Opinion ID: 1721404
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 14

Heading: Committee Prejudice.

Text: The witnesses Gibson and Albury declined to answer any questions or produce any documents on the ground that the Committee had demonstrated a prejudice that precluded its members from sitting in impartial deliberations over the hearing. They base this contention on statements made by two Committee members at the conclusion of the appearance of the witness Perry. The sum of these statements simply was that in the opinion of one of the Committee members, the witness had been evasive; that she had refused to supply information that would enable the Committee to be of subsequent service to the state; that in so doing she was rendering a great dis-service to the organization of which she was a member as well as to the citizens of Florida. The remarks concluded with the observation that in the opinion of the Committee member the attitude of the witness is a disgrace. These observations culminated in a motion that counsel for the Committee be directed to prepare procedures to cite the witness for contempt. Another Committee member echoed similar sentiments and seconded the motion. When the witnesses Gibson and Albury subsequently appeared before the Committee pursuant to summons, they refused to answer any questions with their contention that the Committee was biased, prejudiced and unfair. These two appellants cite no authority to support them in their refusal to respond to questioning. In the first place as we read the remarks of the two members of the Committee we find in them nothing that indicates a bias or prejudice against the complaining appellants or as a matter of fact against the witness to whom they were directed. Our examination of this record suggests that several of these recalcitrant and sometimes defiant witnesses including appellant Perry consistently challenged the authority of the Committee and clearly displayed a policy of complete non-cooperation. We conclude that the witnesses had a perfect right to assert their various constitutional privileges which they deemed to be available. They have the same privilege here. At the same time we are not aware of any constitutional privileges that authorize one so conditioned to defy, berate, or otherwise arbitrarily challenge a duly constituted authority in the exercise of a lawful power. This record sustains the further notion that this Committee and its counsel have throughout this proceeding personified a degree of patience and composure customarily demanded only of judicial officers. For this they are to be commended. The sum of these observations is simply that the two appellants Gibson and Albury have tendered no genuine ground whatsoever for reversal.