Opinion ID: 1163439
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: the magistrate's declaration of mistrial after jeopardy had attached prevents retrial under constitutional prohibitions against double jeopardy.

Text: It is clear under state and federal law that jeopardy had attached in this case because a jury had been sworn to try the case. State v. Alanis, 109 Idaho 884, 898, 712 P.2d 585, 599 (1985); State v. Sharp, 104 Idaho 691, 693, 662 P.2d 1135, 1137 (1983); Crist v. Bretz, 437 U.S. 28, 37-8, 98 S.Ct. 2156, 2161-62, 57 L.Ed.2d 24 (1978).
An ALR annotation by John E. Theuman, entitled Former Jeopardy as Bar to Retrial of Criminal Defendant After Original Court's Sua Sponte Declaration of a Mistrial  State Cases, 40 A.L.R.4th 741 (1985), is helpful in determining whether retrial of Stevens is prevented under constitutional prohibitions against double jeopardy. In material part it is stated therein: It is a basic principle of American constitutional law, as it was of the English common law, that no person may be twice placed in jeopardy  that is, put on trial with the possibility of conviction and punishment  for the same criminal offense. Under the early common law, this meant that a criminal trial could not be terminated prior to the verdict for any reason without in effect acquitting and discharging the defendant, since any attempt to recommence the prosecution would be barred as double jeopardy. However, modern rules, recognizing that circumstances may arise in the course of a trial which make it impossible to continue the proceedings without serious prejudice to either or both parties, allow the judge to declare a mistrial in a proper case, at the request of the defense or prosecution or on his or her own motion, without prejudice to the right of the prosecution to seek a new trial. The basic rule is that criminal actions may be terminated by a mistrial without double jeopardy consequences if there is a sufficiently compelling reason to do so, some procedural error or other problem obstructing a full and fair adjudication of the case which is serious enough to outweigh the interest of the defendant in obtaining a final resolution of the charges against him  what is commonly termed a manifest necessity or legal necessity. The courts have generally declined to lay out any bright-line rule as to what constitutes manifest necessity, but have based their decisions on the facts of each case, looking to such factors as whether the problem could be adequately resolved by any less drastic alternative action; whether it would necessarily have led to a reversal on appeal if the trial had continued and the defendant had been convicted; whether it reflected bad faith or oppressive conduct on the part of the prosecution; whether or not it had been declared in the interest of the defendant; and whether and to what extent the defendant would be prejudiced by a second trial. Since the trial judge is ordinarily in the best position to observe the circumstances which allegedly call for a mistrial, his or her judgment as to the necessity for a mistrial is commonly deferred to; but that judgment may be set aside if the reviewing court finds that the judge has abused this discretionary power, particularly where it appears that the judge has not scrupulously exercised his or her discretion by making a full inquiry into all the pertinent circumstances and deliberately considering the options available ..... (Emphasis added.)       Aside from manifest necessity, there are a few other situations in which a mistrial may be declared without giving the defendant a double jeopardy defense against further prosecution. Just as a defendant may not complain of a mistrial which was declared on his or her own motion, so too any double jeopardy defense to retrial will be deemed waived if the defendant consents to the trial court's sua sponte declaration of a mistrial, either expressly or by clear implication, although a mere failure to specifically object to a mistrial, or a prior motion for mistrial on other grounds, will not be considered as a consent to the judge's action, ... 40 A.L.R.4th at 745-47. (Emphasis added.)
It was the magistrate's duty to obtain sufficient information to enable it to consider alternatives to a mistrial. See State v. Nab, 113 Idaho 168, 171, 742 P.2d 423, 426 (Ct. App.1987); United States v. Jorn, 400 U.S. 470, 485-86, 91 S.Ct. 547, 557, 27 L.Ed.2d 543 (1971); Brady v. Samaha, 667 F.2d 224 (1st Cir.1981). The record before the Court establishes that the trial judge did not give counsel a meaningful opportunity to be heard on the issue of whether the perceived judicial misconduct of the prosecuting attorney was serious enough to outweigh the interest of the defendant in obtaining a final resolution of the charges against him. In this way he breached his duty by failing to obtain sufficient information to enable him to consider available alternatives to a mistrial. In Jorn, cited supra, the court stressed the defendant's significant interest in the decision whether or not to take the case from the jury when circumstances occur which might be thought to warrant a declaration of a mistrial. 400 U.S. at 484-85, 91 S.Ct. at 557. As the court observed in Curry v. Superior Court of San Francisco, 2 Cal.3d 707, 470 P.2d 345 (1970), a defendant may choose not to move for or consent to a mistrial for many reasons: he may be of the opinion that no error in fact occurred, or that any error that did occur was not prejudicial or could be cured by a motion to strike or a request for a cautionary instruction or could be refuted by impeachment of the witness or contrary defense evidence. Even when a palpably prejudicial error has been committed, stated the court, an accused may have valid personal reasons for preferring to go ahead with the trial rather than starting all over again, such as a desire to minimize the attendant embarrassment, expense and anxiety. These considerations, emphasized the court, are peculiarly within the knowledge of the accused, not the judge, and the latter must avoid depriving the accused of his constitutionally protected freedom of choice in the name of a paternalistic concern for his welfare. Alan R. Gilbert, Annotation, Former Jeopardy; Propriety of Trial Court's Declaration of Mistrial or Discharge of Jury, Without Accused's Consent, on Ground of Prosecution's Disclosure of Prejudicial Matter to, or Making Prejudicial Remarks in Presence of Jury, 77 A.L.R.3d 1143, 1154 (1977). As stated on page 11 of Appellant's Reply Brief, Clearly what is present in this case ... is the classic `overbearing judge' case referenced in Jorn ... Rather the court sua sponte and without defense input or opportunity to deliberate and object declared a mistrial, dismissed the case and discharged the jury.
The facts, reasoning and conclusions that are set forth at II, III A, B, and C, supra, support the further conclusion that there was no manifest necessity for the magistrate to declare a mistrial and enter a dismissal of this case.