Opinion ID: 2402732
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: Indictments Without Preliminary Hearings.

Text: The arguments of the traversers under this heading are interesting, but they fail to establish the denial of any right to which they were entitled. They do not contend that there is a requirement in Maryland that an accused be afforded a right to a preliminary hearing before indictment, but argue (although such a hearing was waived by one of them) that if they had had preliminary hearings, they would have been entitled to cross-examine the State's witnesses; hence, as they had no preliminary hearings, hearings, they should be entitled to take the depositions of the State's witnesses. No preliminary hearing is necessary before indictment, unless required by constitutional or statutory provisions, or by Rule of Court. Although such hearings are widely recognized in the United States, there is no constitutional right thereto, in the absence of specific provision therefor. They are primarily for the benefit of an accused, insuring him against being committed to jail or being required to furnish bail pending grand jury action, unless the State establishes that there is probable cause for maintaining a criminal proceedings against him. Orfield, Criminal Procedure from Arrest to Appeal, p. 49, et seq. Cf. 1 Stephen, History of the Criminal Law of England, pp. 216-233; 14 Am. Jur., Criminal Law, §§ 240-248; 22 C.J.S., Criminal Law, § 331 et seq.; Williams v. State, 214 Md. 143; DeToro v. Pepersack, 332 F.2d 341. Of course, an accused is entitled to cross-examine the State's witnesses at a preliminary inquiry, and there was no denial of such cross-examination here. But if an accused be promptly indicted and no preliminary hearing has been held, no right of the accused has been transgressed, and the adoption by the State of such a procedure affords him no right to take pre-trial depositions of the State's witnesses. During argument, the Assistant Attorney General indicated that he had had difficulty in deciding what, if any, procedure might properly be adopted to bring the issues involved here before us prior to the taking of the depositions, and thereby possibly rendering the issues moot. He further indicated that he felt an application for a writ of prohibition might have been his proper course to pursue, but believed he was precluded therefrom by the following language in State v. Haas, supra : It is unfortunate that no method is now provided that such a review [of the issues there involved] can be had before trial. In New York, there is a procedure, adopted in the Lemon case, supra [ People v. Supreme Court of New York, 245 N.Y. 24], by which a writ of prohibition was granted, restraining the order of the trial court. In this way the question was raised in the appellate court before trial. We have no such practice in this State   . The statement, we think, unquestionably is dictum. No citation of authority was made, and the statement was not elaborated upon. No question concerning a writ of prohibition was briefed, or argued in the briefs of either party to the appeal, and the statement was not necessary to a determination of any question there involved. It was a clear turning away from the main questions of the appeal to express an opinion that it was unfortunate that the appeals therein had to be dismissed, although the Court expressed their views concerning the points involved. In view of the above, we think that the question as to whether or not the writ of prohibition is available in Maryland is an open one. Order in Appeal No. 324 affirmed; appeals in Nos. 343, 344 and 345 dismissed; all costs to be paid by Montgomery County.