Case Title: State v. Ragland

Citation: 101 N.J. 33, 499 A.2d 1366

Docket Number: 

State: new-jersey

Court: New Jersey Supreme Court

Date: 1985-11-21T00:00:00Z

Document:
101 N.J. 33 (1985) 499 A.2d 1366 STATE OF NEW JERSEY, PLAINTIFF-RESPONDENT, v. GREGORY RAGLAND, DEFENDANT-APPELLANT. The Supreme Court of New Jersey. Submitted October 15, 1985. Decided November 21, 1985. *34 John H. Fitzgerald, Assistant Deputy Public Defender, submitted a brief on behalf of appellant (Thomas S. Smith, Jr., Acting Public Defender, attorney). Catherine A. Foddai, Deputy Attorney General, submitted a letter in lieu of brief on behalf of respondent (Irwin I. Kimmelman, Attorney General of New Jersey, attorney). PER CURIAM. On remand from this Court, the Appellate Division reaffirmed the defendant's conviction for possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, contrary to N.J.S.A. 2C:39-7. In its original decision, the Appellate Division summarized the relevant facts: In that decision, the Appellate Division affirmed the conviction on all counts. In particular, without citing any authority, the court sustained that part of the trial court's jury instructions that, in effect, directed a verdict of conviction on the fifth count of the indictment, which charged the defendant with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. Id. at 338-39. We granted defendant's petition for certification, and "summarily remanded to the Appellate Division solely for reconsideration of the directed verdict issue in light of State v. Collier, 90 N.J. 117 (1982), and State v. Ingram, 98 N.J. 489 (1985)." In all *36 other respects, the petition for certification was denied. 101 N.J. 251 (1985). On remand, the Appellate Division reaffirmed its prior judgment, finding that the effect of the jury instruction was not to direct a verdict on the charge of unlawful possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. 203 N.J. Super. 192 (1985). Once again the defendant has petitioned for certification, and again we grant the petition. We find that the unavoidable effect of the charge was to direct a guilty verdict on the fifth count of the indictment. In our order of remand, we directed the attention of the Appellate Division to our opinion in State v. Collier, supra, 90 N.J. 117, in which we reversed a conviction for rape in a case where the trial court had directed a guilty verdict on a related charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. In that opinion, we wrote: "To avoid any future confusion about the extent of our decision, we hold that a trial court should not direct a verdict in any criminal case." Id. at 124. In the present case, the trial court's charge runs afoul of that holding. The judgment of conviction for possession of a weapon by a convicted felon is summarily reversed, and the matter is remanded to the Law Division for a new trial. For reversal and remandment Chief Justice WILENTZ, and Justices CLIFFORD, HANDLER, POLLOCK, O'HERN, GARIBALDI and STEIN 7. For affirmance None.