Title: Clemons v. State

State: mississippi

Issuer: Mississippi Supreme Court

Document:

320 So. 2d 368 (1975) Charles T. CLEMONS and Linda Clemons v. STATE of Mississippi. No. 48707. Supreme Court of Mississippi. October 13, 1975. Buckley & Ford, Laurel, for appellants. A.F. Summer, Atty. Gen. by Pete J. Cajoleas, Sp. Asst. Atty. Gen., and Karen Gilfoy, Asst. Atty. Gen., Jackson, for appellee. Before RODGERS, P.J., and SUGG and BROOM, JJ. RODGERS, Presiding Justice: The appellants were charged in an indictment returned by the Grand Jury of the Circuit Court of the Second Judicial District of Jones County, Mississippi, for the crime of the unlawful possession of more than one (1) ounce of marijuana. They were convicted and each sentenced to *369 serve a term of two and one-half (2 1/2) years in the state penitentiary. They have appealed to this Court, but did not request, nor have they obtained, a transcript of the testimony for review. The appeal is based entirely upon a Special Bill of Exceptions to the arguments of the district attorney and county attorney. The trial judge approved and signed the bill of exceptions, but denied a new trial. The bill of exceptions is in the following language: We have set out in full the bill of exceptions, because we feel that this Court should give some additional attention to the conduct of attorneys, particularly the prosecuting attorneys in their arguments to the jury. The purpose of the closing argument before a jury is to enlighten the jury. It is the duty of the district attorney to fairly sum up and point out the points presented by the state on which the prosecution contends a verdict of guilty is proper. Welch v. State, 114 Miss. 708, 75 So. 548 (1917). On the other hand, it is the constitutional right of the accused to be heard by himself or counsel. It has been said that: This Court said in Cavanah v. State, 56 Miss. 299 (1879): So long as counsel in his address to the jury keeps fairly within the evidence *372 and the issues involved, wide latitude of discussion is allowed; but, when he departs entirely from the evidence in his argument, or makes statements intended solely to excite the passions or prejudices of the jury, or makes inflammatory and damaging statements of fact not found in the evidence, the trial judge should intervene to prevent an unfair argument. Moreover, this Court will not withhold a reversal where such statements are so inflammatory [in the judgment of this Court] as to influence the verdict of the jury, and thus prevent a fair trial. In the instant case, the prosecuting attorneys did not exceed proper argument to point out the danger of the marijuana, although the activity of these officers was obviously reprehensible conduct. There is no reversible error on this point, particularly since the trial judge admonished the jury to disregard the statement of the attorney.[1] On the other hand, notice that the bill of exceptions [which we accept as true] indicates that the district attorney argued in a loud tone of voice with the judge. District attorneys are state district officers as well as attorneys of the court, and as such are bound by the rules and orders of the trial judge. The trial judge should be vigilant to require proper respect for the dignity of the law and the courts of this state. If the trial judge is unfair or tyrannical, this may be corrected by appeal. In every case the district attorney must act in a courteous manner with proper deference to the trial judge. In the present case, the district attorney said to the jury, "The court does not tell you that you have to know the defendants are guilty, and you do not have to know they are guilty before you can find them guilty." In the first place, it is the duty of the trial judge to instruct the jury and not the district attorney. Pearson v. State, 254 Miss. 275, 179 So. 2d 792 (1965); Mississippi Code Annotated Section 99-17-35 (1972). In Ivey v. State, 206 Miss. 734, 40 So. 2d 609 (1949), this Court pointed out that the trial court should have sustained an objection to a legal instruction verbally given by the district attorney to the jury. In that case, however, the verdict of the jury was affirmed. Nevertheless, the Court said: "In this state it is the province of the trial judge to announce the law to the jury." 206 Miss. at 755, 40 So. 2d at 614. See also Harris v. State, 207 Miss. 241, 42 So. 2d 183 (1949); 23A C.J.S. Criminal Law § 1110, at 217 (1961). This instruction has been condemned by this Court so often that it seems unnecessary to continue to cite authority on this issue. See some of the cases listed in Kent v. State, 241 So. 2d 657 (Miss. 1970). Now we find that although the trial judges have ceased to use this instruction, the district attorney in this case not only used the instruction verbally in his argument, he argued with the trial judge when the judge sustained an objection to the argument. In the case of Pearson v. State, 254 Miss. 275, 179 So. 2d 792 (1965), where the trial judge permitted the district attorney to give to the jury a verbal instruction, this Court said: "For the error, growing out of this incident in the closing argument, the cause must be and it is, reversed and remanded for a new trial." 254 Miss. at 293, 179 So. 2d at 800. We have no evidence before us as to whether or not the appellants are guilty. The court signed a special bill of exceptions showing the inexcusable conduct of the prosecuting attorney. This leaves us no alternative except to reverse this case *373 and remand the same for a new trial, because it is evident that the defendants did not receive a fair trial. Reversed and remanded. GILLESPIE, C.J., and PATTERSON, INZER, SMITH, ROBERTSON and WALKER, JJ., concur. [1] Holifield v. State, 275 So. 2d 851 (Miss. 1973); Terrell v. State, 262 So. 2d 179 (Miss. 1972); Catholic Diocese of Natchez-Jackson v. Jaquith, 224 So. 2d 216 (Miss. 1969); Pitts v. State, 211 Miss. 268, 51 So. 2d 448 (1951); 23A C.J.S. Criminal Law § 1095, at 156 (1961).