Court Opinion

ID: 9698687
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 19:57:39.482913+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:20:42.756964
License: Public Domain

WIEAND, Judge,
concurring:
I concur in the holding of the majority that retrial is not barred by principles of double jeopardy. I write separately because of my disagreement with language in the majority opinion to the effect that the decision of the United States Supreme Court in Oregon v. Kennedy1 must be given prospective application only.
The Supreme Court in Kennedy, although acknowledging the existence of confusion because of language in prior decisions, determined to clarify the “confusion” by stating the law to be that “ ‘reprosecution of a defendant who has successfully moved for a mistrial is not barred, so long as the Government did not deliberately seek to provoke the mistrial request.’ ” Id. at 678 n. 8, 102 S.Ct. at 2090-2091 n. 8, 72 L.Ed.2d at 426 n. 8, quoting United States v. DiFrancesco, 449 U.S. 117, 130, 101 S.Ct. 426, 434, 66 L.Ed.2d 328, 341 (1980). This decision did not represent a clear break with precedent. The Court did no more than clarify prior decisional language while applying settled precedents to the facts of the case then before it. Because the decision in Kennedy did not in fact alter existing precedent, it may be applied retrospectively to all cases pending on direct appeal. United States v. Johnson, 457 U.S. 537, 548-549, 102 S.Ct. 2579, 2587, 73 L.Ed.2d 202, 213 (1982). See: In re V.G.E., 452 A.2d 1195 (D.C.1982). See also: Commonwealth v. Price, 318 Pa.Super. 240, 464 A.2d 1320 (1983) (Illinois v. *298Gates, 462 U.S. 213, 103 S.Ct. 2317, 76 L.Ed.2d 527 to be applied retrospectively to all cases on direct appeal at time decision rendered).
The double jeopardy protections afforded by federal and state constitutions are coextensive. Commonwealth v. Hude, 492 Pa. 600, 613, 425 A.2d 313, 320 (1980). The courts of Pennsylvania have generally followed decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States in interpreting the double jeopardy clause of the state constitution. Commonwealth v. Beaver, 317 Pa.Super. 88, 100, 463 A.2d 1097, 1103 (1983). This Court has decided, subject to final review by the Supreme Court, that it will apply the double jeopardy parameters defined in Oregon v. Kennedy, supra, to cases arising under the state constitution. Commonwealth v. Beaver, supra, 317 Pa.Superior Ct. at 101, 463 A.2d at 1104, citing Commonwealth v. Wallace, 500 Pa. 270, 455 A.2d 1187 (1983) (Nix, J., concurring). I agree that we should do this. Because I am unable to discern any valid reason for denying retrospective application of those parameters, however, I would hold that Oregon v. Kennedy, supra, is applicable equally to all cases, whether arising before or after the date thereof. We would thus achieve uniformity without placing any defendant in danger of discernible injustice or hardship.2

. My research has failed to disclose any case in which a second trial was held to be barred by prosecutorial misconduct resulting in a mistrial or the award of a new trial where such misconduct was not prompted by an intent to abort the trial for the purpose of enhancing the chances for obtaining a conviction before a different jury. In general, the award of a new trial has been held to be an adequate response to prosecutorial misconduct.