Opinion ID: 1138733
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: jurisdiction

Text: At the time of sentencing, defendant filed a motion for an appeal; an order of appeal was not signed by the trial court. Subsequently, the trial court amended (on its own motion) the sentence on March 25, 1974, by reducing the fine from $500 to $300; all other provisions of the sentence were unaffected. The defendant again filed two motions for appeal, one to the Supreme Court, the other to the appellate division of the Criminal District Court for the Parish of Orleans. The trial court denied the motion for appeal to the Supreme Court and granted the order of appeal to the appellate division. On October 21, 1974 the appellate division #1 of the Criminal District Court dismissed the appeal, finding that the trial judge had reduced the fine solely for the purpose of depriving this court of jurisdiction; the appeal was then transferred to this court pursuant to the appellate division's order. Initially, the State contends that this court is without jurisdiction to hear this appeal under Art. VII, § 10(7), La.Const. (1921), since the sentence was reduced to $300, and appellate jurisdiction of this case therefore is vested in the appellate division of the Criminal District Court under Art. VII, § 83, La.Const. (1921). While the trial court had the authority under C.Cr.P. 881, 913(B) and 916 to modify the sentence prior to and after the ordering of the appeal, the trial court could not affect the jurisdiction of this court. C.Cr.P. 915 instructs the trial court that it shall order an appeal when a motion for an appeal has been properly made. The language of C.Cr.P. 544 of 1928, the predecessor to C.Cr.P. 915, read as follows: There is no appeal until there is an order of appeal, but no person who has made his motion within the legal delay can be deprived of his right to such order by any fault or omission on the part of the trial judge. Article 915 broadened this language to provide that: When a motion for an appeal has been timely filed, the appeal shall not be affected by any fault or omission on the part of the trial court. Therefore, while the trial court retains authority to modify or correct a sentence after the order of appeal is signed under art. 916(3), its failure to sign an order of appeal to which defendant is entitled to have signed immediately, cannot affect the defendant's appeal. At the time of the defendant's first motion for appeal, the sentence imposed was in excess of a fine of $300 and jurisdiction over the case was vested in this court. The trial court's failure to sign the order of appeal could not affect defendant's appeal by divesting this court of jurisdiction over it. To the extent that State v. Washington, 252 La. 359, 211 So.2d 290 (1968), is contrary to this opinion, it is overruled. The opinion of the appellate division of the Criminal District Court is correct. The appeal is properly before this court.