Opinion ID: 1252842
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Yavapai County's Prosecutorial Policy

Text: ¶ 42 The Yavapai County Attorney's Office, as a matter of policy, seeks the death penalty in each case of first degree murder in which at least one aggravating factor exists. Traditionally, the prosecutor makes the initial choice whether capital punishment is appropriate and whether to seek it. It would be inappropriate for this court to encroach on reasonable prosecutorial discretion, absent a clear indication of misconduct. Any one or more aggravating factors may warrant the death penalty as a matter of law. The actual sentencing decision, of course, resides with the court as part of the judicial process, and though the prosecutor may request the death penalty, the court is constitutionally required to weigh the evidence independently and to disagree with counsel whenever appropriate. The judicial process, whereby the aggravators and mitigators are analyzed and evaluated, normally provides ample protection against overreaching counsel. ¶ 43 In addition, defendant now claims for the first time that the prosecutorial policy violates the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution and art. II, sections 4, 15, and 24 of the Arizona Constitution on the basis that it impairs individual prosecutorial discretion, required by Arizona's death penalty scheme. See Ariz. R.Crim. P. 15.1(g). We disagree for reasons heretofore stated. But assuming, arguendo, that the defendant's argument has merit, he knew of the policy and failed to raise this argument at his sentencing hearing. Neither did he raise it during proceedings for post-conviction relief. He raises it for the first time in this court. We agree with the Ninth Circuit's holding that [w]hen a party could have raised an issue in a prior appeal but did not, a court later hearing the same case need not consider the matter. United States v. Nagra, 147 F.3d 875 (9th Cir.1998); United States v. Wright, 716 F.2d 549, 550 (9th Cir.1983) (noting waiver of issues in such situations). ¶ 44 Our adversarial system properly and necessarily precludes injection of new issues on appeal. As an appellate court, we review the decisions of lower courts. In most instances, issues must be raised in the trial court, both to create a record to serve as a foundation for review, and to allow the lower court an opportunity to weigh and decide the issue. Defendant has waived the right to raise the issue at this late date. ¶ 45 In limited circumstances, we recognize that some issues may be so important that overriding considerations concerning the integrity of the system will excuse a party's failure to raise the issue in the trial court. This limited exception is known as the doctrine of fundamental error. To qualify as fundamental error, however, the error must be clear, egregious, and curable only via a new trial. See State v. Gendron, 168 Ariz. 153, 155, 812 P.2d 626, 628 (1991). The policy of the county attorney's office in the instant case, even if it could be considered erroneous, would not rise to the level of fundamental error.