Opinion ID: 408075
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Part III of the Dissent

Text: 61 Bearing in mind the validity of an admonition sometimes directed to appellate judges that we sit to decide cases, not to write essays on society, we perhaps should ignore Part III of the dissent particularly because the failure to observe this salutary guideline is often, itself, the cause of public criticism of the courts. Nevertheless, because of possible implications of Part III bearing on the majority opinion we feel it necessary to address Judge Swygert's lucubrations. 62 We, of course, cannot disagree with the necessity for a procedurally fair trial although that and not a perfect trial is what the Constitution guarantees. The Constitution speaks in terms of due process and as Justice Frankfurter observed, Fairness of procedure is 'due process in the primary sense.'  Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee v. McGrath, 341 U.S. 123, 161, 71 S.Ct. 624, 643, 95 L.Ed. 817 (1951) (Frankfurter, J., concurring) (quoting Brinkerhoff-Faris Co. v. Hill, 281 U.S. 673, 681, 50 S.Ct. 451, 454, 74 L.Ed. 1107 (1930)). 63 A very real rationale for the fairness requirement in a trial is to assure that an innocent person is not convicted. That arguably could be said to have no bearing in the present case as even the dissent concedes that McCruiston was probably guilty of the crime of which he was charged. We add that we are not relying on harmless error, an apparent anathema in the eyes of the dissent, even though it is clear from the record of this case that the evidence of McCruiston's guilt as charged was overwhelming. 64 The matter does not end at the trial level because from the appellate point of view we cannot in the process of affirming lay down principles or guidelines of trial procedure which might later be the basis of convicting an innocent person. We do not think we have done so here. 65 Looking at what might be construed to be an implication of Part III of the dissent, we choose to assume that our respected brother Swygert is not suggesting that the panel in this case has succumbed to public pressure even though we must agree with the observation that there is a feeling on the part of many people that the judiciary is too soft on criminals. We do not regard this as one of those felt needs of the times to which the judiciary should respond. 66 Nor, indeed, will we assume that Judge Swygert is implying in the numerous various dissents he has filed in this court to opinions affirming a conviction or denying habeas corpus relief 3 that other panels have buckled under to public indignation. 67 We find it interesting that the first example cited by the dissent for the debasing and debilitating effect of deciding cases according to public opinion is that the criminal defense bar is apt to become disillusioned and cynical. We are not at all certain that on balance between a public which has become disillusioned and cynical because a guilty criminal has been freed on an unnecessarily overly technical ground and a criminal bar which has a similar attitude because its objective of freeing a guilty person has not been successful, the public interest might not be the more deserving of protection. Certainly every criminally charged person has the right to a fair trial but so does the Government in its prosecutorial efforts on behalf of coping with what appears to be an increasing growth of criminal violations. 68 Finally, with regard to the bitterness that the dissent feels may be produced in the minds of the incarcerated defendant, we are inclined to doubt that very many are reconciled to a prison term even if the unusual perfect trial had been the cause of their confinement. As to rehabilitation, we are aware of a growing feeling that rehabilitation just has not proved realistically to be possible. We decline to speculate whether this lack of success is attributable to a feeling on the part of the prisoners that their trials were procedurally unfair in some respect, particularly if that respect was one which had not occurred to a prisoner until it was suggested by an ingenious counsel. 69 We have considered other questions asserted by the defendants during the course of this appeal and find no reversible error therein; nor do we see any basis for concluding other than that the defendants had a fair trial. For these reasons, the convictions of the defendants are 70 Affirmed. 71