Opinion ID: 1198152
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Application of Arizona Law to This Case

Text: Respondent contends that the consequences of his being unable to hunt or to own a firearm for self-protection, if convicted, are sufficiently grave collateral consequences of a conviction that, under a Dolny analysis, this court should hold that he is entitled to a jury. The state, on the other hand, suggests that Arizona should discard the Rothweiler/Dolny test and be guided entirely by principles of federal constitutional law, so that Arizonans would have no right to a jury trial unless it was commanded by the federal constitution. This was the approach advocated by the dissent in Dolny. We rejected it then and do so now. Alternatively, the state argues that a Rothweiler/Dolny analysis, properly applied in this case, leads to the conclusion that respondent is not entitled to a jury trial. We agree. In deciding whether jury trials should be granted in cases where the federal constitution does not require juries, the most significant element is always the potential punishment authorized by the statute creating the crime; that is, the permissible amount of jail time and fines. In determining the potential punishment, Arizona courts have traditionally looked only to Arizona law. See generally, State ex rel. Dean v. Dolny, 161 Ariz. 297, 778 P.2d 1193 (1989); Rothweiler v. Superior Ct., 100 Ariz. 37, 410 P.2d 479 (1966); State v. Harrison, 164 Ariz. 316, 792 P.2d 779 (App.1990). As previously discussed, however, Arizona courts also have looked at whether the crime involves moral turpitude, the relationship of the crime to common law crimes, and to the additional serious or grave consequences that might flow from a conviction. In making these determinations, we have never looked to the law of other jurisdictions and the collateral consequences that might be imposed by the other jurisdictions. We believe an analogous situation is that of a deportable alien. An alien convicted of a crime of domestic violence is deportable. 8 U.S.C. § 1251(a)(2)(E)(I). Yet we do not consider the risk of deportation in determining whether the defendant is entitled to a jury trial on the state charge. Indeed, in accepting a plea agreement, it is not even necessary to advise the pleading defendant that he might be subjecting himself to deportation under federal law. State v. Vera, 159 Ariz. 237, 239, 766 P.2d 110, 112 (App.1988). We believe the approach taken in the past, that is, looking only to the consequences of conviction under Arizona law, is rooted in pragmatism. It is not practical, or indeed even possible, for a state court to conjure up all possible consequences that might flow from a state court conviction when those consequences do not flow from the law of the state. Even in this case, it can be seen from the comparison of the state and federal statutes that some defendants convicted for domestic violence assault in Arizona would be subject to the firearms prohibitions of the federal law and some would not. Conversely, some persons may be subject to the federal prohibition although their offense did not qualify as domestic violence assault under Arizona law. If we were to adopt respondent's argument, city courts and justice of the peace courts would be required to delve into the complexities of federal law in each case to determine whether the individual defendant is entitled to a jury trial. Indeed, accepting respondent's argument might require an examination of the laws of a sister state or all states when a nonresident is charged with an offense in Arizona. Very real and practical problems exist that are neither suggested nor required by the Rothweiler/Dolny approach. [2] In our earlier cases, we have never determined jury eligibility based upon an analysis of the individual defendant before the court. If we were to do so now, we would have the anomalous situation where some persons would be entitled to a jury trial and others would not, although charged with exactly the same substantive Arizona crime. Because it would be impossible to distinguish, in an expeditious manner, those defendants who might be subject to the federal law from those who might not be, we fear the practical result would be that the lower courts would essentially be compelled to grant a jury trial whenever requested. Given the volume of these types of cases, that is not a requirement we would impose without substantial justification, and we find no such justification here. Lastly, we believe that to hunt or possess a firearm for self-protection, while admittedly very important to some people, does not present the type of universal grave consequence we have found in cases invoking a right to jury trial. Many people would be completely unaffected by such a consequence. We note that Arizona also prohibits certain classes of people from owning or possessing firearms. A.R.S. § 13-3102 provides that A person commits misconduct involving weapons by knowingly ... [p]ossessing a deadly weapon if such person is a prohibited possessor. A prohibited possessor includes, among others, persons who at the time of possession are serving a term of probation. A.R.S. § 13-3101(6)(d). Trial courts routinely sentence defendants to terms of probation for offenses within the judicially defined category of petty offenses. Consequently, petty offenders on probation cannot possess weapons. Because petty offenders have no right to a jury trial, the legislature has determined implicitly that prohibiting a defendant from possessing a weapon is not a sufficiently grave consequence to warrant a jury trial.