Title: Com. v. Bannister

State: pennsylvania

Issuer: Pennsylvania Supreme Court

Document:

345 Pa. Superior Ct. 178 (1985) 497 A.2d 1362 COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania v. Dennis BANNISTER, Appellant. Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Submitted May 21, 1985. Filed September 6, 1985. *179 Daniel P. Alva, Philadelphia, for appellant. Jane C. Greenspan, Assistant District Attorney, Philadelphia, for Commonwealth, appellee. Before CAVANAUGH, CIRILLO and HESTER, JJ. CIRILLO, Judge: This is an appeal from the judgment of sentence entered by the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County. *180 Appellant was sentenced to five to ten years in the State Correctional Institute in accordance with the Firearms provision of the Mandatory Sentencing Act, 42 Pa.C.S. § 9712. Appellant challenges the constitutionality of the Act, which in pertinent part provides: The facts that led to this attack on the Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Act are as follows: Appellant accompanied the victim, Arlington Lawrence, and a third party, Jose Montanez, on an excursion by car to Philadelphia. When the three men arrived at their destination, Montanez parked the car and got out, leaving appellant and Lawrence alone in the car. A short time later appellant reached under the front seat of the car and removed a gun. Appellant then pointed the gun at Lawrence and demanded that Lawrence surrender his wallet. When Lawrence hesitated, appellant fired the gun wounding Lawrence in the leg. Lawrence then handed his wallet to appellant who emptied it of its cash. After removing approximately $230.00 from the wallet, appellant ordered Lawrence out of the car. Lawrence obeyed the order and promptly went to a phone booth to call the police. Appellant was arrested approximately two months after the incident. Upon his arrest, appellant freely admitted to participating in the robbery and using the firearm. Before trial the Commonwealth gave defendant notice of its intent to invoke Section 9712. Following the non-jury trial, the Honorable Victor J. Dinubile, Jr., convicted appellant of robbery, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering the life of another person, and possessing the instrument of a crime. Appellant filed a motion to bar application of the Mandatory Sentencing Act which the trial court denied. Judge Dinubile sentenced appellant to five-to-ten years imprisonment for robbery and lesser concurrent terms for aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another. This appeal followed. Appellant raises four different, but closely related issues: Our analysis of the constitutional challenge to this legislation must begin with a strong presumption of constitutionality. Commonwealth v. Mikulan, 504 Pa. 244, 470 A.2d 1339 (1983); Commonwealth v. Cooke, 342 Pa.Super. 58, 492 A.2d 63 (1985). We will not strike down a statute unless its violation of the Constitution is so clear, palpable and plain as to preclude doubt or hesitation as to its validity. Snider v. Thornburgh, 496 Pa. 159, 436 A.2d 593 (1981); Tosto v. Pennsylvania Nursing Home Loan Agency, 460 Pa. 1, 331 A.2d 198 (1975); See also Commonwealth v. Bryant, 239 Pa.Super. 43, 361 A.2d 350 (1976). The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania recently upheld the constitutionality of Section 9712, specifically addressing the same issues raised by appellant in the instant case: Commonwealth v. Wright, 508 Pa. ___, 494 A.2d 354 (1985). Our State's highest Court further stated that it is the province of the legislature to determine the punishment imposable for criminal conduct. Id., (citing Commonwealth v. Glover, 397 Pa. 543, 156 A.2d 114 (1959)); Commonwealth v. Redline, 391 Pa. 486, 137 A.2d 472 (1958); Commonwealth v. Cano, 389 Pa. 639, 133 A.2d 800, cert. denied and appeal dismissed 355 U.S. 182, 78 S. Ct. 267, 2 L. Ed. 2d 186 (1957). For this reason the Court held that: (1) Section 9712 does not violate the separation of powers doctrine by depriving the sentencing court of its discretion; nor does it (2) improperly delegate legislative power to the executive by giving the prosecution discretion whether to invoke the Mandatory Sentencing procedure. Commonwealth v. Wright, supra, 508 Pa. at ___, 494 A.2d at 361. Finally, we hold moot appellant's argument that Section 9712 is unconstitutional because notice of its invocation need not be given until after trial. Commonwealth v. Bonadio, 490 Pa. 91, 94, 415 A.2d 47, 49 (1980) (citing Knowles Estate, 295 Pa. 571, 145 A. 797 (1929)). Because the arguments raised in the case sub judice are essentially identical to those decided in Commonwealth v. Wright, and as we are bound by the decisions of our Supreme Court, we find appellant's constitutional challenges without merit. Affirmed.