Opinion ID: 2052877
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Whether the State Must Produce a Warrant to Justify a Search

Text: Defendant asks this court to establish a bright line rule that for a search to be justified by a warrant, the State must produce that warrant or a reliable copy of that warrant in hearings before the circuit court. We decline to write such a rule because it would frustrate an Illinois statute that allows a circuit court to restore court documents under certain circumstances. Additionally, we conclude that, if the original search warrant is lost or destroyed, the prohibition against unlawful searches and seizures will not be undermined by proof that the search warrant existed at one time. Courts of record have inherent power to restore or substitute papers, files and records which have been lost or destroyed. In re Estate of Bird, 410 Ill. 390, 398, 102 N.E.2d 329 (1951). The power is inherent in every court of general jurisdiction. In re Estate of Bird, 410 Ill. at 399, 102 N.E.2d 329, citing Blakemore v. Wilson, 61 Ill.App. 454, 456 (1895). Further, section 2 of the Court Records Restoration Act (Act) (705 ILCS 85/2 (West 1992)) permits a party to seek a declaration from the court as to whether a record existed and if so what the substance of it was. In re Estate of Bird, 410 Ill. at 399, 102 N.E.2d 329, citing Blakemore, 61 Ill.App. at 456. The Act states in pertinent part that: [W]henever the loss or destruction of any such record or part thereof shall have happened, or shall hereafter happen, and such defect cannot be supplied, as provided in the next preceding section, any party or person interested therein may make a written application to the court to which such record belonged, verified by affidavit or affidavits, showing the loss or destruction thereof, and that certified copies thereof cannot be obtained by the party or the person making such application, and the substance of the record so lost or destroyed, and that such loss or destruction occurred, without the fault or neglect of the party or person making such application,    and thereupon, said court shall cause said application to be entered of record in said court, and due notice of said application shall be given, as in civil cases, that said application will be heard by said court. And if, upon such hearing, said court shall be satisfied that the statements contained in said written application are true, said court shall make an order, reciting what was the substance and effect of said lost or destroyed record; which order shall be entered of record in said court, and have the same effect which said original record would have had if the same had not been lost or destroyed, so far as concerns the party or person making such application   . 705 ILCS 85/2 (West 1992). While we know of no Illinois court that has granted a petition to restore a search warrant, the breadth of the Act furnishes the means to seek restoration of a search warrant. The Act allows restoration of the record of any judgment or order, or other proceeding, of any judicial court of this State, or any part of the record of any judicial proceeding. 705 ILCS 85/1 (West 1992). Search warrants in Illinois can issue only upon petition to a trial court (725 ILCS 5/108-3 (West 1996)), a type of judicial proceeding. Additionally, this court has interpreted the scope of restorable documents broadly. In re Estate of Bird, 410 Ill. at 399, 102 N.E.2d 329 (It is immaterial whether the lost record was an initial pleading, or an appearance, or an entire record). Moreover, adequate safeguards exist within the statute to ensure that the government and its agents may win restoration of a search warrant only after satisfying several explicit evidentiary requirements. The proponent of the warrant must file a written petition supported by affidavit, showing: the loss or destruction of the search warrant; that certified copies of the warrant cannot be obtained; the substance of the warrant; that the loss or destruction occurred without the fault or neglect of the petitioner; and that the loss or destruction of the warrant, unless supplied, will or may result in damage to the party or person filing the petition. 705 ILCS 85/2 (West 1992). The circuit court must then convene a hearing on the petition and be satisfied that the statements in the application are true. 705 ILCS 85/2 (West 1992). Critically, a successful petitioner, plaintiff or defendant, would succeed only in restoring a lost or destroyed search warrant. Whether a criminal defendant prevails on a motion to suppress necessitates an entirely separate inquiry. The proofs prescribed by the statute also differentiate this appeal from several cases called to our attention by defendant. Beed v. State, 271 Ark. 526, 534, 609 S.W.2d 898, 905 (1980); Russ v. City of Camden, 256 Ark. 214, 215, 506 S.W.2d 529, 530 (1974); Oliver v. State, 711 S.W.2d 442, 444 (Tex.Ct.App. 1986); Cannady v. State, 582 S.W.2d 467, 469 (Tex.Crim.App.1979). In each, the court stated that when defendant moves to suppress evidence seized pursuant to a warrant, the government must produce the warrant. Beed, 271 Ark. at 534, 609 S.W.2d at 905; Russ, 256 Ark. at 215, 506 S.W.2d at 530; Oliver, 711 S.W.2d at 444; Cannady, 582 S.W.2d at 469. However, these cases neither rely on Illinois law nor cite a statute which would permit the trial court to restore a document previously filed with the court. Beed, 271 Ark. at 534-36, 609 S.W.2d at 905; Russ, 256 Ark. at 215, 506 S.W.2d at 530; Oliver, 711 S.W.2d at 444; Cannady, 582 S.W.2d at 469. Indeed, the Supreme Court of Arkansas conceded that the State might prove the existence of a warrant without producing it. Russ v. City of Camden, 256 Ark. at 215, 506 S.W.2d at 530 (If the State cannot produce either [the warrant or the affidavit in support thereof] then it should follow the approved procedure for establishing the contents thereof). The circuit court expressed concern that restoration of a lost search warrant would undermine the integrity of search warrants generally. However, the circuit court failed to explain how the Act compromises search warrants, and we see no reason to preclude proof of a search warrant by means other than production of the warrant itself. While the State failed to prove the existence of a search warrant in this case, we can conceive of instances when a warrant, like any other document made part of a court file, could be innocently lost. This court cannot conclude that the existence of a search warrant could never be proved, in the absence of a warrant itself.