Court Opinion

ID: 9718605
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 07:27:50.814571+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:24:00.644762
License: Public Domain

KELLY, Justice
(dissenting).
I join in the dissent of Mr. Justice Peterson. As pointed out in footnote 2 of the majority- opinion, there actually were no written findings and recommendations in this case by the referee. Yet Minn.St. 260.-031, subd. 3, requires final confirmation of the recommendations by the juvenile court judge. If the prosecution is unable to present its views, failure to comply with the statute and other errors will not be called to the attention of the juvenile court judge. We recently received a request that the juvenile court judges be permitted to correct errors before an appeal to our court is made. The majority opinion would limit that opportunity. In our adversary system, it seems incongruous to refuse a hearing on the “findings and recommendations” of a referee. This type of ruling convinces me that referees should be done away with in juvenile court and all hearings should be before a juvenile court judge. Without a presentation by the prosecution, the exercise of the judgment cannot be very meaningful.