Court Opinion

ID: 9852914
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 05:39:00.116824+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:22:37.201636
License: Public Domain

Blackburn, Judge,
dissenting.
I respectfully dissent.
Appellee filed a demand for speedy trial pursuant to OCGA § 17-7-171 during the February 1991 term of court. During the May 1991 and August 1991 terms of court, juries were impanelled and qualified to try appellee. Thus, he must be discharged and acquitted provided *680that he “was present in court announcing ready for trial and requesting a trial on the indictment.” OCGA § 17-7-171 (b).
Decided March 9, 1993.
Richard A. Malone, District Attorney, William S. Askew, Assistant District Attorney, for appellant.
Thomas O’Donnell, for appellee.
In Dennis v. Grimes, 216 Ga. 671 (118 SE2d 923) (1961), relied upon by the majority, the Supreme Court held that the absence of the accused from the court due to his incarceration did not absolve the accused of compliance with the above-quoted requirement of presence in the courtroom because, the court reasoned, “he was represented by counsel who could have done this for him.” Id. at 673. Here, however, unlike the situation in Dennis, the court had entered ex parte orders pursuant to OCGA § 24-10-60 (a) requiring the Board of Corrections to deliver appellee to the custody of the sheriff so that he could be present at court. OCGA § 24-10-60 arises from “the court’s inherent power ... to procure the attendance of convicts” in court, Flagg v. State, 11 Ga. App. 37, 40 (74 SE 562) (1912), and provides that the sheriff “shall take custody of the prisoner on the date named in the order.” (Emphasis supplied.)
Given the mandatory language of OCGA § 24-10-60 (a), I cannot agree with the majority that Dennis controls the case at bar. Reading Dennis to mean that the defendant’s presence at court for the purpose of compliance with OCGA § 17-7-171 is not required even if ordered by the court would render OCGA § 24-10-60 meaningless. “A legislative body should always be presumed to mean something by the passage of an Act and an Act should not be construed so as to render it absolutely meaningless. [Cits.]” (Punctuation omitted.) Buice v. Dixon, 223 Ga. 645, 646-647 (157 SE2d 481) (1967). Allowing the State to fail to comply with an order of the court compelling a defendant’s presence in court and then using that absence to circumvent the speedy trial demand is contrary to the mandatory language of OCGA § 24-10-60 (a) and the court’s power to compel a prisoner’s presence. Such a result also is at odds with the duty of “ ‘the courts and the prosecutors to assure that cases are brought to trial.’ ” Perry v. Mitchell, 253 Ga. 593, 594 (322 SE2d 273) (1984) (quoting Barker v. Wingo, 407 U. S. 514, 529 (92 SC 2182, 33 LE2d 101) (1972)). I do not believe that Dennis requires such a result.
Accordingly, I would affirm the judgment of the trial court.
I am authorized to state that Judge Cooper joins in this dissent.