Opinion ID: 1907388
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Trial court's failure to sua sponte give a limiting (cautionary) instruction.

Text: ¶ 31. In the final two paragraphs of his brief, Rushing raises an issue of the trial judge's being required to submit limiting instructions sua sponte to the jury regarding the evidence of the prescription drugs found on his person at the time of the arrest. In making his assertion that the trial judge should have sua sponte given a limiting instruction to the jury, Rushing relies on Smith v. State, 656 So.2d 95, 99 (Miss.1995), where this Court held that admission of evidence of prior acts allowed pursuant to Miss. R. Evid. 404(b) required the trial judge in certain circumstances to sua sponte instruct the jury as to the limited consideration that the jury may give to such evidence. However, Rushing acknowledges our recent decision in Brown v. State, 890 So.2d 901, 913 (Miss.2004), overruling Smith as to the requirement of the trial judge to sua sponte give a limiting instruction after receiving Miss. R. Evid. 404(b) evidence. ¶ 32. In Smith, we see the culmination of this Court's long struggle with convictions secured under our possession (of drugs) with intent (to sale/distribute) laws. See Miss.Code Ann. § 41-29-139(a) (Supp.2004). How does the State reach into a defendant's mind and prove intent? In Smith, we stated: Nevertheless, we must be mindful of our rules. We have promulgated M.R.E. 105 which clearly contemplates that restrictive instructions be given upon request and as the Comment acknowledges, that in the absence of a request, there is no error. M.R.E. 105 and Comment. We are loath to reverse for plain error in the face of a rule so clear. We say for the future, however, that wherever 404(b) evidence is offered and there is an objection which is overruled, the objection shall be deemed an invocation of the right to MRE 403 balancing analysis and a limiting instruction. The court shall conduct an MRE analysis and, if the evidence passes that hurdle, give a limiting instruction unless the party objecting to the evidence objects to giving the limiting instruction. 656 So.2d at 100. While there is no doubt that this Court in Smith was focusing on cases involving evidence of prior drug sales of a defendant to prove the intent element of possession of drugs with intent to sale/distribute, the language in Smith is admittedly unqualified as to its applicability in all cases involving Rule 404(b) evidence. However, in Brown, we once and for all laid this issue to rest when we stated: Today we abandon Smith's requirement that a judge issue a sua sponte limiting instruction and return to the clear language of Rule 105. The rule clearly places the burden of requesting a Rule 404(b) limiting instruction upon counsel. The rule is controlling, and to the extent that Smith and its progeny contradict that plain language they are overruled. 890 So.2d at 913. ¶ 33. Rushing reads Brown correctly to note that it changed the rule pronounced in Smith, but argues that Smith was still in effect at the time of his trial and thus required the trial court in today's case to sua sponte give a limiting instruction to the jury regarding the 404(b) evidence found on his person at the time of the arrest, namely the actual prescription drugs. However, there is one problem with Rushing's request. Here is the sum total of Rushing's argument on this issue: The trial court did not give a limiting instruction related to this evidence. This trial was conducted November 20th and 21st, 2003. At that time, the opinion in Brown v. State, 890 So.2d 901 (Miss.2004), had not been issued. Therefore, the law that required the trial court to sua sponte give a limiting instruction, regardless of whether the Defendant requested such an instruction, mandated by Smith v. State, 656 So.2d 95 (Miss.1995), was still the law applicable to the trial court. The Supreme Court, until the Brown decision, had reversed some convictions based on the absence of the limiting instruction relying on the mandate in Smith. Brown, in plain language, overrules Smith and its progeny, and re-established the rule that the burden of seeking a Rule 404(b) limiting instruction was on defense counsel. As this area of the law has proven unsettled, the Defendant seeks to preserve this error in case this Court re-establishes the Smith or similar rule. In essence, Rushing requests that we now engage in a retroactive/prospective discussion to determine whether Brown or Smith applies to his case; however, while we know what Rushing requests of us, he offers no citation to any authority, much less any relevant authority to undergird his position. We have repeatedly held that when a party on appeal raises an issue for us to consider but nonetheless fails to cite any authority to support his or her argument on this issue, we need not consider it. Byrom v. State, 863 So.2d 836, 880 (Miss.2003) (quoting Simmons v. State, 805 So.2d 452, 487 (Miss.2001) (citing Williams v. State, 708 So.2d 1358, 1362-63 (Miss.1998))). See also Brown v. State, 798 So.2d 481, 494 (Miss.2001); Evans v. State, 725 So.2d 613, 691-92 (Miss.1997). Accordingly, we decline Rushing's invitation to engage in a retroactive/prospective analysis to ascertain the applicability or inapplicability of Smith or Brown to his case. This issue is thus without merit.