Court Opinion

ID: 9784234
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-30 20:40:32.440634+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:35:51.363989
License: Public Domain

CUNNINGHAM, J.,
concurring.
I fully concur with the excellent opinion of Justice Abramson. I write simply to express my concern that apparently no judge or trial commissioner was available to sign a warrant in this murder case. With all due respect to circuit clerks, they are neither trained nor schooled in the law, nor instructed on the value of neutral and detached magistrates. They are not expected to be.
There may well have been a plausible and acceptable explanation why law enforcement in this case was unable to secure the service of a judge or commissioner. The purpose of this writing is not to pass judgment nor chastise. It is intended to simply remind our judiciary that we are on duty around the clock.
In this day of staggering technological advances in communications — both written and oral — there should be little problem in providing full time judicial coverage. E-warrants, smart phones, and fax machines now make immediate access to a judge or commissioner much easier. A judge or commissioner neither has to leave his or her house, nor wait on the arrival of the police.
Our law enforcement people work hard, especially when involved in the rigorous demands of criminal investigations. Sometimes they are required to work around the clock, without sleep and under the pressure of circumscribing all their work within constitutional bounds. With that often comes great urgency and the immediate need of a magistrate.
Most jurisdictions in this state consist of several judges and even commissioners. A shared schedule of on call duty should not prove overly onerous.
In conclusion, I simply implore the judges and commissioners of this state to consider their distinguished positions as ones of full time service. That includes always being available to the law enforcement centurions of our cherished communities.
NOBLE and SCHRODER, JJ. join.