Opinion ID: 2508184
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Conferring Jurisdiction

Text: The indictment or information filed by the prosecution is the jurisdictional instrument upon which a defendant stands trial. State v. Izzard, 136 Idaho 124, 127, 29 P.3d 960, 963 (Ct.App.2001). Article I, section 8 of the Idaho Constitution states that [n]o person shall be held to answer for any felony or criminal offense of any grade, unless on presentment or indictment of a grand jury or on information of the public prosecutor[.] Idaho courts obtain personal jurisdiction over a criminal defendant when the defendant initially appears in court. State v. Rogers, 140 Idaho 223, 227, 91 P.3d 1127, 1131 (2004). Subject matter jurisdiction in a criminal case is conferred by the filing of an information, indictment, or complaint alleging an offense was committed within the State of Idaho. Id. Since the indictment or information provides subject matter jurisdiction to the court, the court's jurisdictional power depends on the charging document being legally sufficient to survive challenge. This raises the question of exactly what constitutes a legally sufficient indictment or information. There are two standards to consider. First, there is the question of whether an indictment or information is legally sufficient for the purpose of due process during proceedings in the trial court. Second, there is the separate question of whether an indictment or information is legally sufficient for the purpose of imparting jurisdiction. We will consider each in turn.