Court Opinion

ID: 9852166
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 05:25:50.331845+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:22:23.562624
License: Public Domain

SUTIN, Judge (specially concurring). I concur in the result. Defendant moved that the judgment and sentence of the trial court affirmed in State v. Valles, 83 N.M. 541, 494 P.2d 619 (Ct.App.1972) be vacated and set aside pursuant to Rule 93 of the Rules of Civil Procedure, and that defendant be granted a new trial. The basis of the motion was that defendant was denied his constitutional right to confront and cross-examine three grand jury witnesses who testified against him at trial. Evidence of what occurred at the trial was presented. A hearing was held. The trial court found: 8. At the jury trial . . . the first witness for the prosecution, Dale Eugene Blythe, finished his testimony and was excused from the stand on a Friday afternoon. When the trial resumed on Monday, the attorney for the Defendant Valles requested the Grand Jury minutes in their entirety for all witnesses testifying at the Grand Jury, and in support of his request, stated that he needed the minutes so that he might use them for cross examination of all state witnesses. The request was denied by the trial judge, the Honorable Harry E. Stowers, Jr. The court concluded: 2.....Once an issue has been raised and litigated by a Defendant upon direct appeal and decided adversely to him, it cannot be raised again in post-conviction proceedings. 4. The ruling of the trial judge . was correct, and in accordance with the rule prevailing at that time that a defendant was not entitled to the Grand Jury minutes absent a showing of particularized need. 5. The ruling was also correct for the additional reason that the demand for Grand Jury minutes was not timely, Defendant hving [sic] waited until the time of trial to make such demand, after the first State witness had left the stand and had been excused. 6. Decisions subsequent to the date of Defendant’s trial have judicially created a new procedural right of a defendant to have access to Grand Jury minutes of a state witness at trial following his direct testimony. There is no authority for making such a rule retroactive. 7. . [E]ven if Defendant were entitled to raise the issue of retroactivity, application . . . does not call for making the right of access to Grand Jury transcripts retroactive. 8.....None of the requisites [sic] for post-conviction relief are present here, and the State is entitled to a dismissal with prejudice. A. The trial court's conclusions were erroneous. (1) Conclusion of Law No. 2 is erroneous. That the error litigated cannot be relitigated is correct. State v. Williams, 78 N.M. 431, 432 P.2d 396 (1967). State v. Garcia, 80 N.M. 21, 23, 450 P.2d 621, 623 (1969) inadvertently stated that the error cannot be relitigated “even though the errors relate to constitutional rights.” No authority is cited and none can be found. We mistakenly followed this rule. State v. Gillihan, 86 N.M. 439, 524 P.2d 1335 (1974); State v. Jones, 84 N.M. 500, 505 P.2d 445 (Ct.App.1972). Rule 93 and Rule 93(b) of the Rules of Civil Procedure [§ 21-1-1(93) and 93(b), N.M.S.A.1953 (Repl.Vol. 4)] specifically allows the trial court to grant a new trial if the court finds that there has been a denial or infringement of constitutional rights of the prisoner. Defendant’s claim for relief is básed on constitutional grounds. (2) Conclusions of Law Nos. 4 and 5 are erroneous. The rule of “particularized need” arises when the grand jury testimony is requested “in advance of trial.” State v. Tackett, 78 N.M. 450, 432 P.2d 415 (1967); State v. Vigil, 85 N.M. 735, 516 P.2d 1118 (1973). The proper time to make a demand for grand jury testimony during trial is when the grand jury witness testifies at trial and the defendant wants to cross-examine. State v. Morgan, 67 N.M. 287, 354 P.2d 1002 (1960). (3) Conclusions of Law Nos. 6 and 7 are erroneous. Retroactivity of later decisions creating a new method of procedure to obtain relief, and the right to grand jury testimony, is irrelevant. The rights that defendant had were in effect prior to State v. Valles, supra. Retroactivity was not applicable. Valles’ trial was held in 1971, and the appeal was decided in 1972. Article II, Section 14 of the New Mexico Constitution grants to defendant the right “to be confronted with the witnesses against him”. One of the purposes of confrontation is to secure the right of cross-examination. Mascarenas v. State, 80 N.M. 537, 458 P.2d 789 (1969); State v. James, 76 N.M. 376, 415 P.2d 350 (1966); State v. Halsey, 34 N.M. 223, 279 P. 945 (1929). State v. Morgan, supra, held that a defendant was entitled during trial to grand jury testimony of witnesses who testified at trial. Prior to Valles’ conviction and affirmance on appeal, Valles had the right to grand jury testimony for purposes of cross-examination. The denial of grand jury testimony was a violation of Valles’ constitutional rights. B. State v. Valles was decided erroneously. State v. Valles, supra, was erroneously decided on two grounds. This Court held that Valles was not entitled to grand jury testimony because (1) “nothing in the record shows the grand jury minutes were used at the trial.” (2) There was no particularized need. The Court said that “Defendant is required to bring himself within the disclosure situations of the Morgan and Tackett cases.” Judicial history of this subject discloses that the Court was wrong. State v. Morgan, supra, marks the beginning of the doctrine of utilization by defendant of grand jury testimony during the trial of a case. Here, “At the trial, two of the witnesses for the state, having previously testified before the grand jury, were examined by the district attorney, who used the transcript of their grand jury testimony as a basis for his questions. Counsel for Morgan requested the right to inspect the transcript as to the testimony of these two witnesses, but such request was refused. . It must be conceded that the defendant did not know what the grand jury testimony of the other witnesses was, and that the principal purpose in making the request was the hope of developing impeaching, or at least contradictory, testimony.” [Emphasis added.] [67 N.M. at 289, 354 P.2d at 1003], The Court said: It is most difficult to understand how a defendant, who has never had access to testimony before a grand jury, can show a particularized need for such testimony, for it can only be after seeing the same that it can be determined whether there is a conflict. If the defendant has a right at all to see the grand jury testimony of a witness who is in the process of testifying at the trial, he should certainly have the right to make his own determination whether the prior testimony was conflicting or impeachable. It would appear that the rule adopted by the New York courts is a sound one. The practice appears to be that if the district attorney uses the grand jury testimony during the trial, the defendant will be granted inspection. [Citations omitted.] That jurisdiction also holds' that the extent of inspection will be determined by the court according to the circumstances of each case, and that the defendant will be allowed to examine only the testimony of the witness that he wishes to cross-examine. [Citations omitted.] [Emphasis added.] [67 N.M. at 291, 354 P.2d at 1005]. Reduced to its simplicity, the court “determined that where the prosecutor used grand jury testimony at the trial, the defendant should be permitted to examine the grand jury testimony of that witness for the purpose of cross examination.” State v. Tackett, supra. Tackett held that grand jury testimony could not be obtained “in advance of trial.” Tackett is not applicable. Morgan pointed out that we have no rule of procedure comparable to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 6(c) that has been judicially declared to include “a particularized need.” Mascarenas v. State, supra. The first deviation from the Morgan rule occurred in State v. Valles, supra, where conviction of the defendant on this appeal was affirmed. One basis of the decision was that “nothing in the record shows the grand jury minutes were used at the trial.” This reason was erroneous. In Morgan, the fact was that the district attorney “used the transcript of their grand jury testimony as a basis for his questions,” This does not mean that the district attorney in Valles, who kept the transcript in his office safe, was entitled to proceed in court to question the grand jury witness, thumb his nose at the defendant, and march to victory before the jury. All that was necessary under Morgan was that the district attorney use “grand jury testimony at trial.” “Grand jury testimony at trial” means a witness who testified before the grand jury and then testified at trial. State v. Baca, 85 N.M. 55, 508 P.2d 1352 (Ct.App.1973) followed Valles, supra. I concurred. My error, like that of many appellate judges, flows from a failure to study the history of this rule of law. “[Ojnce the witness has testified at the criminal trial about that which he testified before the grand jury, the accused is entitled to an order permitting examination of that portion of the witness’ grand jury testimony relating to the crime for which defendant is charged.” State v. Sparks, 85 N.M. 429, 431, 512 P.2d 1265, 1267 (Ct.App.1973), approved in State v. Felter, 85 N.M. 619, 515 P.2d 138 (1973); State v. Vigil, 87 N.M. 345, 533 P.2d 578 (1975). Another reason given was that Tackett, supra, called for “a particularized need.” That reason may be true when a defendant demands grand jury testimony “in advance of trial,” not during trial. “There can be no valid reason for requiring the defendant to show a particularized need for the grand jury testimony of a witness who has already appeared and testified publicly in the criminal trial.” State v. Vigil, 85 N.M. 735, 516 P.2d 1118 (1973). This reason given in State v. Valles, supra, was erroneous. See also, State v. Sparks, supra, as discussed in State v. Felter, supra. The interest of a state in a criminal prosecution “is not that it shall win a case, but that justice shall be done.” Berger v. United States, 295 U.S. 78, 88, 55 S.Ct. 629, 79 L.Ed. 1314 (1935). “Justice” is a term that varies from judge to judge, dependent upon his experience in the courtroom. A judge with knowledge and experience knows, (1) that, perhaps, the testimony of the witness at trial may have concealed information given by the witness to the grand jury or the testimony at trial is contradictory and impeachable. (2) That the art of cross-examination for impeachment purposes is invaluable in a search for the truth. It is a cornerstone in the trial of a case. A cornerstone is a large stone laid at the base of a building to strengthen the two walls forming a right angle. In figurative use, it unites the jury and the trial to assure the fair administration of justice in the courts. The jury should have the assurance that the doors that may lead to the truth have been unlocked. It is not necessary for a defendant to demonstrate actual prejudice when the right of cross-examination is denied. In State v. Romero, 87 N.M. 279, 282, 532 P.2d 208 (Ct.App.1975), the following was quoted. As pointed out in Dennis v. United States, 384 U.S. 855, 86 S.Ct. 1840, 16 L.Ed.2d 973 (1966): “[It is not] realistic to assume that the trial court’s judgment as to the utility of material for impeachment or other legitimate purposes, however conscientiously made, would exhaust the possibilities. In our adversary system, it is enough for judges to judge. The determination of what may be useful to the defense can properly and effectively be made only by an advocate.” In Alford v. United States, 282 U.S. 687, 692, 51 S.Ct. 218, 219, 75 L.Ed. 624 (1931), the Court said: Counsel often cannot know in advance what pertinent facts may be elicited on cross-examination. For that reason it is necessarily exploratory; and the rule that the examiner must indicate the purpose of his inquiry does not, in general, apply. [Citations omitted.] It is the essence of a fair trial that reasonable latitude be given the cross-examiner, even though he is unable to state to the court what facts a reasonable cross-examination might develop. Prejudice ensues from a denial of the opportunity to place the witness in his proper setting and put the weight of his testimony and his credibility to a test, without which the jury cannot fairly appraise them. [Citations omitted.] To say that prejudice can be established only by showing that the cross-examination, if pursued, would necessarily have brought out facts tending to discredit the testimony in chief, is to deny a substantial right and withdraw one of the safeguards essential to a fair trial. [Citations omitted.] (3) That “The right of cross-examination is a part of the constitutional right to be confronted with the witnesses against one.” State v. Sparks, supra, 85 N.M. at 430, 512 P.2d at 1266. (4) That disclosure, rather than suppression of relevant matters, ordinarily promotes the proper administration of criminal justice. Rarely is the prosecution justified to have exclusive access to a storehouse of relevant facts. (5) “[0]nce the witness has testified publicly at the criminal trial, any privilege that he had with respect to his testimony on the same subject before the grand jury is lost.” State v. Morgan, supra, 67 N.M. at 290, 354 P.2d at 1004. (6) That the determination of what may be useful to the defense can only be made by the attorney for the defendant. As to the grand jury testimony of Dale Eugene Blythe, the first witness, it is true that the request for his grand jury testimony was not made until the witness had left the stand on a Friday. The following Monday, the defendant made demand that the grand jury minutes be available so that proper examination of all witnesses could be made. The court denied the motion because it was untimely made. Thereafter five grand jury witnesses listed in the indictment testified at trial. Technically, defendant was not entitled to the grand jury testimony of the grand jury witnesses prior to their call to the stand. A defendant is not entitled to all of the grand jury minutes. He is limited to the witness’ testimony as to the specific offense. If the witnesses had not been called, their grand jury testimony would properly be locked in the safe of the district attorney. But it is clear that defendant meant to demand the grand jury testimony of witnesses who would testify at trial as they were called to the stand. Defendant’s demand was timely filed.