Court Opinion

ID: 9766732
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 04:57:20.468611+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:30:25.307435
License: Public Domain

Concurring and Dissenting Opinion by HARRELL, J., which Bell, C.J., joins.
I would reach nearly the same result as the Majority, but not entirely so. More importantly, I am in disagreement with the reasoning of the Majority opinion. I believe that a sentencing judge’s failure to recognize his or her discretion in sentencing a defendant, if made manifest on the record, is a deficiency that inheres in the sentence itself. For that reason, I would consider the merits of Wilkins’s argument and, nonetheless, hold that Petitioner failed to prove that the sentencing judge failed to recognize his discretion and exercise it in ordering a life sentence. Thus, I would reverse the judgment of the Court of Special Appeals and remand with directions to affirm, on the merits, the Circuit Court’s denial of Wilkins’s motion to correct illegal sentence.
I.
As the Majority states, a court may correct an illegal sentence at any time. Md. Rule 4-345(a). A sentence is illegal, for purposes of Md. Rule 4-345(a), when there is some substantive illegality in the sentence itself. Evans v. State, 382 Md. 248, 278-79, 855 A.2d 291, 309 (2004); Walczak v. State, 302 Md. 422, 427, 488 A.2d 949, 951 (1985); Corcoran v. State, 67 Md.App. 252, 255, 507 A.2d 200, 202 (1986). “The notion of an ‘illegal sentence’ within the contemplation of the Walczak decision deals with substantive law, not procedural law. It has obvious reference to a sentence which is beyond the statutorily granted power of the judge to impose.” Corcoran, 67 Md.App. at 255, 507 A.2d at 202.
*286The Majority contemplates “illegality” in too narrow and novel a manner. The Majority posits that if the sentence imposed is within the statutorily permitted sentencing limits for the crime or crimes involved, then the sentence is not “illegal,” despite a failure by the- sentencing judge to recognize his or her discretion to suspend all or a portion of the sentence. 393 Md. 276-79, 900 A.2d 769-71 (2006). We have never held so until now. The principal authorities relied upon by the Majority to support its conclusion do not provide the necessary analyses or bases to reach the Majority’s conclusion here. In addition, those principal authorities are distinguishable from the present case because both cases concern alleged procedural errors.
The Majority cites Randall Book Corporation v. State, 316 Md. 315, 558 A.2d 715 (1989), for the proposition that “[a]n error committed by the trial court during the sentencing proceeding is not ordinarily cognizable under Rule 4-345(a) where the resulting sentence or sanction is itself lawful.” 393 Md. 275, 900 A.2d 769 (2006). In Randall Book Corporation, we concluded that, of three contentions argued by the defendant in a motion to correct illegal sentence, one contention was not permitted to be raised in such a motion. Randall Book Corp., 316 Md. at 322, 558 A.2d at 719. The defendant asserted that his sentencing violated the Double Jeopardy Clause and Eighth Amendment because the court imposed multiple sentences for the same offense and the sentence imposed was the aggregate of 116 sentences. Id. The defendant also asserted that the sentencing judge was motivated by impermissible considerations. Id. We held that the existence of improper motivation, if proven, may justify vacation of the sentence, but did not render the sentence illegal within the meaning of Rule 4-345. Randall Book Corp., 316 Md. at 323, 558 A.2d at 719. If the record reveals that a judge took into account impermissible considerations when sentencing a defendant, then the judge committed an error of procedure, as opposed to a error of substantive statutory or constitutional *287law. Considering extraneous circumstances is an error external to the sentence itself—a deficiency of process.
The Majority cites also Hill v. United States, 368 U.S. 424, 430, 82 S.Ct. 468, 472, 7 L.Ed.2d 417, 422 (1962), where the U.S. Supreme Court stated that an alleged error by the trial judge where the defendant was not invited to allocute on his own behalf at sentencing, on a motion equivalent to motion to correct an illegal sentence (Rule 35 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure), did not transform the sentence imposed into an illegal one. The Court stated: “The punishment meted out was not in excess of that prescribed by the relevant statutes, multiple terms were not imposed for the same offense, nor were the terms of the sentence itself legally or constitutionally invalid in any respect.1 ]” Id. (Footnote omitted). Rule 32(a) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure provided in pertinent part, “[bjefore imposing sentence the court shall afford the defendant an opportunity to make a statement in his own behalf and to present any information in mitigation of punishment.” Hill, 368 U.S. at 425-26, 82 S.Ct. at 470, 7 L.Ed.2d at 419-22 (citing FRCP Rule 32(a)). The Court characterized the purported error as “neither jurisdictional nor constitutional,” “not a fundamental defect which inherently results in a complete miscarriage of justice, nor an omission inconsistent with the rudimentary demands of a fair procedure.” Hill, 368 U.S. at 428, 82 S.Ct. at 471, 7 L.Ed.2d at 421.
In contrast to the rules of criminal procedure at issue in Hill and Randall Book Corporation, the error at issue here is an asserted violation of statutory authority (sentencing discretion) vested in the sentencing court. At the time Wilkins was sentenced, Section 641A of Article 27 provided in pertinent part:
Upon entering a judgment of conviction, the court having jurisdiction, may suspend the imposition or execution of sentence and place the defendant on probation upon such terms and conditions as the court deems proper. The court may impose a sentence for a specified period and provide that a lesser period be served in confinement, suspend the *288remainder of the sentence and grant probation for a period longer than the sentence but not in excess of five years.
Maryland Code (1957, 1971 Repl.Vol.), Article 27, § 641A.1 In “clear, unambiguous and unqualified language, [§ 641A] bestows upon courts the power to suspend completely or partially any and all sentences over which they have jurisdiction.” State v. Wooten, 277 Md. 114, 117, 352 A.2d 829, 831 (1976). A sentencing judge commits error if he or she refuses to acknowledge his or her power to suspend completely or partially the sentence to be imposed. Williamson v. State, 284 Md. 212, 215, 395 A.2d 496, 497 (1979); Wooten, 277 Md. at 117-19, 352 A.2d at 832. The allegation of error in the present case is the imposition of a sentence in a manner that violates a statute. Hence, if made manifest on the record, the judge’s refusal to recognize his or her power to suspend all or part of an imposed sentence results in an illegal sentence because the deficiency inheres in the sentence.
II.
Wilkins argues that the statements of the sentencing judge demonstrate a refusal to recognize his power to suspend all or a portion of the life sentence ultimately imposed. I would hold that the record does not demonstrate such a refusal.
In Williamson, the sentencing judge explicitly refused to recognize his discretion to suspend all or a portion of a life sentence. The defendant was convicted in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County of murder in the first-degree, conspiracy to murder, and solicitation of murder. Williamson, 284 Md. at 213, 395 A.2d at 496. The court sentenced her to life imprisonment for murder and to a concurrent five-year term for the merged convictions for conspiracy and solicitation. Id. Defendant argued that she was entitled to a new sentencing proceeding because the sentencing judge affirmatively declined to abide by our holding in Wooten. Id. We agreed. Williamson, 284 Md. at 215, 395 A.2d at 497. The following *289exchange between the sentencing court and defense counsel in Williamson underscored the sentencing judge’s prejudicial error:
THE COURT: As far as the murder conviction is concerned, there’s no choice. She gets life.
MR. GLASER [defense counsel]: No, Your Honor, there is a choice. You can suspend part of it. I brought the Wooten case with me.
THE COURT: I understand that, and I completely disagree with Judge Raine and the Court of Appeals. I think the Legislature said when a person kills somebody else or causes them to be killed, it’s life. So as far as I am concerned, the sentence on the murder charge is life....
MR. GLASER: I was going to comment to the Court on the Wooten case, but I guess I won’t do that either.
THE COURT: No. I have very strong feelings about that. (Alteration in original).
284 Md. at 213-214, 395 A.2d at 496. “We [thought] it evident from the comments of the trial judge that notwithstanding Wooten he refused to recognize his discretionary power to suspend the mandatory life sentence or any part of it.” Williamson, 284 Md. at 215, 395 A.2d at 497. Although Williamson raised the issue on direct appeal, it is my view that she could have raised it as well in a Rule 4-345(a) motion to correct illegal sentence.
Williamson is clearly distinguishable on the facts from the present case. Here, the sentencing judge uttered no comment that would lead us to conclude that he refused arbitrarily or unreasonably to recognize his discretionary power to suspend all or part of Petitioner’s life sentence. According to the record in the present case, the sentencing judge was aware of his power of discretion and exercised that discretion by not suspending any portion of the life sentence imposed. 393 Md. 277-78, 900 A.2d 770 (2006) (“On the other hand, let the record clearly show we will assume that we do have a right to give something less than the death penalty, but in this case we see *290no reason in the worlcl why there should be anything other than the life imprisonment in this case because it is just not warranted under the facts of what happened. It was purely and clearly premeditated first-degree murder any way you look at it.”). Because the sentencing judge in the present case gave no indication of refusal to exercise his discretion to suspend all or any portion of the life sentence imposed, I would reverse the judgment of the Court of Special Appeals and remand to that court with directions to affirm the judgment of the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County.
Chief Judge BELL authorized me to state that he joins this opinion.

. Unless otherwise provided, all statutory references are to former Article 27, § 641 A.