

¶ 11. The state filed criminal charges against Vai-rin shortly after he was waived into adult court.4 The young defendant made his initial appearance on December 26, 2000, and waived a preliminary hearing on January 3, 2001. On the same day, Vairin's counsel filed a motion for reconsideration of the waiver,5 on grounds that, at the waiver hearing: (1) the court had heard "misleading" evidence regarding the possibility of a sixteen-year-old convicted as an adult being placed in Ethan Allen School; (2) the court had improperly limited Vairin's cross-examination of three witnesses; and (3) the court had improperly limited Vairin's questioning of a witness regarding Vairin's relationship with his father.

¶ 12. On January 23, 2001, Vairin's counsel asserted in a letter to the juvenile court that the attempted arson count against Vairin should have been charged as arson. Counsel further asserted that if the charge against Vairin were for arson, Vairin might qualify for the serious juvenile offender (SJO) program, pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 938.538.

[146]*146¶ 13. On January 31, 2001, the juvenile court held a hearing on the motion to reconsider. At the hearing, defense counsel presented as a witness another attorney with the State Public Defender's office, who testified about the possibility of Vairin being deported if he were convicted in adult criminal court of the crimes with which he had been charged. The witness further opined that if Vairin were not deported, he might be considered "stateless" by the Immigration and Naturalization Service because he was not a citizen of the United States6 and could not prove he was a citizen of Thailand or Laos.7 Therefore, according to the witness, Vairin could be held "for indeterminate amounts of time in the immigration detention facilities." According to the witness, a finding that a person is "stateless" could "in essence ... be a life sentence."

¶ 14. Vairin's defense counsel asked the court to amend the juvenile delinquency petition so that it would allege arson rather than attempted arson.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2002 WI 96, 647 N.W.2d 208, 255 Wis. 2d 137, 2002 Wisc. LEXIS 499, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-vairin-m-wis-2002.