Court Opinion

ID: 9558412
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 17:09:07.950404+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:09:12.966007
License: Public Domain

McFarland, C.J.,
concurring in part and dissenting in part: I concur in that portion of the majority opinion which affirms defendant’s conviction of furnishing alcoholic liquor to a minor. I dissent from the majority opinion’s affirmance of the downward durational departure sentence imposed on defendant’s conviction of aggravated indecent liberties with a child.
The sentencing guidelines were intended to and do significantly restrict a trial court’s discretion in sentencing. The legislature has determined the presumptive sentence for each offense, factoring in the particular defendant’s criminal history. A judge may depart from the presumptive sentence but only if in compliance with the relevant statutory provisions.
K.S.A. 1998 Supp. 21-4716 provides in pertinent part:
“(a) The sentencing judge shall impose the presumptive sentence provided by die sentencing guidelines for crimes committed on or after July 1, 1993, unless die judge finds substantial and compelling reasons to impose a departure. If die sentencing judge departs from the presumptive sentence, the judge shall state on the record at die time of sentencing the substantial and compelling reasons for die departure.
K.S.A. 21-4721 concerns appellate review of departure sentences and provides in pertinent part:
*285“(d) In any appeal from a judgment of conviction imposing a sentence that departs from the presumptive sentence prescribed by the sentencing grid for a crime, sentence review shall be limited to whether the sentencing court’s findings of fact and reasons justifying a departure:
(1) Are supported by the evidence in the record; and
(2) constitute substantial and compelling reasons for departure.”
Whether the factors relied upon by the court constitute substantial and compelling reasons for departure is a question of law. The court must state on the record at the time of sentencing the substantial and compelling reasons for the departure. The court’s comments at the time of sentencing govern as to the reasons for departure. State v. Jackson, 262 Kan. 119, 134-35, 936 P.2d 761 (1997).
The term “substantial” refers to something that is real, not imagined, something with substance and not ephemeral. The term “compelling” implies that the court is forced, by the facts of the case, to leave the status quo or go beyond what is ordinary. State v. Eisele, 262 Kan. 80, 84, 936 P.2d 742 (1997).
The factor the majority opinion finds to be legally sufficient herein to support the downward departure is K.S.A. 1998 Supp. 21-4716(b)(1)(A), which provides: “The victim was an aggressor or participant in the criminal conduct associated with the crime of conviction.”
The legislature has determined the presumptive sentence herein. Only if there is a substantial reason that is so out of the ordinary that it compels imposition of a greater or lesser sentence may the court depart from the presumptive sentence. The majority concludes the sentencing court’s downward departure sentence is supported by the factor that the victim participated in the crime.
The narrow issue before this court is whether the sentencing court’s findings of fact and reasons justifying a downward durational departure are (1) supported by the evidence in the record and (2) constitute substantial and compelling reasons for departure.
The sentencing judge was required to state his reason or reasons for departure. The court’s comments are what the appellate court reviews.
*286In their entirety, these comments are set forth as follows:
“THE COURT: Well, from my point of view, I believe that — I’ve been coming down here for a few months, and I think that this young lady, [S.R.], in one fashion or another has been involved in at least four or five of the jury trials that I’ve heard. She’s either a witness or she’s a victim or whatever. I certainly agree with you, Mr. Lee [county attorney], the defendant’s behavior at the time of the arrest and thereafter, with all of his smart remarks, and so forth, they don’t — aren’t appealing to me.
“But the other tiling that doesn’t appeal to me is that this law is supposed to protect children, I agree it’s supposed to protect them, but when you get a victim like die victim involved in diis case, hell, she doesn’t want to be protected, she wants to be — you know, there’s too many women in this courtroom or I would use the word — she wants to go to bed, she wants to have sex, she wants to screw everybody. That’s what she wants to do. And so I can’t feel any great compassion for her, that’s for sure. But I also know what die law is. And, you know, this young man violated that law, right or wrong, and so fordi.
“I’m not going to deviate on die departure to the point of Community Corrections, probation, or anything else, but I am going to kick some of the — the months off of the sentence, and even though I don’t like this young man’s prior criminal history and prior behavior and the behavior at the time that he was arrested in this case. And the only thing I’ve got to say about that is, whatever his past criminal history and what lie’s going to serve as a result of this crime, and looking at his history, he’ll come back and he’ll be back.
“So I’m going to, if I can go right into what I’m going to do, I’m going to reduce the 60 months down to 40 months. And I want HIV testing. I want whatever else die State might want regarding diat. And diat’s basically the ruling of die Court. And I want him to stay in jail and be shipped off.”
As far as the court was concerned, the sentencing was completed. Counsel for the State tactfully reminded the court that there were the two misdemeanors on which sentencing awaited and that, on the felony, only the departure issue had been decided. The judge entered sentence on the misdemeanors and stated he had nothing further to add on the felony sentence.
Leaving for the moment any discussion of the appalling and unjudicial nature of the trial judge’s comments, let us analyze his statement. By his own words, the trial judge found no reason for departure in anything about defendant or his conduct. Neither did the sentencing judge state his departure sentence was based on the victim being a participant. He departed from the presumptive sentence solely on the basis that this victim had been involved in other *287unspecified jury trials as a victim, witness, or “whatever” and “wants to screw everybody.” There is no support for these statements in the record. The judge seemed to see the victim herein not as an individual but as some sort of generic stereotype of a promiscuous young girl. Applying the statutory standard of review, is this “finding” supported by the record and does it constitute a substantial and compelling reason for departure? The answer should be a resounding no.
Let us look at the facts herein. On November 9, 1996, two minor girls, S.R. (age 14) and A.C. (age 13), went to a residence on West Street in Emporia and sat in the living room. Two residents of the house were present, Chrysanne Tatman and Randall Ricketts. Defendant was also in the living room. Defendant, age 19, started plying S.R. with beer and “Virgin” brand bourbon. This was the first time S.R. had met defendant and the first time S.R. had drunk bourbon. She had had alcohol on one prior occasion. S.R. remembers kissing defendant. She became dizzy and nauseated. Tatman testified to seeing the intoxicated girl, either naked or only wearing her underpants, in the bathroom assisted by defendant, although S.R. has no recall thereof. S.R.’s next recall was waking up on Tat-man’s bed with A.C. beside her and vomit on the bed. S.R. had her outer clothes on but later discovered that her underwear was missing. She was taken home by two young women. Because of S.R.’s condition, her mother took her to a local hospital. The examining physician testified that as a result of his observation of the condition of her vaginal area, he told police he believed S.R. had been raped. Defendant advised Tatman that night that he had had sexual relations with S.R.
Defendant was still at the residence when police officers served a search warrant. Officers testified defendant said the following: “he couldn’t even remember the drunk bitch he fucked last night but it’s nothing but a chicken wing”; “sex, drugs, and rock and roll”; when a detective picked up the bottle of Virgin Whiskey: “Virgin Whiskey, give that to a virgin and they’re not a virgin much longer” (laughing); “If they are old enough to grow hair and bleed, they’re old enough to breed and have sex.” Defendant also told officers the intercourse with S.R. was consensual.
*288At the hearing on his motion for a downward durational or dis-positional departure, defendant called S.R. as a witness. She was consistent with her trial testimony which was that she became drunk on bourbon given her by defendant (and Tatman), never consented to intercourse, and had no recall of the sexual act.
It is undisputed that 14-year-old S.R. was so intoxicated on bourbon supplied by defendant that she had no recall of the sexual intercourse. Defendant’s statement at sentencing that S.R. wanted to have sex with him is inconsistent with his statements made to the police officers at the time of his arrest concerning getting S.R. drunk in order to have sex with her. Tatman’s comments that the victim had indicated earlier that she wanted to have sex with defendant is highly suspect due to her own culpability of supplying liquor to the minor victim and the sexual act occurring in Tatman’s residence. Tatman was aware of what was occurring with the minor girl.
By his own words, defendant intentionally caused the minor victim to become so intoxicated she did not resist his sexual advances. It is undisputed the victim was so drunk she had no recall of the sexual act. This is the so-called participation by the victim which the majority opinion finds compelled the sentencing court to enter a downward departure sentence.
Measured by any yardstick or legal standard, this is a legally inadequate basis for departure from the presumptive sentence. The sentence should be vacated on this basis alone.
This however cannot end the discussion. The sentencing judge’s gutter language and total disregard for his judicial role resulted in a sentencing lacking even the most elemental indicia of a fair and impartial judicial proceeding.
The judge herein was disciplined by the Commission on Judicial Qualifications for his handling of this sentencing hearing, upon the findings he violated Canon 2A and Canon 3B(4) of the Code of Judicial Conduct which provide:
“Canon 2
“A Judge Shall Avoid Impropriety and the Appearance of Impropriety in All of the Judge’s Activities
*289“A. A judge shall respect and comply with the law and shall act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciaiy.” Supreme Court Rule 601A (1999 Kan. Ct. R. Annot. 465).
“Canon 3

“A Judge Shall Perform the Duties of Judicial Office Impartially and Diligently

“[B] (4) A judge shall be patient, dignified, and courteous to litigants, jurors, witnesses, lawyers, and others with whom the judge deals in an official capacity, and shall require similar conduct of lawyers, and of staff, court officials and others subject to die judge’s direction and control." Supreme Court Rule 601A (1999 Kan. Ct. R. Annot. 466-67).
Further, our Preamble to the Code of Judicial Conduct reiterates the importance of judicial decorum:
“Our legal system is based on the principle diat an independent, fair and competent judiciary will interpret and apply the laws that govern us. The role of the judiciary is central to American concepts of justice and the rule of law. Intrinsic to all sections of this Code are the precepts that judges, individually and collectively, must respect and honor die judicial office as a public trust and strive to enhance and maintain confidence in our legal system. The judge is an arbiter of facts and law for the resolution of disputes and a highly visible symbol of government under die rule of law.” Rule 601A (1999 Kan. Ct. R. Annot. 461).
Recently, in State v. Scales, 261 Kan. 734, 933 P.2d 737 (1997), in a unanimous opinion authored by Justice Davis on petition for review from the Court of Appeals, we vacated a trial court’s imposition of a maximum presumptive sentence due to judicial misconduct. Although the underlying facts of that case involved a judge’s ex parte communication with the victim’s family, a situation not involved here, our discussion about judicial decorum and conduct still applies and is equally applicable to the judicial misconduct here.
In Scales, the defendant appealed his sentence, alleging that it was imposed as a result of partiality, prejudice, oppression, or corrupt motive and amounted to an abuse of discretion. While the Court of Appeals acknowledged that the trial court’s ex parte communication violated the Code of Judicial Conduct, it nonetheless concluded that the defendant had failed to prove an abuse of discretion. We disagreed, noting that “we need look no further than *290the nature of the hearing that took place upon sentencing to conclude that the proceeding was inherently unfair.” 261 Kan. at 738. While not all ex parte communications with a trial court require reversal, we held the communications in Scales “undermine any confidence we have in the impartiality of the sentencing proceeding.” 261 Kan. at 738. The judicial misconduct in the case before us here is far more egregious than that in Scales.
Impartiality is at the foundation of our criminal justice system and applies equally to both the State and the defendant. We quoted Justice Cardozo in Scales, as follows:
“Justice Cardozo emphasizes the importance of the appearance of impartiality: ‘One of the most fundamental social interests is that law shall be uniform and impartial. There must be nothing in its action that savors of prejudice or favor or even arbitrary whim or fitfulness.’ Cardozo, The Nature of the Judicial Process, p. 112 (1921), as quoted in Shaman [Lubert & Alfini], Judicial Conduct and Ethics § 3.01 ([2d ed.] 1995).” 261 Kan. at 739.
Returning to the source of the above quote, we find that Shaman also stated:
“Because a judge’s courtroom conduct symbolizes the law in action, a judge compromises the notion that tire law is uniform and impartial in its application by failing to adhere to the dictates of those provisions of the Code dealing with a judge’s behavior in performing his or her adjudicative responsibilities, particularly those of Canon 3B of the 1990 Model Code . . . .” Shaman, Lubert & Alfini, Judicial Conduct and Ethics § 3.01 (2d ed. 1995).
The downward departure sentence was clearly grounded in the trial court’s prejudice and bias against the victim. He viewed her as a stereotype of a young slut whose conduct resulted in men getting into trouble with the law. There is nothing in the record that this young victim was in any respect like the judge’s stereotype of her. This unbelievably off-the-wall reasoning harkens back to an earlier time when female sexual victims were portrayed as wantons who just got the treatment they deserved. Defendant plied her with alcohol so he could have sex with her. There is no evidence at all supporting the judge’s comment “she wants to screw everybody.” Indeed, there is no evidence of her knowingly having had sexual relations with anybody.
*291The judge’s conduct and comments made an insulting and demeaning shambles of the proceeding. This judge’s comments show an incredible prejudice and oppression against the minor victim herein. This court’s judicial duty is to strive to enhance and maintain confidence in our legal system.
The only thing substantial and compelling in this case is the need to vacate the sentence imposed and to remand this case for re-sentencing before an impartial judge who will conduct the proceeding with judicial decorum, hear all relevant evidence, and make such findings as he or she may deem appropriate concerning whether a legally factual basis exists which compels a downward durational departure.