Case Title: STATE v DUNCAN

Citation: 

Docket Number: 80-191

State: montana

Court: Montana Supreme Court

Date: 1981-02-11T00:00:00Z

Document:
No. 80-191 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF MONTANA 1981 STATE OF MONTANA, Plaintiff and Respondent, VS . NORMAN B. DUNCAN, Defendant and Appellant. Appeal from: District Court of the Eighteenth Judicial District, In and for the County of Gallatin. Honorable Jack D. Shanstrom, Judge presiding. Counsel of Record: For Appellant: Larry W. Moran, Bozeman, Montana Marchiondo & Berry, Albuquerque, New Mexico Charles Berry argued, Albuquerque, New Mexico For Respondent: Hon. Mike Greely, Attorney General, Helena, Montana Mark Murphy argued, Assistant Attorney General, Helena, Montana Donald White, County Attorney, argued, Bozeman, Montana Submitted: January 16, 1981 Decided: FEB 11 1981 Mr. J u s t i c e John Conway H a r r i s o n d e l i v e r e d t h e Opinion of t h e Court. Defendant Norman Duncan a p p e a l s a d e n i a l o f p o s t - c o n v i c t i o n r e l i e f by a G a l l a t i n County D i s t r i c t Court. Norman Duncan was c o n v i c t e d o f d e c e p t i v e p r a c t i c e s and t h e s a l e o f u n r e g i s t e r e d s e c u r i t i e s i n G a l l a t i n County D i s t r i c t Court, f o r which he r e c e i v e d s e n t e n c e s of f i v e y e a r s and t h r e e y e a r s r e s p e c t i v e l y . H i s c o n v i c t i o n was a f f i r m e d by t h i s Court on A p r i l 1 9 , 1979, i n S t a t e v. Duncan (1979) I Mont . , 593 P.2d 1026, 36 St.Rep. 748. On May 23, 1979, Duncan moved f o r c o n t i n u a n c e of b a i l and t h e m a t t e r was s e t f o r h e a r i n g on May 29, 1979, b e f o r e t h e Honorable J a c k D. Shanstrom. A t t h a t h e a r i n g , d e f e n d a n t submitted h i s w r i t t e n p e t i t i o n f o r p o s t - c o n v i c t i o n r e l i e f p u r s u a n t t o s e c t i o n 46-21-101, MCA. On J u n e 18, 1979, Duncan p e t i t i o n e d f o r a new judge on t h e s t a t e d ground t h a t t h e " i n t e r e s t of j u s t i c e w i t h r e s p e c t t o p o s t - c o n v i c t i o n m a t t e r s , and p r o c e d u r a l due p r o c e s s would i n d i c a t e appointment of a judge t o h e a r such m a t t e r s o t h e r t h a n t h e t r i a l judge whose d e c i s i o n is involved." No a f f i d a v i t was o f f e r e d by d e f e n d a n t r e p r e s e n t i n g t h a t Judge Shanstrom, o r t h e Honorable W. W. L e s s l e y , a l s o c h a l l e n g e d , had any p e r s o n a l b i a s o r p r e j u d i c e a g a i n s t d e f e n d a n t . I n August, t h e Honorable Nat A l l e n assumed j u r i s d i c t i o n of t h e c a s e b u t withdrew h i s a c c e p t a n c e one w e e k l a t e r on t h e ground t h a t t h e "cause was f i l e d i n 1976 and t h a t S e c t i o n 6 of t h e new D i s q u a l i f i c a t i o n Rules does n o t a p p l y i n c a u s e s f i l e d p r i o r t o March 1, 1977." Judge Shanstrom reassumed j u r i s d i c t i o n . On A u g u s t 3 1 , 1 9 7 9 , d e f e n d a n t f i l e d a n a f f i d a v i t concluding t h a t he d i d n o t f e e l he could r e c e i v e a f a i r h e a r i n g on h i s p o s t - c o n v i c t i o n r e l i e f p e t i t i o n from Judge Shanstrom. On September 28, 1979, Judge L e s s l e y r e q u e s t e d t h a t t h e Honorable Gordon B e n n e t t assume l i m i t e d j u r i s d i c - t i o n t o hear t h e d i s q u a l i f i c a t i o n i s s u e . Judge B e n n e t t h e l d a h e a r i n g on t h e q u e s t i o n and determined t h a t t h e r e e x i s t e d no a c t u a l p r e j u d i c e on t h e p a r t o f Judge Shanstrom. I n h i s memorandum, Judge B e n n e t t determined t h a t , c o n t r a r y t o Judge A l l e n ' s p o s i t i o n , a p e t i t i o n f o r p o s t - c o n v i c t i o n r e l i e f was a new c i v i l a c t i o n , independent of t h e o r i g i n a l c r i m i n a l cause. On February 1 3 , 1980, Judge Shanstrom, who had r e a s - s e r t e d j u r i s d i c t i o n , o r d e r e d t h a t d e f e n d a n t ' s p e t i t i o n be s e t f o r h e a r i n g i n h i s c o u r t . On February 26, Duncan f i l e d a motion t o s e t a s i d e Judge Shanstrom's o r d e r and s u b m i t t e d a motion f o r s u b s t i t u t i o n of a new judge p u r s u a n t t o t h i s C o u r t ' s newly adopted r u l e on d i s q u a l i f i c a t i o n of judges. 34 St.Rep. 26. Judge Shanstrom r u l e d a g a i n s t t h e d e f e n d a n t on both motions and heard t h e p e t i t i o n . A f t e r h e a r i n g , Judge Shanstrom d e n i e d Duncan's p e t i t i o n f o r p o s t - c o n v i c t i o n r e l i e f , and t h i s a p p e a l followed. Duncan r a i s e s n i n e i s s u e s f o r our review, o n l y one o f which w i l l be d i s c u s s e d i n t h i s o p i n i o n . Defendant a r g u e s t h a t it was e r r o r f o r Judge Shanstrom t o hear h i s p o s t - c o n v i c t i o n r e l i e f p e t i t i o n under our r u l e s o f d i s q u a . l i f i - c a t i o n and s u b s t i t u t i o n of judges. W e a g r e e . S e c t i o n 3-1-801, MCA, adopted by t h i s Court under our rule-making a u t h o r i t y , r e c i t e s i n a p p l i c a b l e p a r t : "Any judge, o r j u s t i c e of t h e peace must n o t s i t o r a c t i n any a c t i o n o r proceeding: "6. When he has been d i s q u a l i f i e d f o r c a u s e a s h e r e i n a f t e r d e s c r i b e d : "Whenever a p a r t y t o any proceeding i n any c o u r t makes and f i l e s a t i m e l y and s u f f i c i e n t a f f i d a v i t t h a t a judge or j u s t i c e of t h e peace, b e f o r e whom t h e m a t t e r is pending has a p e r s o n a l b i a s o r p r e j u d i c e e i t h e r a g a i n s t him o r i n f a v o r of any a d v e r s e p a r t y , such judge o r j u s t i c e of t h e peace s h a l l p r o c e e d no f u r t h e r t h e r e i n , b u t a n o t h e r p - - -- ------- j u d g e -- o r 3 u s t i c e ------- o f t h e peace s h a l l be a s s i g n e d t o hear such d i s q u a l i f i c a t i o n ~ r o c e e d i n ~ --- ----- - b y - - t h e c h i e f j u s t i c e of t h e Supreme C o u r t , o r by a d i s - t r i c t judge, i f t h e a f f i d a v i t is a g a i n s t a jus- t i c e of t h e peace, p o l i c e o r municipal c o u r t judge. The a f f i d a v i t s h a l l s t a t e t h e f a c t s and t h e r e a s o n s f o r t h e b e l i e f t h a t b i a s o r p r e j u d i c e e x i s t s , and s h a l l be f i l e d n o t l e s s t h a n 2 0 d a y s b e f o r e t h e o r i g i n a l d a t e of t r i a . 1 , o r good cause s h a l l be shown f o r f a i l u r e t o f i l e it w i t h i n such time. I t s h a l l be accompanied by a c e r t i f i c a t e of counsel of r e c o r d s t a t i n g t h a t it is made i n good f a i t h . " W e s t r i c t l y i n t e r p r e t t h i s r u l e and f i n d its p r o v i s i o n s t o be p l a i n and unambiguous. Judge L e s s l e y was completely w i t h o u t a u t h o r i t y t o p l a c e t h i s c a u s e under Judge B e n n e t t ' s j u r i s d i c t i o n . The power t o a s s i g n a d i s t r i c t judge t o hear a motion f o r d i s q u a l i f i c a t i o n is one s o l e l y g r a n t e d t o t h e Chief J u s t i c e of t h i s Court. I t is our o p i n i o n t h a t no judge involved i n t h i s c a s e had proper j u r i s d i c t i o n t o proceed i n t h i s a c t i o n once t h e a f f i d a v i t a l l e g i n g a c t u a l p r e j u d i c e on t h e p a r t of Judge Shanstrom was f i l e d . A t t h a t p o i n t , t h e c a s e came under t h e s i n g u l a r a u t h o r i t y and j u r i s d i c t i o n of t h i s Court. W e remand t o t h e D i s t r i c t Court f o r p r o c e e d i n g s c o n s i s - t e n t w i t h t h i s o p i n i o n . W e concur: 3 4 - 4 $,a&~ C h i e f J u s t i c e