Court Opinion

ID: 9792627
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 02:32:20.210913+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:37:44.007127
License: Public Domain

EDMONDS, J., Dissenting.
I dissent. The record in this case shows that the defendant was convicted upon a trial during which the judge was guilty of misconduct which no appellate court should either excuse or ignore. The fact that the evidence points very conclusively to the defendant’s guilt does not take from him his right to a fair and impartial trial. One charged with crime is presumed to be innocent until the contrary is proved. The privilege of a trial judge to comment upon the evidence does not authorize him to either assume the role of prosecutor or to convey to the jury his personal opinion concerning any question of fact. (Peo*672pie v. Talkington, 8 Cal. App. (2d) 75 [47 Pac. (2d) 368]; Hunter v. United States, 62 Fed. (2d) 217, 220.) It is his duty to insure the defendant his constitutional rights, and to maintain an attitude of unswerving impartiality between the prosecution and the defense, regardless of the seriousness of the crime or his own certainty of the defendant’s guilt. (People v. Sheffield, 108 Cal. App. 721, 732 [293 Pac. 72]; People v. Brady, 56 Cal. App. 777, 789 [206 Pac. 668]; People v. Hartman, 103 Cal. 242, 245 [37 Pac. 153, 42 Am. St. Rep. 108].)
Throughout the trial of this ease the judge showed intense animosity toward the defendant and his counsel. Thirty-five instances of asserted misconduct are cited as grounds for reversal of the judgment. Apparently the nature of the offense with which the defendant was charged improperly influenced the judge and caused him to make rulings which have no legal support. Upon the hearing of a motion for a new trial he very frankly stated that having a belief in O’Donnell’s guilt, “perhaps the Court was incapable of concealing entirely his strictly personal sentiments toward the defendant”. A more accurate statement would be that from the beginning of the trial to its conclusion his “sentiments toward the defendant” were expressed by statements made to or before the jurors which could only mean that he expected and desired them to return verdicts of guilty. Moreover, his comment upon the conduct of defendant’s counsel was both intemperate and unjustified. It indicated that he believed they were presenting a defense which was' entirely without merit.
For example, in a discussion concerning the proceedings upon a former trial of the defendant, it was stated that he had entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity to the information as originally filed. “And that,” said the judge, “implies guilt upon his part”. In his instructions to the jury the judge again referred to this plea. After stating that the defendant had been tried upon the original information to which the defendant pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, he said that “the jury were unable to agree as to whether the defendant was sane or insane at the time he committed the offense of violating section 288 of the Penal Code”. The record also shows that the defendant was asked about this plea when he testified as a witness in *673his own behalf. He explained that he entered it upon the advice of his then counsel “not knowing that when I made that plea of not guilty by reason of insanity* that I was making a plea of guilty, until I heard the judge make the assertion here, and when I tried to get my attorneys to contradict the judge they said ‘Sit down and shut up’ ”. The deputy district attorney then stated he had no further questions, whereupon the judge said, “Yes, get away. I do not know whether he has attorneys any more. Do you gentlemen still appear for him?” The reply of Mr. Mullins to this question was, “Yes, your Honor, and will continue to.” The judge concluded with the remark, “I sympathize with counsel for the defendant now.”
The defendant also cites as misconduct many remarks of the trial judge which were made during the examination of witnesses. During the cross-examination of an expert who testified concerning the result of certain chemical tests the judge said, “I am not going to permit the character of the testimony of a perfectly disinterested expert to be questioned, • not when there is very good reason for it. ’ ’ Another expert witness for the prosecution, the examining physician for the San Francisco juvenile court, testified that she had thrown away the slides containing smears which had been analyzed. On cross-examination she was asked: “You do not consider there is any further value to these smears?’.’ The deputy district attorney objected to this question, whereupon the judge said: “Objection sustained. I said yesterday, counsel, that I am not going to permit counsel, even by inference, to throw discredit upon the testimony of public officials who come here to testify, who are perfectly disinterested, and testify to facts within their own knowledge.” At another time he said: “That is a silly theory, counsel. You are so subtle that you are over my head altogether.”
Although many of the statements made by the judge were not assigned as error at the time of their occurrence, the record shows that with one exception, every claim of misconduct which was made during the trial was disregarded by him. The general rule that remarks which are relied upon as misconduct must be objected to .at the time they are made and the court requested to admonish the jury concerning them or they will not be considered as ground for reversal of the judgment upon appeal, has one well-recognized ex*674ception to it. Where an examination of the entire record shows a persistent course of conduct from which it is apparent that objection would have been useless, or, if the acts complained of are of such a character that no admonition to the jury would have removed their effect, then the absence of an assignment of error at the time the remark was made will not preclude one from raising the point upon appeal. (People v. Mahoney, 201 Cal. 618, 622 [258 Pac. 607]; People v. Frank, 71 Cal. App. 575, 585 [236 Pac. 189].) The present case clearly comes within the exception and is a striking example of the necessity for it.
Nor does the fact that a record shows evidence which, if believed, points unmistakably to the defendant’s guilt, save the judgment from reversal under article YI, section 4%, of the Constitution. Even convincing proof of a defendant’s guilt does not necessarily mean that there has been no miscarriage of justice. (People v. Mahoney, supra; People v. Patubo, 9 Cal. (2d) 537 [71 Pac. (2d) 270, 113 A. L. R. 1303].) A defendant is presumed to be innocent until conviction and is entitled to a fair trial. When that right is violated it amounts to a denial of due process of law. (Powell v. Alabama, 287 U. S. 45, 52 [53 Sup. Ct. 55, 77 L. Ed. 158, 84 A. L. R. 527].) The purpose of a trial is to present the facts in a given case. From those facts and the law applicable to them, the determination of guilt or innocence is to be reached.
When a trial judge persists in statements before the jury which plainly indicate his belief in the defendant’s guilt, extols the prosecution’s witnesses, forbids their cross-examination, belittles defendant’s counsel by frequent comments concerning the presentation of the defense and generally discredits their efforts, every principle of law demands a new trial.
' For these reasons both the judgment and the order denying a new trial should be reversed.
Houser, J., concurred.