Opinion ID: 2739669
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Due Process and Fundamental Fairness

Text: Mr. Jones contends, without sufficient argument or legal authority, that he was denied procedural due process and fundamental fairness based on certain defects in the proceedings against him, including: 1) the district court’s lack of jurisdiction and failure to issue a summons bearing the court’s seal; 2) failure of the government to exhaust administrative processes prior to filing the charges against him; 3) the government’s delay in bringing one count against him; and 4) the government’s failure to obtain written permission from the Secretary of the Interior to prosecute him. He suggests these defects resulted in a “mockery of justice.” We have held perfunctory or cursory reference to issues unaccompanied by some effort at developed argument are inadequate to warrant consideration, see United States v. Almaraz, 306 F.3d 1031, 1041 (10 th Cir. 2002), and we generally will not address issues not supported by citation to legal authority, see MacArthur v. San Juan County, 495 F.3d 1157, 1160-61 (10 th Cir. 2007). However, even if we did consider Mr. Jones’s claims, they lack merit and therefore are frivolous. This is a criminal case and not a deprivation of property or administrative case. Procedural due process is violated in criminal cases when the government -15- deprives a person of life or liberty without the requisite procedural safeguards. See United States v. Salerno, 481 U.S. 739, 747 (1987). The Supreme Court has consistently held procedural due process requires notice and a meaningful opportunity to be heard. See LaChance v. Erickson, 522 U.S. 262, 266 (1998); Cleveland Bd. of Educ. v. Loudermill, 470 U.S. 532, 546 (1985). In this case, the charges against Mr. Jones were fully contained in an information filed on May 31, 2013. His initial appearance was set for July 10, 2013, and the court issued a summons on June 7, 2013, sent to him by certified and regular mail on that date and summoning him to appear. Mr. Jones presented himself on July 10, 2013, as provided for in the summons, and requested a jury trial before an Article III judge, at which time a jury trial was scheduled before the federal district court on September 17, 2013. Mr. Jones appeared for trial on that date, at which time a motion hearing was held in which he participated. The record also shows that over the three days of the trial, Mr. Jones participated in jury selection, cross-examination of witnesses, and objections to evidence and points of law with which he disagreed, and also presented argument to the jury and judge in his defense, even though he elected not to testify in his own defense. Mr. Jones’s appearance and participation at all hearings and the trial clearly indicates he was afforded notice and an opportunity to be heard for the purpose of meeting the requirements for procedural due process in his criminal litigation. Whether the summons issued to him bore the court’s seal had no impact on the -16- notice requirement or his opportunity to be heard in light of his presence at his initial appearance hearing, motions hearing, and trial. Mr. Jones does not claim he did not receive the court’s notice. As to his claim an administrative process or proceeding was required, this case involves a criminal, not administrative, proceeding in which Mr. Jones received three convictions. We are not privy to any required “administrative” process or proceeding for the purpose of filing criminal charges against him, nor has Mr. Jones established any requirement for such an administrative process or proceeding, especially for a non-landowner or non-permittee charged with unauthorized use and grazing on public lands. To the extent Mr. Jones is claiming he received no notice that a grazing violation would result in a criminal charge, he has not shown such notice was required. Equally without merit is Mr. Jones’s claim the Secretary of the Interior’s written approval is required to bring criminal charges. Nothing in the charges under which Mr. Jones was convicted requires such protocol nor has he shown otherwise. Rather, Mr. Jones relies on 43 U.S.C. § 1066, which is immaterial to this case as it pertains to the removal of unlawful inclosures rather than the criminal charges brought against him by the United States Attorney. In addition, Mr. Jones elected to go to trial in the federal district court, which clearly has jurisdiction over this matter pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3231, stating, “the district courts of the United States shall have original jurisdiction ... of all offenses -17- against the laws of the United States.” Finally, Mr. Jones has not provided any argument or support for his claim of delay in bringing any of the counts against him. For these reasons, Mr. Jones has not shown a violation of his procedural due process rights or otherwise raised any issue of merit.