Court Opinion

ID: 9745048
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 22:30:24.889428+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:24:55.164410
License: Public Domain

DeBRULER, Justice,
concurring in result.
I cannot agree with the opinion of the Court in Section I, wherein it concludes that the trial judge’s ruling upon the second motion for a change of judge cannot be reviewed in this appeal because of the absence from the record of a transcript of an evidentiary hearing held on such motion. This was a motion for a change of judge for cause in affidavit form. Litigation at the trial level upon this type of motion is limited to the face of the affidavits filed. The trial judge before whom it is filed is limited to determining whether the allegations of bias and prejudice are sufficient, and upon review this Court is likewise limited. The Legislature and this Court have never required or permitted an evidentiary hearing to be conducted by the judge alleged to be biased and prejudiced against a party for the purpose of determining whether allegations of observable and demonstrable facts are true.
In Barber v. State, (1925) 197 Ind. 88, 149 N.E. 896, the trial judge conducted a hearing to determine whether an allegation in an affidavit for change of judge was true and accurate. The Court found the denial of the motion error and stated:
“It has long been the settled law of this state that where an affidavit in the statutory form ... is presented to the trial court before the beginning of trial, asking for a change of venue from the judge, it is the imperative duty of the court to grant it.” 197 Ind. at 93, 149 N.E. 896.
This approach has been adhered to under the present governing rule, and in State ex rel. Benjamin v. Criminal Court of Marion County, Jacobs, Judge (1976) 264 Ind. 191, 341 N.E.2d 495, we said that the criminal court was required to grant petitioner’s timely motion even though the judge proceeded to hear evidence and found that bias and prejudice did not exist.
As I understand the allegations in the second motion here, the regular judge from whom the first change was taken told the special judge how he should rule upon a defense motion for continuance and a discovery question. The fact that a sitting judge heard such a statement from another judge or attorney would not support the inference that the sitting judge was or thereby became biased and prejudiced in the ease. The conclusion stated, that is that the special judge was biased and prejudiced against the party, stands therefore unsupported on the face of the affidavit and the affidavit was properly denied on its face.