Court Opinion

ID: 9694446
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 17:41:51.928458+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:20:01.553036
License: Public Domain

NEBEKER, Associate Judge,
with whom HARRIS, Associate Judge, joins, concurring in the result:
While there is some surface appeal to the literal approach of the dissent, I suggest that the use of labels such as “conduct of prosecution”, “defendant”, and “delinquent child” is not really helpful in resolving the jurisdictional issue. An examination of D.C.Code 1973, § 16-2301(3) will disclose that “the term ‘child’ also includes a person under the age of twenty-one who is charged with an offense referred to in subparagraph (A) (i) or (C) committed before he attained the age of sixteen, or a delinquent act committed before he attained the age of eighteen.”1 (Emphasis supplied.) This definition of a “child” operates to prohibit adult prosecution in the instances specified. Thus, it readily can be seen that a “child” can be “charged with an offense” in Family Division delinquency proceedings. Accordingly, I cannot put too much stock in the purely definitional approach taken by my dissenting colleagues. Neither, I might add, is it helpful to characterize juvenile delinquency proceedings as Judge Pair does in terms of being noncriminal. While it has been customary to view the end product of the juvenile process as something other than a criminal conviction, it must be recognized that the means to that end are, in most significant aspects, by criminal process. See In the Matter of M. W. F., D.C.App., 312 A.2d 302 (decided November 28, 1973) (Harris, J., dissenting).
I recognize that generally government appeals are not favored, United States v. Greely, 134 U.S.App.D.C. 196, 413 F.2d 1103 (1969), but it is apparent that in the District of Columbia Court Reorganization Act of 1970, Congress did intend to enlarge the right of appeal from suppression orders and other orders excluding evidence. Ever since Carroll v. United *567States, 354 U.S. 394, 77 S.Ct. 1332, 1 L.Ed.2d 1442 (1957), such a right of appeal has been repeatedly enlarged to the point where any rule of strict construction must give way at least to the point of recognizing that Congress intended this appeal to be taken. See the Boggs Act, 18 U.S.C. § 1404 (1956) (United States appeals of narcotics suppression orders); the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (18 U.S.C. § 3731 and D.C.Code 1969 Supp., § 23-105) (United States appeals of suppression orders generally and in the then District of Columbia courts). Now, by virtue of the 1970 Act, the District of Columbia is specifically included and there is no support for assuming that Congress intended to limit District of Columbia appeals of suppression orders to the types of minor offenses it prosecutes in the Criminal Division of the trial court. See United States v. Greely, supra, 134 U.S.App.D.C. at 197, 413 F.2d at 1104, discussing congressional intent “to allow the Government to bring successful prosecutions when the trial judge has erroneously suppressed evidence”. Such, I believe, is the intent in the 1970 Act.
On the merits of this appeal I do not find it necessary to reach the Fourth Amendment issue. I agree that had there been a search of M. E. H. and a seizure of the weapon from him, it would have been proper. However, the fact is that the weapon was recovered from the floor where M. E. H. had abandoned it before any constitutional intrusion had occurred. In these circumstances, there was no search and seizure of which M. E. H. may complain. See Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218, 93 S.Ct. 2041, 2057, 36 L.Ed.2d 854 (1973), citing Abel v. United States, 362 U.S. 217, 80 S.Ct. 683, 4 L.Ed.2d 668 (1960); Hester v. United States, 265 U.S. 57, 44 S.Ct. 445, 68 L.Ed. 898 (1924); Smith v. United States, D.C.App., 292 A.2d
150 (1972); Parman v. United States, 130 U.S.App.D.C. 188, 399 F.2d 559 (1968).
REILLY, Chief Judge, also concurs in the result.

. Subparagraph. (A) (i) includes serious felonies such as murder, forcible rape, and armed robbery with which a minor between sixteen and eighteen years of age may be charged as if an adult by the United States Attorney. Subparagraph (C) refers to traffic offenses.