Opinion ID: 2571433
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Ruggiero Failed To Preserve His Constitutional Arguments For Appeal.

Text: In opposing the imposition of a repeat-offender sentence, Ruggiero relied virtually exclusively on statutory arguments, principally that HRS § 291E-61(c), see infra note 10, was ambiguous. As we have noted, his only departure from that line of argument, raised in his memorandum in opposition to the enhanced sentence and again at the September 30, 2004 sentencing hearing, was that the interest of justice and fairness weighed against his vacated conviction being used as the basis for sentencing him as a second-time offender. Ruggiero contends that the invocation of justice and fairness is sufficient to preserve for appeal constitutional grounds for vacating the district court's September 30, 2004 judgment and sentence. (Quoting Lisenba v. California, 314 U.S. 219, 62 S.Ct. 280, 86 L.Ed. 166 (1941), for the proposition that denial of due process is the failure to observe that fundamental fairness essential to the very concept of justice.) In so arguing, Ruggiero essentially contends that the invocation was sufficient to put the district court on notice that he was arguing that his right to due process was violated by the enhanced sentence. The record reflects, however, that the district court gave him ample opportunity to articulate a due process ground with specificity. Inasmuch as Ruggiero was represented by counsel and failed to invoke, either in his brief or in oral argument, the protections of either the United States or Hawai`i Constitutions, to accept Ruggiero's contentions (1) that the district court erred in its ruling on his purported constitutional arguments and (2) that he adequately preserved those arguments for appeal would be to conclude that virtually any invocation of basic fairness is sufficient to preserve virtually any conceivable constitutionally-based argument for appeal. We hold that Ruggiero failed to preserve the constitutional arguments for appeal and, therefore, we may only reach the merits of his arguments by noticing plain error on the district court's part. See HRPP Rule 52(b); In re John Doe, Born on January 25, 1985, 102 Hawai`i 75, 87, 73 P.3d 29, 41 (2003); State v. Jenkins, 93 Hawai`i 87, 101, 997 P.2d 13, 27 (2000); State v. McGriff, 76 Hawai`i 148, 155, 871 P.2d 782, 789 (1994) (this court may sua sponte notice plain errors that affect a defendant's substantial rights).