Title: State v. Smith

State: florida

Issuer: Florida Supreme Court

Document:

260 So. 2d 489 (1972)
STATE of Florida, Appellant,
v.
David Charles SMITH, Jr. and Alphonso Figgers, Appellees.
No. 41762.

Supreme Court of Florida.
March 29, 1972.
Rehearing Denied April 27, 1972.
Robert L. Shevin, Atty. Gen., and Raymond L. Marky, Asst. Atty. Gen., for appellant.
Wilfred C. Varn, and E.C. Deeno Kitchen, Tallahassee, for appellees.
ADKINS, Justice.
This is a direct appeal from the decision of the District Court of Appeal, First District (State v. Smith and Figgers, 254 So. 2d 402, which held that Fla. Stat. § 924.07(8), F.S.A., authorizing appeals by the State from pretrial orders is unconstitutional on the ground that the jurisdiction of the District Court to entertain such interlocutory appeals may be granted only by rule of this Court.
Although requested, the Court dispenses with oral argument. Florida Appellate Rules, Rule 3.10(e), 32 F.S.A.
Upon motion of the defendants, who were indicted for first degree murder, the trial *490 court entered a pretrial order that witnesses, who may be used by the State for identification of the persons involved in the perpetration of the crime alleged to have been committed by defendants, shall be examined for visual acuity by a specified doctor at a time and place to be specified by him prior to the trial. By interlocutory appeal to the District Court of Appeal, First District, the State sought a reversal of this order. The District Court of Appeal held that it lacked jurisdiction to entertain the appeal and referred to the following portion of Fla. Const., art. V, § 5(3), F.S.A.:
The District Court of Appeal held the statute unconstitutional, reasoning that it was ineffective unless a rule of this Court "breathes life" into the legislative act. We agree and adopt the following portion of the opinion rendered by the District Court of Appeal:
However, the District Court of Appeal treated the interlocutory appeal as a petition for a writ of common law certiorari, and held that the trial court did not depart from the essential requirements of law. The petition for writ of certiorari was denied.
No right is held more sacred, or is more carefully guarded, by the common law, than the right of an individual to the possession and control of his own person, free from all restraint or interference of others, unless by clear and unquestionable authority of law. Union Pacific Railroad Company v. Botsford, 141 U.S. 250, 11 S. Ct. 1000, 35 L. Ed. 734 (1891). The common law does not authorize a court to require the physical examination of a witness, because discovery in criminal cases was unknown to the common law. See State v. Lampp, 155 So. 2d 10 (Fla.App.2d, 1963). Pursuant to the authority of Fla. Const. art. V, § 3, this Court has adopted rules of procedure governing criminal trials in this State. These rules include certain provisions relating to discovery in criminal cases. See Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure, Rule 3.220, 33 F.S.A. Nothing contained in these rules purports to authorize a trial court to grant a motion compelling witnesses to submit to a physical examination of any sort.
In Green v. State, 251 So. 2d 307 (Fla. App.1st, 1971), the victim was agreeable to having an operation in order to have a bullet removed. The only question presented was whether the State should be compelled to defray the cost of the operation. The District Court of Appeal held that the trial judge did not err in denying defendant's motion to require the State, at county expense, to remove the bullet from the body of the alleged assault victim. This decision renders no comfort to the order of the trial judge in the case sub judice.
The only ground for the motion asserted by the defendants in the case sub judice was that the State's case depended in whole or in part upon the identification of defendants by eye witnesses. Even assuming, that in some rare instance, justice may require some type of physical examination of a witness, more must be shown than in the case sub judice.
The trial judge in entering the order in question departed from the essential requirements of law.
That portion of the decision of the District Court of Appeal denying the petition for writ of certiorari is quashed. This cause is remanded with instructions to grant the writ of certiorari and quash the order of the trial judge.
The time for filing petition for rehearing is hereby limited to April 5, 1972.
It is so ordered.
ROBERTS, C.J., and CARLTON, BOYD and McCAIN, JJ., concur.