Court Opinion

ID: 9749985
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-28 14:10:28.223533+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:26:00.335222
License: Public Domain

MYERS, Associate Judge
(dissenting):
I must disagree with my associates’ af-firmance of the dismissals of the second in-formations filed against appellees by reason of the government’s failure to note timely appeals from the dismissals with prejudice of the first informations.
Under the general rule, absent a statute or rule of court to the contrary, the authority to enter a nolle prosequi rests entirely within the discretion of the prosecuting officer at all stages of a criminal proceeding before jeopardy attaches. Leave of court is not a requirement in the exercise of such discretionary power. People ex rel. Elliott v. Covelli, 415 Ill. 79, 112 N.E.2d 156 (1953); State ex rel. Griffin v. Smith, 363 Mo. 1235, 258 S.W.2d 590 (Mo.1953). In federal jurisdictions this general rule has been changed by adoption of Rule 48(a) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, effective March 21, 1946, which requires leave of court be first obtained before a nolle prosequi can be validly entered by a prosecuting officer. The common law rule, which had previously prevailed, required no prior consent as the district attorney had absolute control over criminal prosecutions and could dismiss or refuse to prosecute without giving any reasons therefor. He was given absolute power to decide whether to press a criminal case to its conclusion. United States v. Woody, 2 F.2d 262, 263 (D.Mont.1924), citing the United States Supreme Court in the Confiscation Cases, 74 U.S. 454, 7 Wall. 454, 457, 19 L.Ed. 196; The Jugoslavia, 21 F.2d 99, 101 (E.D.La.1927); United States v. Shanahan, 168 F.Supp. 225, 227 (S.D.Ind.1959).
However, the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure do not apply to criminal cases in the District of Columbia Court of General Sessions, District of Columbia v. Healey, D.C.Mun.App., 160 A.2d 800, 801 (1960). See also Mann v. United States, 113 U.S.App.D.C. 27, 304 F.2d 394 (1962). The majority opinion concedes that there is no similar rule of court or statute which requires leave of court first in order to enter a nolle prosequi in the Court of General Sessions. Nevertheless, my associates then proceed, in effect, to apply Rule 48(a) and affirm the dismissals in these cases which had already been fully disposed of by the action of the prosecuting officer.
Needless to say, a trial judge has inherent power to dismiss a criminal proceeding for an unduly prolonged lack of prosecution and such dismissal presents an appealable order. United States v. Gunther, 104 U.S.App.D.C. 16, 17, 259 F.2d 173, 174 (1958). On the other hand, once a nolle prosequi has been entered by the prosecuting officer in the District of Columbia Court of General Sessions, further jurisdiction over that case by the trial judge is terminated for any purpose. He cannot revivify it in order to dismiss it again. He can only determine if the entry was properly made. State ex rel. Griffin v. Smith, supra; State v. Charles, 183 S.C. 188, 190 S.E. 466 (1937). If the nolle prosequi is determined by him to have been improperly entered — e. g., that it was the last of a series of nolle prosequi disposing of the same charge against a defendant and concluded to be “capricious” or “vexatiously repetitious” — and, on that basic finding, he refuses to accept it, any action by him further in the case is merely voidable. If, however, without inquiry and find*620ing as to the propriety of its entry, the trial judge ignores or refuses to accept a nolle prosequi and then attempts to take further action in the same case, he clearly exceeds his powers and all actions taken by him thereafter are void and of no effect. In my opinion, when there is no showing that the entry of a nolle prosequi was “scandalous”, “corrupt”, “capricious”, or “vexatiously repetitious”, the nolle prosequi was effectively entered, properly disposed of the case and the judge’s jurisdiction was ended in that case.
The record in the cases before us reveals that the first informations charging disorderly conduct by appellees had been nol-prossed once by the prosecuting attorney due to unavailability of a necessary witness. It is obvious that this action by him was not capricious, oppressive, or vexatiously repetitious. No such finding was made by the trial judge nor would the record have supported such a determination. To allow the trial judge to reject or disregard a nolle prosequi under circumstances where it was properly entered is in effect applying Rule 48(a) to the Court of General Sessions. Such application is without authority.
Since the trial judge’s jurisdiction of the cases had been effectively terminated, any action taken by him thereafter was void, not voidable, and therefore subject to collateral attack. Bowles v. Laws, 59 App.D.C. 399, 402, 45 F.2d 669, 672 (1930), cert. denied, 283 U.S. 841, 51 S.Ct. 488, 75 L.Ed. 1452; United States v. Pridgeon, 153 U.S. 48, 59, 14 S.Ct. 746, 38 L.Ed. 631 (1894). It necessarily follows that the government was under no obligation to appeal from the illegal dismissal of the first informations.
My associates say that the dismissals by the trial judge “may have been erroneous” but are nevertheless binding until reversed. How can criminal cases that have already been properly disposed of by entry of nolle prosequi still be pending on the trial calendar before the judge so that he can then dismiss them again? It would clearly appear that the dismissals under these circumstances, whether erroneous” or not, went far beyond his power and henee were void. The “almost absolute” authority assigned to the prosecuting officer in the majority opinion is devoid of any real power for his use of a nolle prosequi by being left to the complete discretion of the trial judge. The effect of the ruling therefore is to impose the restriction of Rule 48(a) in the use of nolle prosequi in the Court of General Sessions. Whatever may have been the worthwhile objective of this intent to bring criminal cases and the power of the prosecuting officers in the use of the nolle prosequi in line with the effect of Federal Rule 48(a) in federal courts and regardless of any personal views I may entertain on this subject, I am unwilling to resort to what appears to be a form of judicial legislation and to disregard the present rule, which must be changed by congressional enactment or by validly adopted court rule in the Court of General Sessions.
It is my opinion that the cases should be reversed and remanded for trials upon the second informations.