Title: Singleton v. State

State: alabama

Issuer: Alabama Supreme Court

Document:

262 So. 2d 768 (1971)
In re Arthur SINGLETON
v.
STATE of Alabama.
Ex parte STATE of Alabama ex rel. ATTORNEY GENERAL.
8 Div. 405.

Supreme Court of Alabama.
February 4, 1971.
*769 MacDonald Gallion, Atty. Gen., and Charles H. Barnes, Asst. Atty. Gen., for the State.
Parker, Wilkinson & Montgomery, Birmingham, for defendant.
MADDOX, Justice.
Can a defendant charged with a felony, not capital, waive a jury trial, enter a plea of not guilty and be tried by a circuit judge without a jury? The Court of Criminal Appeals, 48 Ala.App.262 So. 2d 767, answered this question in the negative. We granted certiorari to review the decision on the ground that it was one of first impression in Alabama. After review, we believe the judgment of the Court of Criminal Appeals is erroneous and is due to be reversed.
The Court of Criminal Appeals held that the defendant could not consent to a trial by the court without a jury, apparently on the ground that there are no constitutional or statutory provisions in Alabama which authorize a waiver of jury trial in a felony case. There is some support for this position in our decisions, and courts in other jurisdictions have reached the same conclusion as did the Court of Criminal Appeals here, but we think the modern trend is that a defendant should be allowed to waive a trial by jury in a felony case, not capital, when the prosecutor consents and the court approves. See Annotation 51 A.L.R.2d 1346.
On a similar question but involving the validity of a jury verdict of eleven jurors, we held in Bell v. State, 44 Ala. 393 (1870), that in a criminal case, a verdict rendered by eleven jurors was invalid, notwithstanding the consent of the defendant and the prosecutor. We said:
The Court of Appeals in Cleghorn v. State, 22 Ala.App. 439, 116 So. 510 (1928), reached a similar result as that rendered in Bell, supra.
These cases are very persuasive, and we would be constrained to follow them and uphold the judgment of the Court of Criminal Appeals here but for a later decision of this Court in Kirk v. State, 247 Ala. 43, *770 22 So. 2d 431 (1945), wherein we discussed at length the question of whether a defendant could waive a trial by a jury in certain fact situations. While Kirk involved the question of the waiver of a trial by a jury of less than twelve, and in Kirk there was a statute specifically authorizing a defendant to make a waiver, we think what we said there is applicable here.
Both Bell and Cleghorn were decided prior to the time the Supreme Court said in Patton v. United States, 281 U.S. 276, 50 S. Ct. 253, 74 L. Ed. 854, that a defendant could consent to be tried by a jury of less than twelve, and that the jury was an instrumentality of the court for the protection of the accused and not an inseparable part of the court. In other words, the provisions of law relating to trial by jury are not jurisdictional, but are meant to confer a right upon the accused which he may forego at his election. As we said in Kirk, supra, Patton is worthy of careful study because "[I]t shows how the ancient doctrine that the accused could waive nothing is no longer supported by modern conditions." We are still of the opinion expressed in Kirk that we cannot see why a defendant can plead guilty and waive a jury altogether and cannot plead not guilty and agree to waive a jury. As was said in Patton and quoted in Kirk:
We consider it unnecessary to review the history of the development of trial by jury in criminal cases. That history has been set out in some detail in decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States.[1]
Furthermore, in Kirk, supra, the late Justice Stakely collected many of our decisions and opinions from other courts on the question of the right of a defendant to waive a jury trial in a felony case, not capital. We are not here dealing with a claimed infringement of a constitutional right because the accused did not raise the questionthe Court of Criminal Appeals noted the question itself and decided it to be jurisdictionalthat is, that a jury in a felony case was an inseparable part of the court and neither the defendant nor the prosecutor could waive the requirement. We agree that there are no provisions of our Constitution or in our laws for the waiver of a jury trial in a felony case.[2]*771 An accused is entitled to a trial by jury under our Constitution and he, at his election, can forego this right.
We express no opinion whether a defendant could waive a jury trial in those cases where a jury is required to fix the punishment,[3] and degrees of the offense, but we note the provisions of Title 15, § 329, which read:
We do call attention to Act No. 1061, Acts of Alabama, 1969, which amends Title 15, § 277, Code of Alabama, 1940, so as to eliminate the necessity of impaneling a jury in certain criminal cases when the defendant upon arraignment or prior to trial pleads guilty. The view that the accused cannot waive a trial by jury in criminal cases on the ground that to allow such waiver would be violative of public policy seems to be unsound. We inferentially said this in Kirk, supra. We now say it directly.
We do not mean that a waiver must be put into effect automatically. Trial by *772 jury is the natural and probably the preferable procedure to be followed in criminal cases, especially those above misdemeanors. As was said in Patton, supra:
In view of what we have said, we reverse the judgment of the Court of Criminal Appeals, with directions to examine the record before it to determine whether the accused knowingly and intelligently waived his right to trial by jury, whether the State consented to such waiver, and whether the trial court reasonably approved of such waiver in view of the facts and circumstances surrounding the alleged waiver by the accused.
Reversed and remanded with directions.
LAWSON, SIMPSON, MERRILL, HARWOOD, BLOODWORTH and McCALL, JJ., concur.
HEFLIN, C. J., and COLEMAN, J., dissent.
[1]  See Duncan v. Louisiana, 391 U.S. 145, 88 S. Ct. 1444, 20 L. Ed. 2d 491 (1968); Williams v. Florida, 399 U.S. 78, 90 S. Ct. 1893, 26 L. Ed. 2d 446, June 22, 1970.
[2]  In misdemeanor cases in the circuit court, the issues and questions of fact are tried by the court without the intervention of a jury unless one is demanded. Title 15, § 321, Code of Alabama, 1940 (Recompiled, 1958).
[3]  in 1st degree                   Title 14, § 318     Life, death
Murder in 2nd degree                   Title 14, § 318     10 years, life
Manslaughter in 1st degree             Title 14, § 322     1 to 10 years
Manslaughter in 2nd degree             Title 14, § 322     1 year and $500
Kidnapping to obtain money             Title 14, § 7       5 years to death
Attempt to kidnap                      Title 14, § 8       5 years to death
Arson, where injury occurs             Title 14, § 23      Life to death
Arson, 2nd degree                      Title 14, § 24      Life to death
Assault with weapon                    Title 14, § 34      $2,000 and 12 mos.
Flogging while masked                  Title 14, § 35      1 to 10 years
Burglary in 1st degree                 Title 14, § 85      10 years to death
Wilfully setting off dynamite near
 dwelling, etc.                        Title 14, § 123     10 years to death
Wilfully setting off dynamite near
 public bldg., etc.                    Title 14, § 124     2 to 10 years
Defamation                             Title 14, § 350     $500 and 6 mos.
Lynching                               Title 14, § 355     5 years to death and
                                                                  1-21 years
Selling mortgaged property             Title 14, § 362     $500 and 6 mos.
Rape                                   Title 14, § 395     10 years to death
Carnal knowledge, using drugs          Title 14, § 397     10 years to death
Carnal knowledge, under age 12         Title 14, § 398     10 years to death
Carnal knowledge, under age 16         Title 14, § 399     2 to 10 years
Carnal knowledge, by impersonation     Title 14, § 400     10 years to death
Unlawful assembly                      Title 14, § 407     Fine and 6 mos.
Rout                                   Title 14, § 408     Fine and 6 mos.
Riots and routs                        Title 14, § 409     Fine and 2-10 years
Selling arms during riot               Title 14, § 410     $500-$1,000 & 1 year
Violating proclamation
 re: selling arms                      Title 14, § 411     $500-$1,000 & 6 mos.
Violating order of Nat'l. Guard        Title 14, § 414     6 mos.
Robbery                                Title 14, § 415     10 years to death
Train robbery                          Title 14, § 416     10 years to death
Treason                                Title 14, § 424     Life to death