Opinion ID: 1344706
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: A Second Prosecution After Conviction is Reversed

Text: Rudolph first contends that the guarantee against double jeopardy barred the State from prosecuting him again after his convictions in the first trial were reversed by this court. However, double jeopardy does not generally bar a second trial when a conviction was successfully vacated on appeal or by motion for a new trial based on errors in the first. See United States v. Tateo, 377 U.S. 463, 465, 84 S.Ct. 1587, 1589, 12 L.Ed.2d 448, 450 (1964) (explaining that rule which permits defendant to be retried after his conviction is set aside on appeal for error is well established in our jurisprudence); McNair, 666 P.2d at 323. Notwithstanding this rule, Rudolph contends that his case falls within the narrow exception which prohibits a second trial where a defendant's convictions were vacated on the basis of insufficient evidence. See Hudson v. Louisiana, 450 U.S. 40, 43, 101 S.Ct. 970, 972, 67 L.Ed.2d 30, 33 (1981) (holding that granted new trial on basis of insufficient evidence barred new trial); Burks v. United States, 437 U.S. 1, 16, 98 S.Ct. 2141, 2149-50, 57 L.Ed.2d 1, 12-13 (1978) (double jeopardy bars new trial where conviction is reversed on appeal because of insufficient evidence); McNair, 666 P.2d at 325 (same). He argues that the State failed to adduce sufficient evidence in the first trial to support his convictions. We disagree. The State correctly points out that we summarily reversed Rudolph's convictions in the first trial because significant portions of the trial transcripts were incomplete due to technical problems with the court reporter's machinery. We did not even review the record to determine if the evidence supported his convictions because the incomplete transcripts precluded such a review. Thus it is untenable for Rudolph to now assert that the partial transcript shows that the evidence submitted at the first trial was not sufficient to support his convictions. In sum, we hold that double jeopardy was not violated when he was re-tried following our reversal of his convictions in the first trial.