Court Opinion

ID: 9866510
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-26 13:09:11.23975+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:40:57.099768
License: Public Domain

ON MOTION FOR REHEARING  Counsel for defendant has filed an extensive brief to demonstrate that the discharge of a jury before verdict without manifest necessity therefor is equivalent to an acquittal of the defendant by reason of his constitutional guaranty against being twice put in jeopardy for the same offense. This brief on this point is .entirely superfluous, as this proposition is, so far as we are advised, universally admitted; and in this case it was in the opinion admitted. But we held that where the court, under the circumstances shown by the record, had in its discretion determined that manifest necessity for the discharge of the jury before a verdict existed, we would not review such discretion in the absence of evidence in the record of the abuse of such discretion.  Counsel for defendant has also filed an elaborate brief to demonstrate that the silence of the defendant when the jury was discharged was not equivalent to consent thereto, so as to amount to a waiving of his constitutional guaranty against double jeopardy. It may be admitted, perhaps, that in the greater number of jurisdictions it is held that mere silence on the part of the defendant when the jury is discharged is not the equivalent of express or implied consent thereto; ■ but we consider the doctrine announced in Territory v. Donahue,'16 N. M. 17, as a great advance in the administration of justice and one well calculated to promote the proper conduct of criminal prosecutions. It simply requires of the defendant that he treat the court with the same fairness and candor that he demands of the court. The mere fact that a man is on trial for crime does not relieve him of the duty to the court to make known his objections to error about to be committed which may result in injury to him. Of course, in one sense, the action of a court in erroneously discharging a jury and declaring a mistrial, results, ultimately in a benefit to the defendant, in that it amounts to an exemption from further prosecution. But the immediate wrong to the defendant consists in the discharging of a jury from whom he has reason to believe he may obtain a verdict of acquittal. If he has reason to so believe, and really wants the jury to further consider his case, it is certainly his duty to make his desires known to the court, and, failing so to do, he waives his objections to the action taken. In this connection we feel that it would be well for district judges, before discharging a jury for failure to agree upon a verdict, to call upon the defendant for his consent or objections to the proposed action, thus stopping before it starts all controversy as to violation of his constitutional rights in regard to second jeopardy. Of course, the court may, over the objection of the defendant, discharge the jury and declare a mistrial when, under all the circumstances, the court in its discretion deems it an impossibility for the jury to agree. Counsel for defendant merely mentions the question of the admissibility of the defendant’s confession and simply refers to his former brief on the subject. We do not deem it necessary or advisable to re-examine this question, being satisfied with the disposition made of it in our former opinion. It follows that the motion for rehearing by defendant should be denied, and the former opinion adhered to, and it is so ordered. BICKLEY, C. J., and WATSON, J., concur. CATRON and SIMMS, JJ., did not participate.