Opinion ID: 2325769
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: PCRA Court Recusal

Text: In Appellant's eighth issue, he claims that the PCRA court erred by denying his motion for recusal. The same judge presided at Appellant's trial and over the post-conviction proceedings. Appellant alleges that the remarks of the court during a pre-trial suppression hearing indicated a bias in favor of the Commonwealth and a pre-judgment against Appellant, necessitating recusal from the post-conviction proceedings. Appellant's Brief at 77-78. A party that seeks recusal of a judge bears the burden to produce evidence establishing bias, prejudice or unfairness which raises a substantial doubt as to the jurist's ability to preside impartially. Commonwealth v. Abu-Jamal, 553 Pa. 485, 720 A.2d 79, 89 (1998). This Court reviews a jurist's denial of a motion to recuse for abuse of discretion. Id. In addition, we have concluded that, in general, it is preferable for the judge who presided at trial to preside over any post-conviction proceedings because his or her familiarity with the case will likely assist the proper administration of justice. Id. at 90. Appellant based his motion to recuse on some statements made by the trial court during a pre-trial suppression hearing, following which the court denied Appellant's motion to suppress the in-court identification of Appellant by Philip and Desiree, the juvenile witnesses. See N.T. Suppression Hearing, 11/24/99, at 47. Specifically, Appellant cites the following: Court: The bottom line in my courtroom is if you've got the evidence to convict someone, I want the conviction to stick. Prosecutor: Me too, Judge. Court: If you don't, you don't, but if you do have it, let's do it in a way that there can't be any PCRA's down the lane.... I say that because[,] not that I have any preconceived ideas about the case or about your client, but I just want to make sure that if we can eliminate an appellate issue, we do so. N.T. Suppression Hearing, 11/24/99, at 5-6. Appellant argues that these comments show that the trial court had pre-judged the case, and accordingly the court's clear motive was to create an aura of a superficial due process, while ensuring that [Appellant] was convicted. Appellant's Brief at 80. Appellant is mistakenthe quoted comments show nothing of the kind. The court stated that it had not pre-judged the Commonwealth's evidence, and simply wanted to avoid any error that might lead to reversal on appeal if there was a conviction. No unfairness or desire to subvert due process was remotely implied by the court's comments. Appellant also claims bias in the trial court's allegedly solicitous treatment of Philip, the victim's twelve-year-old son. Appellant is again mistaken. Recognizing the young age of the child, the court was attempting to ensure that, if Philip was called as a witness at the suppression hearing, it was done in the least traumatic way the court could think of. N.T. Suppression Hearing, 11/24/99, at 5-6. When the prosecutor stated that he would prefer not to put the victim's children on the stand at the suppression hearing, the court assured him that he was free to call whichever witness he wanted to establish that the children had an independent basis for their identification of Appellant. Id. at 4. When defense counsel indicated that he might call Philip as a witness, the court merely suggested to the prosecutor that he might want to prepare the child for such a possibility. Id. at 5. The court also stated that it would allow the child's grandmother to sit with him in the jury box so he can be comfortable while he testified. Id. at 6. Contrary to Appellant's assertions, nothing in the court's words or actions suggested bias against Appellant or pre-judgment of his guilt. The court's recognition that a twelve-year-old child is not an adult and the court's desire to spare him unnecessary trauma during his testimony do not imply bias or prejudice against Appellant. Appellant's assertion of error in the PCRA court's denial of his motion to recuse is entirely lacking in merit and provides no basis for relief.