Opinion ID: 1612156
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: on petitions for stay of execution and appeal in forma pauperis

Text: Appellant Goldsby was convicted of murder, and sentenced to the death penalty. On October 3, 1960, this Court affirmed that conviction, and set the date for execution of the death sentence for November 15, 1960. Goldsby v. State, 123 So.2d 429. On November 5, 1960, appellant by his attorney filed herein (1) a petition for appeal in forma pauperis and for stay of execution, in connection with a petition for writ of certiorari he proposes to file in the Supreme Court of the United States; and (2) a petition for leave to appeal in forma pauperis. The State filed an answer to these petitions, asserting that they should be denied, and appellant replied to the answer. Since the date for execution of sentence is next Tuesday, November 15, 1960, the Chief Justice called an in banc conference of all of the Judges of this Court for today, Thursday, November 10. The Court has considered these petitions, and concludes they should be denied. 28 USCA Sec. 2101(f) provides in part: In any case in which the final judgment or decree of any court is subject to review by the Supreme Court on writ of certiorari, the execution and enforcement of such judgment or decree may be stayed for a reasonable time to enable the party aggrieved to obtain a writ of certiorari from the Supreme Court. The stay may be granted by a judge of the court rendering the judgment or decree or by a justice of the Supreme Court, and may be conditioned on the giving of security, ... . (Hn 18) Whether a judge of a State Supreme Court, or the Court itself, should grant a stay of execution is within his or its sound discretion. There is no absolute right to a stay. Our opinion is 123 So.2d 429 recounts at some length the almost six years of the long and litigous history of this case. Appellant's guilt is clear and evident. He has received every safeguard of due process of law and equal protection of the laws under the state and federal constitutions. (Hn 19) The question is whether there is any sufficiently debatable issue pertaining to a substantial federal question which would warrant this Court in staying execution, until the United States Supreme Court has passed upon appellant's petition for certiorari, not yet filed. Rule 19 of the United States Supreme Court is entitled Considerations governing review on certiorari. It provides in part as follows: 1. A review on writ of certiorari is not a matter of right, but of sound judicial discretion, and will be granted only where there are special and important reasons therefor. The following, while neither controlling nor fully measuring the court's discretion, indicate the character of reasons which will be considered: (a) Where a state court has decided a federal question of substance not theretofore determined by this court, or has decided it in a way probably not in accord with applicable decisions of this court. (Hn 20) We do not think that appellant can assert any ground conceivably coming within the quoted standards of Rule 19. The assignments of error argued by appellant in his appeal to this Court were dealt with seriatim and in some detail in the opinion in 123 So.2d 429. None of them in our opinion present a federal question of substance not theretofore determined by the U.S. Supreme Court. None of those points were decided in a way probably not in accord with applicable decisions of the federal court. One of the petitions considered herein indicates that appellant is relying principally if not exclusively upon the contention that members of the Negro race were systematically excluded from the grand jury which returned the indictment. That matter was considered at length in Point II of our opinion. The United States Court of Appeals, in U.S. ex rel Goldsby v. Harpole, 263 F.2d 71, expressly held that objections to the grand jury were waived by appellant, and he was legally detained and could be retried upon the original indictment, upon which he was tried and convicted. Appellee Harpole's petition for writ of certiorari from that decision was denied. 361 U.S. 838, 80 S.Ct. 58, 4 L.Ed.2d 78. (Hn 21) There is no substantial federal question raised in this case, nor are any of the matters in it sufficiently debatable to lead to the belief that at least four members of the United States Supreme Court would vote to grant certiorari. Edwards v. People of the State of N.Y., 352 U.S. 804, 76 S.Ct. 1058, 1 L.Ed.2d 37 (1956); Rosenberg v. U.S., 346 U.S. 271, 73 S.Ct. 1152, 97 L.Ed. 1607; Reconsideration denied, 346 U.S. 324, 73 S.Ct. 1178, 97 L.Ed. 1634 (1953); cf. Richardson v. People of State of N.Y., 78 S.Ct. 1188, 2 L.Ed.2d 1359 (1958); Eckwerth v. People of the State of New York, 359 U.S. 309, 79 S.Ct. 755, 894 (1959). This Court has considered the propriety of stays of execution in Wetzel v. State, 225 Miss. 450, 489, 76 So. 2d 188, 846 (1955); on habeas corpus, 226 Miss. 671, 85 So.2d 469 (1956); and in Sorber v. Wiggins, 226 Miss. 693, 85 So.2d 479 (1956); cert. den., 351 U.S. 975, 76 S.Ct. 1041, 100 L.Ed. 1492; rehearing denied 352 U.S. 861, 77 S.Ct. 29, 1 L.Ed.2d 72. In Sorber, 226 Miss. 695, Mr. Justice Gillespie, specially concurring, observed that a stay should be granted where the judge is of the opinion that a substantial federal question is involved. On the other hand, If the appeal is frivolous, and if the judge who has the matter under consideration is of the opinion that the appeal is simply to delay the execution, the stay should be denied. (Hn 22) Realizing the heavy responsibility which rests upon us when a life is at stake, we have considered most carefully the petitions. We can find no substantial federal question, nor any matter which is fairly debatable in that respect. We conclude that there is no substance to petitioner's efforts to obtain a further review of his conviction, and the petitions should be denied. (Hn 23) This Court has the responsibility to supervise the administration of criminal justice in the state courts, and to see that convictions are in accord with the requirements and limitations of the state and federal constiutions. This includes the duty to see that the laws are not only enforced fairly, but also that the penalties provided by the laws are enforced with a reasonable degree of promptness and certainty. The issuance of a stay in this case would promise many more months of litigation in a case which has otherwise run its full course, in proceedings in full accord with state laws and the federal and state constitutions, and in compliance with the judgment of the United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, in U.S. ex rel Goldsby v. Harpole, 263 F.2d 71. The petitions are therefore denied. The judgment of this Court remains unchanged. Petitions for stay of execution pending petition for writ of certiorari, and for appeal in forma pauperis are denied.