Case Title: Rogers v. State

Citation: 630 So. 2d 513

Docket Number: 78349

State: florida

Court: Florida Supreme Court

Date: 1993-07-01T00:00:00Z

Document:
630 So. 2d 513 (1993)
Jerry Lane ROGERS, Appellant,
v.
STATE of Florida, Appellee.
No. 78349.

Supreme Court of Florida.
July 1, 1993.
Rehearing Denied February 8, 1994.
Larry Helm Spalding, Capital Collateral Representative, Martin J. McClain, Chief Asst. CCR and Kenneth D. Driggs, Asst. CCR, Office of Capital Collateral Representative, Tallahassee, for appellant.
*514 Robert A. Butterworth, Atty. Gen. and Barbara C. Davis, Asst. Atty. Gen., Daytona Beach, for appellee.
SHAW, Justice.
Rogers appeals the denial of his Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.850 motion for postconviction relief. We have jurisdiction. Art. V, § 3(b)(1), Fla. Const. We reverse.
The facts are set out fully in our opinion on direct appeal. See Rogers v. State, 511 So. 2d 526 (Fla. 1987), cert. denied, 484 U.S. 1020, 108 S. Ct. 733, 98 L. Ed. 2d 681 (1988). Rogers and an accomplice, Thomas McDermid, attempted to rob a Winn-Dixie supermarket and while escaping shot the store manager three times at close range, killing him. Rogers was convicted of first-degree murder and consistent with the jury's unanimous recommendation was sentenced to death based on five aggravating[1] and no mitigating circumstances. This Court affirmed on direct appeal, after striking three aggravating circumstances.[2] The trial court denied Rogers' motion for postconviction relief following an evidentiary hearing, and Rogers appeals, raising sixteen issues and numerous subissues.[3] We address a single issue.
Rogers claims that the court on collateral review erred in failing to grant his motion that the judge recuse himself. (The motion and accompanying dialogue are appended to this opinion.) Four days into the evidentiary hearing on collateral review, near the completion of trial counsel Tumin's testimony, defense counsel asked Tumin if he had had a conversation with the presiding judge that morning and if Tumin had then told Jeff Walsh, an investigator, that "the Court indicated to you it [had already] arrived at a decision in this matter." Trial counsel Tumin conceded having had a conversation with the judge, but denied telling anyone that the judge had said he had made up his mind. The judge then interceded from the bench and offered his own version of events  he strongly denied having had a discussion with Tumin and denied telling him that he had already made up his mind  and called a ten minute recess.
Following recess, defense counsel entered an oral motion for recusal, against which the judge argued strenuously and at length. When defense counsel asked to call a supporting witness, the judge continued to protest heatedly and commented, "Now, what is it that you want to testify about? Do you want to create perjured testimony here?" After investigator Walsh testified confirming defense counsel's version of events, the judge himself questioned the investigator and suggested that the bailiff be called to support his (the judge's) version. In response to defense counsel's plea that the judge not inquire further into the "provability" of the charge of bias, the judge pressed on, indicating that further fact-finding was necessary. Pursuant to the judge's request, the State then called and questioned the bailiff, who supported the judge's position. The judge then *515 criticized defense counsel for making its motion lightly and denied the motion.
Although the right to seek disqualification of a presiding judge is substantive in nature, the process governing disqualification is procedural and controlled by Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.230,[4] which provides in part:
The requirements set forth in the rule were established "to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the judicial system as well as to prevent the disqualification process from being abused for the purposes of judge-shopping, delay, or some other reason not related to providing for the fairness and impartiality of the proceeding." Livingston v. State, 441 So. 2d 1083, 1086 (Fla. 1983). The inquiry focuses on the reasonableness of the defendant's belief that he or she will not receive a fair hearing:
Id. at 1086 (quotation marks and citations omitted). As to the sufficiency of the allegations:
Id. at 1087 (quotation marks and citations omitted). The ultimate inquiry is "whether the facts alleged would place a reasonably prudent person in fear of not receiving a fair and impartial trial." Id. This determination must be based solely on the alleged facts  the presiding judge "shall not pass on the truth of the facts alleged nor adjudicate the question of disqualification." Fla.R.Crim.P. 3.230(d).
This Court reversed an order denying recusal on facts similar to the present in Bundy v. Rudd, 366 So. 2d 440 (Fla. 1978). There, we held:
Id. at 442 (quotation marks and citations omitted).
We conclude that Bundy controls the present case. Once the motion for recusal was made, the present judge, rather than limiting inquiry to a determination of the motion's legal sufficiency, actively participated in, and directed the outcome of, a mini-hearing to determine the truthfulness of the defendant's allegations against him. When defense counsel objected to the judge's fact-finding efforts, the judge insisted that such was his proper role. As a result of the judge's actions, the proceeding degenerated into a heated, contentious melee, with the judge calling and questioning witnesses, and the State and judge uniting against the defendant. Any pretense of judicial impartiality was lost. Regardless of the legal sufficiency of Rogers' motion, we conclude that he is entitled to a new evidentiary hearing before a different judge because the appearance of bias generated during this mini-hearing was so pervasive it tainted the remainder of the proceeding, as happened in Bundy.
"We recognize the difficulty in expecting a judge to sit as silent as a sphinx on the Nile in the face of personal attacks on his impartiality and his integrity. A certain amount of visceral reaction is unavoidable." Nassetta v. Kaplan, 557 So. 2d 919, 921 (Fla. 4th DCA 1990). This is particularly true where in-court testimony impugning the judge's impartiality is elicited before the offended party actually makes a motion for recusal, as was the case in the present proceeding. A judge may well be drawn into the fray inadvertently long before he or she is put on notice that a motion for disqualification will be filed. Where the motion itself is oral, rather than written, and live testimony replaces factual allegations contained in affidavits, as was also the case here, the risk of impermissible judicial involvement is heightened dramatically.
Accordingly, we hold that upon filing of this opinion all motions for disqualification of a trial judge must be in writing and otherwise in conformity with this Court's rules of procedure. The writing requirement cannot be waived and a presiding judge must afford a petitioning party a reasonable opportunity to file its motion. Where a party discovers mid-trial or mid-hearing that a motion for disqualification is required, he or she may request a brief recess  which must be granted  in order to prepare the appropriate documents.
Based on the foregoing, we reverse the trial court's denial of postconviction relief and remand for a new evidentiary hearing before a different judge appointed by the chief judge of the circuit.
It is so ordered.
BARKETT, C.J., and KOGAN, J., concur.
HARDING, J., concurs with an opinion.
GRIMES, J., dissents with an opinion, in which OVERTON and McDONALD, JJ., concur.
At the completion of trial counsel Tumin's testimony four days into the evidentiary hearing on collateral review, the following transpired:
Following this dialogue, counsel for the State requested and received permission to question trial counsel Tumin further on the matter, and then called and questioned CCR's investigator, who testified as follows:
After lengthy questioning by the State, the investigator was questioned by the Judge himself, who then suggested that the bailiff be called as a witness:
The bailiff was then called and testified that he was present in the judge's office when attorney Tumin walked in:
The discussion concerning the motion for recusal concluded with the defense lawyer assuring the judge that he intended no disrespect and the judge indicating that he nevertheless thought the motion had been made lightly:
HARDING, Justice, concurring.
I concur with the majority. However, I write separately to emphasize my distaste for the circumstances which bring this case to the Court for review. Whether intentional or not, the defendant's counsel spun a web and ensnared a judge. Defense counsel not only used the unauthorized procedure of an oral motion to recuse, but also employed a back-door approach by seeking to establish the factual grounds for disqualification prior to advising the court of his intent to move for disqualification.
A motion for disqualification strikes at the very core of the judge's role  the ability to be fair. The procedure for questioning a judge's fairness is clearly set out in Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.230. I believe that the procedure was designed to protect the entire judicial system, rather than to protect an individual judge. Thus, the failure of counsel to follow the procedure significantly impacts the integrity of the system.
While defendant's counsel may not have violated a rule of professional conduct, I find his conduct to be less than professional and his tactics objectionable. Even a "Sphinx on the Nile" would find it difficult not to respond as the trial judge did in this case, especially when the truth of the charge was so clearly in doubt even before the charge was made. I also question the State's role in this matter. The State raised no objection to the questions asked of Mr. Tumin that did not relate to his prior testimony or to the issue to be resolved by the court. The State made no objection to the procedure used by defense counsel. In fact, the State only mentioned the legal sufficiency of the motion as an afterthought to the trial judge's ruling. This inaction placed the judge in the role of advocate, fending off the charges by defense counsel rather than ruling on an objection.
In the face of the unfortunate circumstances presented by the attorneys, the judge attempted to correct an improper impression asserted by counsel and to bring the proceeding back on track. However, in so doing, the judge assumed the role of an advocate and "passed on the truth of the facts alleged" in contravention of rule 3.230(d). In the calmness of considered deliberation, this Court is now limited to reviewing the correctness of the court's ruling below. As provided in rule 3.230(d), the presiding judge is limited to determining whether the motion for disqualification is legally sufficient. Therefore, I must agree *521 with the majority that the denial of postconviction relief must be reversed in this case.
GRIMES, Justice, dissenting.
The majority has properly established a procedure which should be followed when circumstances occurring in the middle of a trial prompt one of the parties to want to recuse the judge. However, I do not believe that reversible error occurred in this case. In fact, it was the failure to file a written motion of recusal or seek a continuance to do so which led to the judge's denial that the ex parte communication ever took place.
Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.230 required that a written motion for recusal be filed accompanied by two or more affidavits and a certificate of good faith. Had the rule been followed, the judge would have been in a position to pass on the legal sufficiency of the motion without becoming involved in the truth of the allegations. As it was, Rogers' counsel made an oral motion based on the statement of his investigator, Jeff Walsh, that David Tumin told him that the judge had told Tumin that the judge had already made up his mind. Tumin denied even talking to the judge and said that what he had told Walsh was that it was his own opinion that the judge had made up his mind. Had Tumin's testimony and that of Walsh been put in affidavit form to support the motion, it would have been properly denied because it was Tumin who was said to have had the discussion with the judge and not Walsh. Walsh had no firsthand knowledge of what occurred.
It was only because no written motion had been filed and Tumin and Walsh had testified that the judge became involved in the truth of the allegations. Under these circumstances, I would not require a new evidentiary hearing and would proceed to address the other points on appeal.
OVERTON and McDONALD, JJ., concur.
[1]  The judge found that the murder was committed for pecuniary gain, was committed to prevent lawful arrest, was cold, calculated and premeditated, was committed during flight from an attempted robbery, and that Rogers had been convicted of a prior violent felony.
[2]  We struck the following: pecuniary gain; to avoid arrest; and cold, calculated and premeditated.
[3]  Rogers raises the following issues: 1) Rogers was denied a full and fair hearing on his rule 3.850 motion; 2) the prosecution intentionally withheld material evidence and failed to correct false testimony; 3) the trial court failed to meet the requirements of Faretta v. California, 422 U.S. 806, 95 S. Ct. 2525, 45 L. Ed. 2d 562 (1975); 4) trial counsel was ineffective during the guilt phase; 5) the State introduced irrelevant, prejudicial, and inflammatory evidence of other crimes and bad character; 6) the State destroyed critical evidence; 7) the State impermissibly used a jailhouse informant to gather evidence; 8) Rogers was denied his right to confront witnesses when Mr. Edmundson was allowed to testify through a taped conversation; 9) the prosecutor used inflammatory argument; 10) the jury was improperly instructed concerning felony/premeditated murder; 11) the jury was improperly instructed concerning aggravating circumstances in violation of Espinosa v. Florida, ___ U.S. ___, 112 S. Ct. 2926, 120 L. Ed. 2d 854 (1992); 12) trial counsel was ineffective during the penalty phase; 13) the jury was misled by instructions that diluted their sense of responsibility; 14) the jury was improperly instructed that mercy and sympathy were not allowed; 15) the jury instructions impermissibly shifted the burden of proof; 16) the jury and judge were provided with misinformation in sentencing.
[4]  See Brown v. St. George Island, Ltd., 561 So. 2d 253, 255 (Fla. 1990). Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.230 has since been repealed, effective January 1, 1993, and replaced by Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.160. The Florida Bar re Amendments to Florida Rules of Judicial Administration, 609 So. 2d 465 (Fla. 1992). The present motion for recusal was made in April 1991.