Court Opinion

ID: 9612995
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 04:13:23.281495+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T11:56:23.153409
License: Public Domain

Carley, Justice,
concurring specially.
I agree with the majority that, in this case, the request for and grant of the continuance by Rice constituted a waiver of his speedy trial demand pursuant to OCGA § 17-7-171. I also agree that cases decided under OCGA § 17-7-170 are distinguishable because that Code section, unlike OCGA § 17-7-171, does not contain any requirement that the defendant be in court announcing ready for trial after the making of a demand for speedy trial.
However, I cannot concur in the majority’s holding that “any continuance granted at the defendant’s request will operate as a waiver of a speedy trial demand under OCGA § 17-7-171. . . .” (Emphasis supplied.) (Majority opinion, page 847.) While I agree with the establishment of a “bright line” rule, the holding that any continuance granted at the request of the defendant after the making of his speedy trial demand will result in a waiver is inconsistent with the majority’s very rationale for distinguishing demands made under OCGA § 17-7-171 from those made under OCGA § 17-7-170. That distinction is based upon the language of OCGA § 17-7-171 (b), to wit:
If more than two regular terms of court are convened and adjourned after the term at which the demand is filed and the defendant is not given a trial, then he shall be absolutely discharged and acquitted of the offense charged in the indictment, provided that at both terms there were juries impaneled and qualified to try the defendant and provided, further, that the defendant was present in court announcing ready for trial and requesting a trial on the indictment.
(Emphasis supplied.) In addition to the requirement that the defendant be “present in court announcing ready for trial . . .” OCGA § 17-7-171 differs from OCGA § 17-7-170 in another way. Under OCGA § 17-7-170, a speedy trial demand requires that the defendant be tried at the term “when the demand is made or at the next succeeding regular court term thereafter. . . .” OCGA § 17-7-170 (b). However, in a capital case, the State may try the defendant at the term when the demand is filed or during the “two regular terms of court . . . convened . . . after the term at which the demand is *849filed. . . .” OCGA § 17-7-171 (b). See generally Henry v. James, 264 Ga. 527 (1) (449 SE2d 79) (1994).
Decided January 23, 1995.
Angela B. Clarke, for appellant.
Lewis R. Slaton, District Attorney, A. Nevell Owens, Carl P. Greenberg, Assistant District Attorneys, Michael J. Bowers, Attorney General, for appellee.
In order to avoid waiving his demand for speedy trial under OCGA § 17-7-171, the defendant need only be “present in court announcing ready for trial” at the two terms following the expiration of the term at which the demand is made. In this case, the request for continuance was made and granted during one of those succeeding terms and, thus, I agree that Rice waived his right to a speedy trial under the statute. However, if a defendant in a capital case makes a demand for speedy trial and, subsequently, is granted a continuance which expires during the same term at which his demand was made, he can nevertheless insist that he be tried at either of the two regular terms of court following the term in which the demand was made. In such a situation, the grant of defendant’s request for a continuance would not waive his right to seek discharge and acquittal if he were not tried at the two regular terms of court which were “convened and adjourned after the term” during which he made his demand for speedy trial pursuant to OCGA § 17-7-171. To the extent that the application of the majority’s holding in this case would result in a waiver of a defendant’s speedy trial demand when there has been no grant to the defendant of a continuance during the two succeeding terms, it would, in my opinion, be contrary to the plain language of the statute.
I am authorized to state that Presiding Justice Benham joins in this special concurrence.