Case Name: STATE of Louisiana v. James A. CLARK, Jr.
Court: Louisiana Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 1974-04-29
Citations: 305 So. 2d 457
Docket Number: No. 54220
Parties: STATE of Louisiana v. James A. CLARK, Jr.
Judges: BARHAM, J., dissents with written reasons.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 305
Pages: 457–465

Head Matter:
STATE of Louisiana v. James A. CLARK, Jr.
No. 54220.
Supreme Court of Louisiana.
April 29, 1974.
On Rehearing Dec. 2, 1974.
Rehearing Denied Jan. 17, 1975.
F. Clay Tillman, Jr., Leesville, for defendant-appellant.
William J. Guste, Jr., Atty. Gen., Barbara Rutledge, Asst. Atty. Gen., W. C. Pegues, III, Dist. Atty., T. R. Broyles, Asst. Dist. Atty., for plaintiff-appellee.

Opinion:
SANDERS, Chief Justice.
The defendant, James A. Clark, Jr., after being tried and convicted of murder, was sentenced to life imprisonment. He now appeals, relying upon four Bills of Exceptions for reversal of his conviction and sentence.
BILL OF EXCEPTIONS NO. 1
In this Bill, defendant alleges that the trial court erred in appointing a new sanity commission when the original commission had not reported according to law. He further alleges that the court erred in refusing to allow him to change his plea from "not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity" to "not guilty."
Defendant, represented by counsel, waived formal arraignment and entered the combined plea of Not Guilty and Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity. At this time, defense counsel moved for the appointment of a sanity commission in accordance with Article 650 of the Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure. Three private psychiatrists from Alexandria, some 50 miles away, were appointed by the court. These psychiatrists declined to serve; later, on motion of the State, the court dissolved the original sanity commission and appointed a second one consisting of Dr. James E. Hill and Dr. Alfred T. Butterworth of the East Louisiana State Hospital at Jackson, Louisiana. Subsequent to the appointment of the second commission and the reservation of a bill of exceptions, defendant moved to withdraw his former plea of "not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity" and to enter a plea of "not guilty." The court denied the motion, and defendant reserved a bill of exceptions to the ruling.
Article 650 of the Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure makes the appointment of a sanity commission discretionary with the trial judge. Article 646 provides that either the state or the defendant can require an independent examination from that of the sanity commission. Defendant argues there is no authority for physicians to decline to serve on a sanity commission; therefore, appointment of the second commission was illegal. This argument is untenable. The matter of ordering a mental examination is within the sound discretion of the court. LSA-C.Cr.P. Arts. 643, 650. See State v. Graves, 1965, 247 La. 683, 174 So.2d 118; State v. Mack, 1962, 243 La. 369, 144 So.2d 363. The members of the first commission, for legitimate reasons, were unable to serve. The trial judge, in his sound discretion, after dissolving the first, appointed a second commission. Additionally, defendant could have had an independent examination under Article 646 of the Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure, but failed to do so. Defendant has shown no prejudice from the court's orders and, in fact, had one of the physicians from the second commission testify in his behalf at trial.
In denying the. defendant's request to change his plea from "not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity" to "not guilty", the court concluded that the request was made to avoid the trip to the East Louisiana State Hospital for examination. The court anticipated that prior to trial the defense counsel would re-urge the double plea.
Article 561 of the Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure provides for the change of plea from "not guilty" to "not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity" but not the converse. Under the Article, a change to "not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity" must be made within ten days after arraignment. The court may allow a change of plea thereafter only if good cause is shown. Reasoning from Article 561, we are of the view that the converse change of plea should follow substantially the same rules. In this case, the request to change the plea came two months after arraignment with no adequate showing of good cause.
We conclude that the trial judge did not abuse his discretion. In any event, no prejudice to the defendant resulted. See LSA-C.Cr.P. Art. 921.
BILL OF EXCEPTIONS NO. 2
In this Bill of Exceptions, defendant alleges that the trial court erred in accepting the second commission's report, that defendant was competent to stand trial, and entering it into the record when it was not timely filed. At the sanity hearing, the defense objection to the admission of the report was sustained by the court. The trial judge later ruled that defendant was competent to stand trial. Defendant argues that since the report was not admitted into evidence he was denied a resolution of the issue of his sanity by the jury. This argument lacks merit.
The defense of sanity at the time of the crime is a matter for the jury. Neither the rejection of the Commission's report, on defense objection, nor the ruling of the trial judge that the defendant was competent to stand trial precluded the defendant from offering evidence of defendant's mental condition as a defense at the trial. LSA-C.Cr.P. Arts. 651, 652; State v. Dowdy, 217 La. 773, 47 So.2d 496 (1950).
This Bill is without merit.
BILL OF EXCEPTIONS NO. 3
Defendant urges that the trial court erred in denying defendant's Motion to Quash based upon the general and petit jury venire being drawn, selected, and constituted by a method in which women are exempt from service unless they file written consent to serve with the Clerk of Court. See LSA-Const. Art. 7, § 41 ; LSA-C.Cr.P. Art. 402. This Court has often held that the jury selection method here attacked is valid. The question is now pending in the United States Supreme Court. See State v. Davis, 284 So.2d 896 (La.1973); State v. Womack, 283 So.2d 708 (La.1973).
This Bill is without merit.
BILL OF EXCEPTIONS NO. 4
This Bill was reserved to the denial of defendant's motion for a new trial based on the fact that two of the jurors took notes during the trial which they took with them into the jury room. Defendant alleges that this was a prejudicial error or defect not discoverable before the verdict or judgment. See LSA-C.Cr.P. Art. 851(4).
Defense counsel observed the jurors making notes; he mentioned this fact to the District Attorney; and he researched the point while the judge was charging the jury. By the exercise of reasonable dili gence, defense counsel could have made this fact known to the court. Hence, in our opinion, the complaint does not fall within Article 851(4) of the Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure applying to prejudicial errors or defects not discovered before the verdict despite reasonable diligence.
LSA-C.Cr.P. Art. 793 provides:
"A juror must rely upon his memory in reaching a verdict. He shall not be permitted to refer to notes or to have access to any written evidence. Testimony shall not be repeated to the jury. Upon the request of a juror and in the discretion of the court, the jury may take with it or have sent to it any object or document received in evidence when a physical examination thereof is required to enable the jury to arrive at a verdict."
The above article prohibits the reference to notes. Both jurors testified at the hearing on the motion for a new trial that neither had referred to the notes taken, nor had any of the other jurors referred to them. Hence, in any event, no prejudice resulted. See LSA-C.Cr.P. 921.
This Bill is without merit.
For the reasons assigned, the conviction and sentence are affirmed.
BARHAM, J., dissents with written reasons.
TATE, J., joins in BARHAM, J., dissent.