Court Opinion

ID: 9723588
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 10:22:14.491599+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:24:50.216056
License: Public Domain

MILLER, J.
I respectfully dissent.
The seriousness of charging, and possibly imposing, the death penalty deserves close scrutiny of the entire judicial process, including the initial charging of special circumstances.
It is well established that “an accused in a criminal prosecution may compel discovery by demonstrating that the requested information will facilitate the ascertainment of the facts and a fair trial. [Citations.] The requisite showing may be satisfied by general allegations which establish some cause for discovery other than ‘a mere desire for the benefit of all information which has been obtained by the People in their investigation of the crime.’ [Citations.]” Pitchess v. Superior Court (1974) 11 Cal.3d 531, 536-537 [113 Cal.Rptr. 897, 522 P.2d 305]; see also *588Griffin v. Municipal Court (1977) 20 Cal.3d 300, 306 [142 Cal.Rptr. 286, 571 P.2d 997]; Arcelona v. Municipal Court (1980) 113 Cal.App.3d 523, 528-529 [169 Cal.Rptr. 877].) Unless there is some reason that information be kept confidential for the purposes of effective law enforcement, the state has no interest in denying a defendant access to all evidence that can throw light on issues in the case. (People v. Municipal Court (Street) (1979) 89 Cal.App.3d 739, 749 [153 Cal.Rptr. 69].)
It is clear that discriminatory enforcement of the laws may be a valid defense in a case in which the defendant can establish deliberate invidious discrimination by prosecutorial authorities. (Griffin v. Municipal Court, supra, 20 Cal.3d 300, 306, Murgia v. Municipal Court (1975) 15 Cal.3d 286, 290 [124 Cal.Rptr. 204, 540 P.2d 44].) Thus, in criminal cases defendants may pursue discovery with respect to a claim that such prejudice was the moving force behind the proceedings. (Griffin v. Municipal Court, supra, 20 Cal.App.3d at p. 302; Murgia v. Municipal Court, supra, 15 Cal.3d at p. 291; People v. Municipal Court (Street), supra, 89 Cal.App.3d at p. 745.)
In the present action petitioner does not assert that he has been intentionally singled out by the prosecuting authorities on an invidiously discriminatory basis. Rather, he argues that the statute under which he had been charged with special circumstances has not been applied to all individuals who fit within its terms. Relying on Furman v. Georgia (1972) 408 U.S. 238 [33 L.Ed.2d 346, 92 S.Ct. 2726] and Gregg v. Georgia (1976) 428 U.S. 153 [49 L.Ed.2d 859, 96 S.Ct. 2909], petitioner contends that because of the uniqueness of the death penalty, the latter cannot be imposed under sentencing procedures that are applied in an arbitrary and capricious manner. Consistent with that principle the state and its agents are not free to seek death for a capriciously selected random handful of defendants.
“While Furman did not hold that the infliction of the death penalty per se violates the Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishments, it did recognize that the penalty of death is different in kind from any other punishment imposed under our system of criminal justice. Because of the uniqueness of the death penalty, Furman held that it could not be imposed under sentencing procedures that created a substantial risk that it would be inflicted in an arbitrary and capricious manner. ... [¶] Furman mandates that where discretion is afforded a sentencing body on a matter so grave as the determination of whether a *589human life should be taken or spared, that discretion must be suitably directed and limited so as to minimize the risk of wholly arbitrary and capricious action.” (Gregg v. Georgia, supra, 428 U.S. at pp. 188-189 [49 L.Ed.2d at p. 883]; see also, People v. Frierson (1979) 25 Cal.3d 142, 173-174 [158 Cal.Rptr. 281, 599 P.2d 587].) Thus, Furman held that, “in order to minimize the risk that the death penalty would be imposed on a capriciously selected group of offenders, the decision to impose it had to be guided by standards so that the sentencing authority would focus on the particularized circumstances of the crime and the defendant.” (Gregg v. Georgia, supra, 428 U.S. at p. 199 [49 L.Ed.2d at p. 889], italics supplied; see also Rockwell v. Superior Court (1976) 18 Cal.3d 420, 430 [134 Cal.Rptr. 650, 556 P.2d 1101].)
In Gregg, the United States Supreme Court upheld the Georgia legislation enacted in response to Furman. The court discussed several features of the new legislation which eliminated Furman defects. One such provision was a statute charging the Georgia Supreme Court with “responsibility to determine not only whether the evidence supports the jury’s determination as to special circumstances, but also whether the death penalty ‘was imposed under the influence of passion, prejudice, or any other arbitrary factor,’ and to consider whether that penalty is excessive in comparison with penalties ‘imposed in similar cases, considering both the crime and the defendant.’ (Ga. Code Ann. § 27-2537 (Supp. 1975).) Provision [was] also made for compilation of the data necessary to the last decision, and for preparation by the trial judge of a report regarding factors relevant ... to any disproportionality in the sentence.” (Rockwell v. Superior Court, supra, 18 Cal.3d at p. 432, italics supplied.)
It is obvious from Furman and Gregg that clear and objective standards are constitutionally mandated from the time a jury considers the imposition of the death penalty through the time an appellate tribunal reviews the jury’s decision. As my colleagues note, the Gregg court found that prosecutorial discretion was not determinative of the issues before the court. (Gregg v. Georgia, supra, 428 U.S. at p. 199 [49 L.Ed.2d at p. 889].) The majority opinion then quotes Justice White who stated in part: “Absent facts to the contrary, it cannot be assumed that prosecutors will be motivated in their charging decision by factors other than the strength of their case and the likelihood that a jury would impose the death penalty if it convicts.” (Italics supplied.) Implicit in this statement is the realization that prosecutorial discretion may be abused if a defendant can show that a prosecutor is exercising *590his discretion in an arbitrary and capricious manner. In the instant case petitioner is alleging and, if granted the requested discovery order, possibly will produce evidence of improper procedures by the district attorney.
In Murgia the People took the position that, whatever the merits of defendant’s charges, discovery should be denied since discriminatory enforcement could never constitute a basis for dismissing a criminal action. In rejecting his contention our Supreme Court stated that “a criminal defendant may object, in the course of a criminal proceeding to the maintenance of the prosecution on the ground of deliberate invidious discrimination in the enforcement of the law.” (15 Cal.3d at p. 300.) I see no plausible reason for not applying this same standard for the prosecutor’s arbitrary charging of special circumstances. Accordingly, evidence of arbitrary and capricious charging of special circumstances by the prosecution may constitute a valid defense in the same way that discriminatory enforcement of the law may be a valid defense in a case in which the defendant establishes deliberate invidious discrimination by prosecutorial authorities.
In petitioner’s motion to compel discovery of the San Francisco District Attorney’s records regarding policy and procedures in charging special circumstances petitioner’s counsel declared that in six and a half years as a criminal attorney he had never heard of any formal or informal standards applicable to the prosecution’s decision of whether or not to seek the death penalty and to the best' of his knowledge no such standards exist. Additionally, he declared that there was at least one case prosecuted by the San Francisco District Attorney’s office in which defendants were charged with similar crimes to those charged against petitioner but in which no allegations of special circumstances were made. Such averments are sufficient for a prima facie showing of a standardless procedure in charging special circumstances. While at the pretrial stage one cannot determine what evidence petitioner will proffer in support of his claim, traditional principles of criminal discovery require that petitioner be permitted to discover information relevant to his claim.
I also disagree with the majority’s position regarding the release of physical evidence for defense expert testing. While it first claims that petitioner’s right to independently test evidence is undisputed, it then supports the trial court’s order limiting that right.
*591Only one California case appears to deal with the issue at bench. In People v. De La Plane (1979) 88 Cal.App.3d 223 [151 Cal.Rptr. 843], the trial court denied defendant’s motion to have samples of hair that were analyzed by Los Angeles Police Department experts sent to an independent laboratory in Oakland but indicated that defendant would be permitted to find a local expert to make an examination and analysis. On appeal, defendant argued that the denial of his motion constituted a denial of his due process rights to a fair trial. The appellate court found no error since defendant had made no showing before the trial court that he was unable to locate an expert in the Los Angeles area. Clearly, the court did not prohibit confidential, independent testing of the evidence.
In the instant case petitioner’s counsel declared that in another criminal action prosecuted by the San Francisco District Attorney evidence seized by the San Francisco police was released for examination and analysis to an independent forensic scientist retained by the defense. This allegation suggests that petitioner is receiving disparate treatment. Counsel stated his willingness to stipulate that should physical evidence be released to the custody of any of his defense criminalists he would not raise any objection concerning the chain of custody of the evidence. Additionally, he stated he would stipulate that a protective order be issued by the court and agreed to waive any objection regarding the admissibility of prosecution testimony concerning such evidence should the evidence suffer material damage or be lost while in the custody of defense expert.
Given the defense’s offered stipulations, I cannot see that the prosecutor’s interest in protecting and preserving the integrity of the evidence outweighs defendant’s interest in conducting an independent analysis. Real party suggests that petitioner’s proposed lack of objection to expert testimony should the evidence be lost or destroyed cannot replace the importance of physical evidence at trial. I think not. Bullets, guns and fingerprints, unaccompanied by expert testimony, have little meaning to jurors. Despite real party’s contrary arguments, petitioner would be bound by said stipulation and since the release of evidence is to petitioner’s advantage he could not later claim incompetence of counsel.
At the very least, that portion of the trial court’s order which provides that “the prosecution may monitor said inspections” constitutes a violation of petitioner’s privilege against self-incrimination on state con*592stitutional grounds (Cal.. Const., art. I, § 15).1 Our Supreme Court has repeatedly proscribed compelled defense disclosures that “conceivably might lighten the prosecution’s burden of proving its case in chief.” (Allen v. Superior Court (1976) 18 Cal.3d 520, 525 [134 Cal.Rptr. 774, 557 P.2d 65]; Prudhomme v. Superior Court (1970) 2 Cal.3d 320, 326 [85 Cal.Rptr. 129, 466 P.2d 673].) If, as in Allen and Prudhomme, the prosecution is prohibited from discovering the names of defense witnesses prior to trial, certainly it may not discover the type of testing performed on and results of the defense experts’ examination of evidence. Contrary to the majority view, it is not within the trial court’s discretion to make an unconstitutional discovery order. Thus, a petition for extraordinary relief is proper where, as here, petitioner asserts that a lower court’s order violates a privilege. (Sav-On Drugs, Inc. v. Superior Court (1975) 15 Cal.3d 1, 5 [123 Cal.Rptr. 283, 538 P.2d 739].)
In light of the foregoing I would grant petitioner’s motion for release of physical evidence for independent, confidential testing or, at minimum, strike that portion of the trial court’s order that authorizes prosecution monitoring of defense expert inspections.
A petition for a rehearing was denied November 18, 1981. Miller, J., was of the opinion that the petition should be granted. Petitioner’s application for a hearing by the Supreme Court was denied February 3, 1982. Bird, C. J., was of the opinion that the application should be granted.

Article I, section 15 provides in pertinent part: “... Persons may not ... be compelled in a criminal cause to be a witness against themselves.... ”