Court Opinion

ID: 9618726
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 05:16:22.583922+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:04:31.567950
License: Public Domain

TANZER, J.
specially concurring.
The majority opinion addresses the pretrial release and speedy trial contentions separately and so shall I.
I. Pretrial Release
The problem with the majority discussion of the pretrial release issue is not that the portion of it necessary to the decision is wrong, but that the opinion says more than it ought. I cannot join in the extraneous discussion and I write separately to point out some of the difficulties inherent in it.
The issue presented on a petition for habeas corpus is the legality of the present custody of the plaintiff. Owens v. Duryee, 285 Or 75, 79, 589 P2d 1115 (1979). ORS 34.310 provides:
"Every person imprisoned or otherwise restrained of his liberty, within this state * * * may prosecute a writ of habeas corpus to inquire into the cause of such imprisonment or restraint, and if illegal, to be delivered therefrom.”
The writ presents no issue of what must be done in the future to assure that presently lawful custody remain lawful.
*93The court is empowered only to deal with the situation before it. Under ORS 34.590, the only decision for the court is whether to discharge the plaintiff:
"If no legal cause is shown for the imprisonment or restraint, or for the continuation thereof, the court or judge shall discharge such party from the custody or restraint under which he is held.”
Because the plaintiff is in custody by virtue of a judicial order, then he may be released only if one of several statutory conditions exist. None of those conditions refer to the future. They are set out in ORS 34.610:
"If it appears on the return that the prisoner is in custody by virtue of an order or civil process of any court legally constituted, or issued by an officer in the course of judicial proceedings before him, authorized by law, such prisoner shall be discharged only if one of the following cases exists:
"(1) The jurisdiction of the court or officer has been exceeded, either as to matter, place, sum or person.
"(2) The original imprisonment was lawful, yet by some act, omission or event which has taken place afterwards, the party has become entitled to be discharged.
"(3) The order or process is defective in some matter of substance required by law, rendering the same void.
"(4) The order or process, though in proper form, has been issued in a case not allowed by law.
"(5) the person having the custody of the prisoner under such order or process is not the person empowered by law to detain him.
"(6) The order or process is not authorized by any judgment or decree of any court, nor by any provision of law.”
The majority opinion states correctly that ORS 135.240 and Or Const., Art. I, § 14, require that one accused of murder may only be denied pretrial release if "the proof is evident” or "the presumption strong” that the person is guilty of the crime. The majority opinion then examines the order of August 30,1979, denying pretrial release. That order concluded that there was "more than a fair likelihood” that defendant would be convicted. The majority apparently concludes that the order is legally sufficient on its face and is supported by the evidence. It is arguable that the order misstates the legal standard, but in light of the *94context of the proceeding and the order, I concur in the majority’s conclusion that the order was lawful. Under ORS 34.610, that conclusion is dispositive and any further discussion is superfluous.
It is at this point that the majority opinion goes seriously astray. The majority then does two contradictory things. First, it concludes that the order is regular on its face, that there is sufficient evidence to support the order and that plaintiff is not entitled to release.1 Then it says that it is not certain that the court applied the proper legal standard of proof because of an oral comment of the court, and will not assume that it applied the correct standard. 290 Or at 89-90.
It is fundamental that a written order of the court controls. Where there is a discrepancy between an oral statement of the trial court and its written order, we review the written order. This is because a judge may speak casually when discussing the case or giving guidance to the lawyers as to what his findings or conclusions may be, or, as we observed in State v. Swain/Goldsmith, 267 Or 527, 517 P2d 684 (1974), the court may change its mind in the interim. The judicial act subject to our review is the written order signed by the court. As we said in State v. Swain/Goldsmith:
"We must first determine what the district court decided. This is governed by the order which the district judge signed and not by any statement which he made at the conclusion of the hearing. A judge may change his mind concerning the proper disposition between the time of a hearing and his final action which takes place when he signs the order disposing of the matter. * * *” 267 Or at 530.
The majority upholds the written order. It erroneously bases its conclusion upon what the court said orally. *95The court said orally that it considered the proof the district attorney’s office "feels” they may be able to offer, and the majority holds that what the prosecutor "feels” does not meet the evidentiary standard necessary in a pretrial release hearing. It is obvious that the trial court was referring to the very evidence which the majority holds was properly before it and was sufficient to support the order. Under these circumstances, I cannot join in a conclusion that invalidates an order on the basis of a casual oral statement by the trial judge which is superseded by an order.
The most unacceptable portion of this part of the majority opinion, however, is that it is pure dicta. The majority holds that we would not on habeas corpus "look to the reasons behind the court’s order as long as the undisputed facts did not show the order to be contrary to law,” but then goes on to discuss the trial court’s oral statement because, it states, the existence of a lawful order "does not preclude the circuit court itself from reexamining that order upon a further consideration of the applicable standards.” It is extraordinary that an appellate court would endeavor to pronounce law to be applicable in the unlikely event that a trial court might spontaneously reexamine its own lawful order.
In summary, I concur in the standard for pretrial release stated by the majority and in the majority conclusion that the written order was sufficient. I cannot concur in the additional discussion and holdings.
II. Speedy Trial
The difficulty with the majority resolution of the speedy trial issue also is not that it errs in its analysis of the issue presented, but that it discusses issues not presented. I cannot join in the extraneous discussion of this issue because this case does not give the opportunity to understand fully its implications. For that reason, dicta should be avoided.
The majority commences by observing that the law of speedy trial has statutory and constitutional sources. It continues:
"Their relationship among themselves and with the law governing pretrial detention is complex.” 290 Or at 79.
*96The decision of speedy trial challenges often calls for the application of judgment based upon imprecise criteria. The analysis may be imprecise and judgmental, but it is not necessarily complex. I see the function of this court when faced with the possibility of complexity to simplify it, not to compound it, and that is one reason I write separately.
As I stated above, a writ of habeas corpus puts in issue the legality of the custody of the plaintiff. It deals with the present, not the future. The defendant has answered that custody is lawful because the plaintiff has been indicted for murder. The plaintiff answers that custody is no longer lawful because her right to a speedy trial has been denied and the case must be dismissed. We are not called upon to resolve a motion for trial. The writ properly presents no such demand because this case is in habeas corpus, not mandamus. The issue is whether the plaintiff is entitled to dismissal because a speedy trial has already been denied.
The majority addresses that issue by applying the four factors outlined in Barker v. Wingo, 407 US 514, 92 S Ct 2182, 33 L Ed 2d 101 (1972), which also guide application of the Oregon constitution, State v. Ivory, 278 Or 499, 564 P2d 1039 (1977). I agree generally with the application of those factors to this case.2
Applying the four factors, the majority concludes that the plaintiff is presently not entitled to dismissal because, as far as this record shows, she has not been denied a speedy trial. The majority concludes:
"[W]e do not now decide that plaintiff is entitled to a final dismissal of the charge against her for lack of a speedy trial.” 290 Or at 89-90.
After a discussion of plaintiff’s evidence of prejudice due to the passage of time, the court concludes:
*97"While this evidence reinforces plaintiff’s case for a speedy trial, it does not establish that a fair trial is now no longer possible so as to entitle plaintiff to dismissal of the prosecution upon the present writ.” 290 Or at 90.
That conclusion is dispositive of the writ of habeas corpus and I concur in it.
The portion of the opinion which I would not reach and do not join is that portion dealing with what the majority refers to as the prospective rather than retrospective application of the right to speedy trial. The beginning of the extraneous line of reasoning is:
"It is apparent that different factors [than what?] are important to the substance of the constitutional command [present entitlement to trial] and to the remedy of dismissal.” 290 Or at 81.
That may be, but habeas corpus does not present the occasion to look into the future. There is no demand for prompt trial in this habeas corpus proceeding. The majority concludes that any further postponement while plaintiff remains in custody will be statutorily impermissible (290 Or at 81) and that if the motion to dismiss is renewed and any reasonable possibility of prejudice to plaintiffs defense is found, then the trial court must dismiss the case regardless of the other three factors. 290 Or at 90. The trial court’s future conduct of this case is for the trial court to decide and for this court to review. At this point, anything this court says is advisory and prejudges a record which is yet to be made. We should not write dicta where we do not fully foresee the implications of our analysis or advice.
If, however, the majority chooses to advise the trial court as to the disposition of the criminal case, then it should do so with clarity. As I understand trial and appellate procedure, the trial court has no jurisdiction to order the parties to trial during the pendency of the appeal in the Court of Appeals. The rule applicable to civil cases, ORS 19.033(1), is also applicable to criminal cases whether the appellant be the defendant or the state. In State v. Jackson, 228 Or 371 (1961), defendant appealed a denial of his motion to dismiss the indictment. Thereafter, he was tried and he appealed his conviction. The appeals were *98consolidated. The denial of the motion to dismiss was affirmed, but the judgment was reversed because the trial court had no jurisdiction to proceed after the filing of the notice of appeal. The court said:
"It is a well-settled rule that after jurisdiction has been vested in an appellate court by the taking of an appeal the lower court cannot proceed in any manner so as to affect the jurisdiction acquired by the appellate court or defeat the right of the appellants to prosecute the appeal with effect. 4 A CJS 396, Appeal and Error, § 607. In 3 Am Jur 192, Appeal and Error, § 528, this rule is said to be 'universally recognized.’ It has been recognized by this court in a number of cases, including Caveny v. Asheim et al, 202 Or 195, 208-211, 274 P2d 281; Cranston v. Stanfield et al, 123 Or 314, 319, 261 P 52; State v. Kleckner et al, 116 Or 371, 239 P 817, 240 P 1115.”
* * * *
"The fact that an order refusing to dismiss an indictment is interlocutory, is not of itself controlling. No doubt, there are many cases where an appeal from an interlocutory order does not oust the lower court of jurisdiction to proceed with the case in some of its aspects; but if, as here, the lower court cannot try the case without determining the only question involved in the appeal, then the fact that the appeal is from an interlocutory order becomes immaterial.” 228 Or at 382-383, 385-386.
I assume that this case will be tried if and when the Court of Appeals decides the appeal. I cannot join in the part of the majority opinion which purports to instruct the trial court as to its future disposition of a motion which might be filed at some future stage of the proceedings.
Tongue, J., joins in this opinion.

"That is not the case here. Although there may be some doubt of the circuit court’s legal premises, as stated above and as will be mentioned later, this does not appear from the order itself. As to the strength of the evidence of plaintiffs guilt, the facts are not undisputed. From our own examination of the stipulated record, we cannot say that a judge could not reasonably consider the evidence of plaintiffs guilt to be strong. Accordingly, plaintiff is not entitled to release under the writ of habeas corpus on this issue.” 290 Or at 85.

 I do not join in the reference to State ex rel Oregonian Pub. Co. v. Deiz, 289 Or 277, 613 P2d 23 (1980). In that case we stated the principle that the command of Article I, Section 10, Oregon Constitution, that justice shall be administered openly was a limitation upon the court rather than an expression of a right of either litigant. The principles involved in the entitlement of a member of the public to observe a juvenile court proceeding are not necessarily material to questions of speedy trial. The principles for which SER Oregonian Pub. Co. v. Deiz is cited are not clear to me. Because the plaintiff’s claim can be resolved without reference to it and because the implications of that reference are unclear and unforeseeable, I do not join in that reference.