Court Opinion

ID: 9664839
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 00:31:38.097132+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:15:10.717736
License: Public Domain

BOOKOUT, Judge
(concurring specially.)
The Alabama Supreme Court in Ex parte Hugh Otis Bynum, Jr., 294 Ala. 78, 312 So.2d 52, (1975) held that “capital offenses” still exist in Alabama, stating, “ . . . The only effect of Furman was to eliminate the imposition of the death penalty as it was then enforced, and not to eliminate the classification whereby crimes are categorized as capital for purposes other than punishment.”
Contrary to the broad language above, it is my opinion that the Alabama Supreme Court in Bynum was addressing itself solely to the question of bail. The purpose for a special venire in “capital cases” was to give a defendant, on trial for his life, an additional safeguard not given to those where only their liberty was at stake. At the time Title 30, Sec. 63, Code of Alabama 1940 was enacted, the only distinction between “capital” and “non-capital” cases *41was the possible imposition of the death penalty. Since the imposition of the death penalty has been suspended, there is no rational justification for a special venire in a case formerly classified as “capital” and one formerly not so classified where the penalties may now be the same.
Should the legislature ever enact a death penalty statute which meets all the constitutional tests for validity, then the Special Venire Statute again would become applicable. Otherwise, I do not believe the Alabama Supreme Court will extend its reasoning in the Bynum decision to require a special venire in cases where the death penalty cannot be imposed. I therefore concur in the result of the instant opinion.