Court Opinion

ID: 9676179
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 05:16:54.643042+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:16:45.102807
License: Public Domain

MADDOX, Justice
(dissenting).
Haynes did not challenge the legal sufficiency of the indictment by any pleading. He did not argue on original submission to the Court of Criminal Appeals that the indictment was legally insufficient. He first raised this point on application for rehearing in the Court of Criminal Appeals. I think he is late and we should not review the point raised for two reasons. First, I think the opinion of the Court of Criminal Appeals is correct. Second, I think the majority incorrectly examines the original record in the Court of Criminal Appeals. Present Rule 39 of this Court does not permit such an examination of the original record.
The allegations in the indictment closely follow the language of Title 14, § 157, Code of Alabama, 1940. I think the defendant had more than sufficient notice of the charge against him. Certainly the indictment was specific enough that he would be protected against being tried a second time for the same offense. That is one of the purposes of an indictment, as I understand the law.
I think Duin v. State, 288 Ala. 329, 260 So.2d 602 (1972) stands for the proposition that an indictment which substantially follows the language of a statute, and which is not tested by a demurrer, is sufficient to support a judgment. Consequently, I must respectfully dissent.