Opinion ID: 1709584
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: due process under article i, ง 1 and article i, ง 8 of the wisconsin constitution and the fifth and fourteenth amendments to the united states constitution

Text: [20] ถ 60. The juveniles in this case argue that the lack of the right to a jury trial in the JJC violates their due process rights under the Wisconsin and United States Constitutions. This court has repeatedly stated that the due process clauses of the state and federal constitutions are essentially equivalent and are subject to identical interpretation. See Reginald D. v. State, 193 Wis. 2d 299, 307, 533 N.W.2d 181 (1995). ถ 61. The United States Supreme Court has on several occasions discussed the procedural process due juveniles in delinquency proceedings. See, e.g., Kent v. United States, 383 U.S. 541 (1966); Gallegos v. Colorado, 370 U.S. 49 (1962); Haley v. Ohio, 332 U.S. 596 (1948). In In re Gault, 387 U.S. 1 (1967), the Supreme Court addressed the due process challenges of a 15-year old individual subject to the Arizona Juvenile Code. The Court ultimately concluded that a juvenile's due process rights include the right to counsel, see id. at 41, the right to remain silent, see id. at 55, the right to confront and cross-examine witnesses, see id. at 57, the right to written notice, see id. at 33-34, and the right to sworn testimony, see id. at 56. [21] ถ 62. As discussed in part III of this opinion, the United States Supreme Court addressed the issue of a juvenile's right to trial by jury in McKeiver, 403 U.S. 528. The Supreme Court considered the nature of juvenile proceedings and concluded that juvenile delinquency proceedings are not criminal proceedings. Therefore, the due process clause of the United States Constitution does not guarantee juveniles the right to a trial by jury. See id. at 545. The decision in McKeiver was followed in N.E., where this court similarly concluded that the due process clause of the Wisconsin Constitution does not guarantee juveniles the right to a jury trial because delinquency proceedings are not criminal in nature. ถ 63. Although McKeiver and N.E. conclude that a juvenile does not have a constitutional right to a jury trial, that does not mean that a juvenile is not afforded a fair trial when a petition for an adjudication of delinquency has been filed. Thus, procedural due process requirements are satisfied when the juvenile delinquency proceeding under Wis. Stat. ch. 938 is tried before a neutral and detached juvenile court judge. Cf. Morrissey v. Brewer, 408 U.S. 471, 489 (1972). [22] ถ 64. Based upon our conclusion that the provisions in Wis. Stat. งง 938.538(3)(a)1, 938.538(3)(a)1m, and 938.357(4)(d) may be severed, and that the remaining provisions in the JJC are non-criminal, we conclude that once those provisions are severed, there clearly is no violation of the juvenile's state or federal constitutional due process protections. See McKeiver, 403 U.S. at 545; N.E., 122 Wis. 2d at 201.