Court Opinion

ID: 9757166
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-28 22:22:03.516177+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:28:35.545869
License: Public Domain

*188Dissenting Opinion by
BECK, Judge.
I respectfully disagree with the majority in their interpretation of existing case law with regard to the State’s common law right to appeal a violation of the Maryland Rules.
I will agree that the Maryland Rules are not at this time part of the Maryland Code, as a result of Cardinell v. State, 335 Md. 381, 398, 644 A.2d 11 (1994), and Chertkov v. State, 335 Md. 161, 168-169, 642 A.2d 232 (1994). I also agree that as a result of those rulings, C.J. § 13-302 cannot be a basis for the State to appeal a rule violation. However, I disagree with the majority’s interpretation of State v. Green, 367 Md. 61, 785 A.2d 1275 (2001), stating that the Court of Appeals ruled that the common law right to appeal a Rule violation was extinguished by the enactment of C.J. § 13-302.
In Green, the Court merely stated that the enactment of C.J. § 13-302 extinguished the State’s common law right to appeal. The action at issue was a Code violation. Whether or not the common law right to appeal a Rule violation still existed was never addressed. They expressly refused to rule as to whether violation of a Maryland Rule could be appealed under C.J. § 13-302, but as could be seen from the Wilner concurring opinion, clearly the issue was whether or not the Code includes the Rules. Because a Rule violation was not addressed by the Court of Appeals, this Court was free to find that because the Maryland Rules are not part of the Code it follows that the common law right to appeal a rule violation was not extinguished with the common law right to appeal a Code violation. If the Code and the Rules are not the same thing, then neither are the State’s common law rights to appeal the Code and the Rules. One may exist while the other is extinguished.
It is inconceivable that the Legislature intended with the enactment of C.J. § 13-302 to create a situation in which the Maryland Rules can be violated with impunity. Such an action would have the effect of giving no decision finality, and no case, whether civil or criminal, a termination point. Sen*189tences could be modified at anytime despite the clear direction of Maryland Rule 4-845 to limit modification to 90 days absent a finding of fraud, mistake, or irregularity.
The Legislature has enacted no laws that specifically prohibit the State from appealing a rule violation and without such language the courts are free to, and should, preserve the common law right of the State to file such an appeal. During recent sessions of the Legislature, there has been concern regarding delayed rulings on timely filed motions to modify sentences. Some decisions have been held for years, causing the Legislature to consider a law that would limit the amount of time the decision could be held. Although no bill has yet been successful, clearly the Legislature is concerned with having finality for cases in a reasonable amount of time.
Certain rules are designed to give a judge discretion regarding strict compliance by litigants. Others provide for no discretion recognizing that they must be strictly adhered to in order for a case to proceed in an orderly and equitable fashion.
The result of the ruling here, if upheld by the Court of Appeals, could have a catastrophic effect on both the lower courts and the citizens of the State of Maryland. The Maryland Rules need no longer exist, for there would be no reason for either the courts or litigants to abide by them. The extent to which this decision could throw the lower courts into chaos is too great to even contemplate at this point.