Court Opinion

ID: 9658000
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 20:43:43.792404+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:13:50.523701
License: Public Domain

SCOTT, Justice
(concurring in the judgment only).
Although I agree with the majority’s final disposition of this case, I disagree with its assertion that “in an appropriate case * * * the trial court should * * * submit a special interrogatory inquiring whether or not the value of the stolen property exceeded $2,500.” Majority, at 527. The courts of this state have never adopted the use of special interrogatories in criminal cases and I believe that, for the reasons set out below, it would be improper for this court to adopt such a rule in this case.
A special interrogatory is improper in this particular case because the factual determination here involves a question of sentencing. It is the law of this state, which the majority recognizes, that “it is the jury’s function to decide whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty of the crime charged and that it is the trial court’s function to make any findings of fact bearing on the sentence to be imposed for the offense of which the defendant is found guilty.” Majority, at 526-527. This rule has been recognized by the American Bar Association in promulgating its Standards for Criminal Justice:
Sentencing involves a judicial function, and the jury’s role should not therefore extend to the determination of the appropriate sentence.
Ill ABA Standards for Criminal Justice, Standard 18-1.1 (1980). I find it inconsistent that the majority would recognize this rule and yet still be willing to allow special interrogatories to be submitted on sentencing questions “in appropriate cases.” To establish such a rule impedes the trial court’s function of “makpng] any findings of fact bearing on the sentence to be imposed,” and significantly alters the law of this state.
A more compelling reason for not allowing special interrogatories to be submitted in criminal cases is that such a rule would be a radical departure from the established practice in criminal cases in this state. It is the sole function of the jury to determine guilt or innocence on the specific counts submitted to it. Allowing special interrogatories to be submitted in criminal cases would cause problems that are faced in civil jury verdicts to arise in criminal cases. One such problem is an inconsistent verdict, where the jury’s answers to the spe*529cial interrogatories cannot be reconciled with its final verdict. While such inconsistencies can be tolerated in civil cases, they cannot be tolerated in a criminal case dealing with the guilt or innocence of ar individual. This state has avoided such problems by not allowing special interrogatories to be submitted in a criminal trial.
Even if special verdicts were allowed in criminal cases, it would be unwise for this court to establish such a practice in a judicial opinion where the precise boundaries of their use cannot be adequately prescribed. The majority attempts to bound the use of special interrogatories by allowing them to be used only in the “appropriate case” and under a certain procedure. Such boundaries, however, are in essence “boundless” because they give inadequate guidance to courts and counsel concerning the use of special interrogatories. The “appropriate case” is undefined and is therefore an inadequate standard for criminal cases. It also conflicts with the intentional specificity of the Rules of Criminal Procedure adopted in Minnesota.
A more prudent approach for this court to adopt would be to defer judgment on the use of special interrogatories in this case and refer the issue to the Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Rules of Criminal Procedure. The committee can then fully consider the issue, determine whether special interrogatories should be used in criminal cases, and establish more precise guidelines for their use. In this way, the court can keep the rules of criminal procedure precise and specific and thereby protect both the accused and the community in a criminal trial.