Court Opinion

ID: 9542835
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 16:39:17.715513+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:09:04.195529
License: Public Domain

DISSENT BACA, Justice. {33} I respectfully dissent from the Court’s opinion. I would affirm the Court of Appeals conclusion under the Fourth Amendment the search of Paul’s pockets was reasonable under the circumstances. {34} I would hold that under a Terry analysis, Officer Serna’s emptying of Paul’s pockets did not exceed the scope of a warrantless protective search. Weapons come in all shapes and sizes. Had Officer Serna been able to discern that the solid objects he felt during the pat-down were coins, then the subsequent search of Paul’s pockets would not have been justified. However, when Officer Serna could not identify the solid object, emptying Paul’s pockets was proper. Indeed, the majority notes that in United States v. Oates, 560 F.2d 45, 62 (2nd Cir.1977), that “[i]f by touch the officer remains uncertain as to whether the article producing the bulge might be a weapon, he is entitled to remove it.” Even the majority’s citation of LaFave supports providing officers with some “leeway”. Objects determined to be of “substantial size” have included objects such as a cigarette lighter, several keys taped together, and money in metal clips. Although it is unclear how many coins Paul had in his pocket, I would still defer to the children’s court’s ruling and thus I would find Officer Serna’s search of Paul’s pockets reasonable under the circumstances. {35} I also write to comment on the majority’s use of the interstitial approach to independently interpret our state constitution. See State v. Gomez, 1997-NMSC-006, 122 N.M. 777, 932 P.2d 1. When independently interpreting a state constitution whose provisions are analogous to federal constitutional provisions, the state court may consider various reasons for departing from federal constitutional interpretations. In Gomez, the Court outlined the following non-exclusive criteria: 1) a flawed federal analysis; 2) distinctive state characteristics; or 3) an undeveloped federal analog. Id. ¶¶ 19-20.1  {36} I believe the majority’s analysis fails to properly address these or any other criteria justifying its holding that “under Article II, Section 10[, the] search of Paul’s pockets cannot be considered as ‘akin’ to a search incident to arrest.” The majority’s discussion does not examine how trends in Article II Section 10 jurisprudence support the holding that a search of a minor taken into custody for a curfew violation cannot be considered akin to a search incident to arrest. The Court’s reliance on cases from other jurisdictions does not provide an adequate substitute. {37} The adoption of the interstitial approach provides this Court with a tool that “theoretically remov[es] the opportunity for the judiciaries to arbitrarily apply state constitutional provisions.” Jennifer Cutcliffe Juste, Constitutional Law — The Effect of State Constitutional Interpretation on New Mexico’s Civil and Criminal Procedure-State v. Gomez, 28 N.M.L.Rev. 355, 362 (Spring 1998) (citing John W. Shaw, Comment, Principled Interpretations of State Constitutional Law — Why Don’t the “Primacy” States Practice What They Preach?, 54 U. Pitt. L.Rev. 1019, 1025, note 17 (1993)). I believe it is the Court’s duty to provide a principled basis for its interpretation' of Article II, Section 10. A more comprehensive treatment would aid in the development of New Mexico’s state constitutional jurisprudence, help further refine the application of the interstitial approach, and provide the bar and other jurists in New Mexico with structured guidance. {38} Finally, because I would hold that Officer Serna’s search was reasonable, I would not reach the issue of consent and would thus affirm the conviction without a remand.  . In State, v. Hunt, the New Jersey Supreme Court suggested additional reasons to justify the divergence from federal constitutional interpretation: 1) differences in textual language; 2) legislative history; 3) preexisting state law; 4) structural differences between state and federal constitutions; 5) matters of particular state interest or local concern; 6) state traditions; and 7) public attitudes. 91 N.J. 338, 450 A.2d 952, 965-967 (1982) (J. Handler, concurring).