Court Opinion

ID: 9589814
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 23:49:00.651772+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:03:51.349591
License: Public Domain

Jordan, Justice,
concurring specially.
I concur in Division II of the opinion for the following reason:
Appellant complains, for the first time that the introduction of evidence of his co-defendant’s "confession” deprived him of his constitutional right to confrontation in violation of the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments. See Bruton v. United States, 391 U. S. 123 (88 SC 1620, 20 LE2d 476) (1968); Roberts v. Russell, 392 U. S. 293 (88 SC 1921, 20 LE2d 1100) (1968).
In my view, our first inquiry must be whether appellant, by his failure to object to this evidence (on this ground), both at trial and on appeal, has waived his right to rely on this constitutional protection.
Our habeas statute contains a waiver standard which applies to waiver of federal constitutional rights: "Except for objections relating to the composition of a grand or traverse jury, rights conferred or secured by the Constitution of the United States shall not be deemed to have been waived unless it is shown that there was an intentional relinquishment or abandonment of a known right or privilege which relinquishment or abandonment was participated in by the party and was done voluntarily, knowingly, and intelligently.” Code Ann. § 50-127 (1). (Emphasis supplied.)
*465However, I do not feel that we are bound to apply this standard because the question of when a right secured by the Federal Constitution has been waived, is itself, a federal question. Fay v. Noia, 372 U. S. 391, 439 (83 SC 822, 9 LE2d 837) (1963). The standard set forth by the legislature in the statute constitutes. an attempt by the legislature to impose its construction of the requirements of the Constitution of the United States regarding waiver of constitutional rights on this court. This the legislature may not do. The duty and authority to interpret the provisions and requirements of the Federal Constitution resides in this court. Const. Art. VI, Sec. II, Par. IV (Code Ann. § 2-3704) (Rev. 1973).
The question of when a right secured by the Federal Constitution is waived often requires consideration of numerous, and sometimes conflicting, values. Decisions of the Supreme Court have made it clear that some rights are so fundamental that they require a personal waiver, made by the defendant voluntarily, knowingly and intelligently. These rights include: the right to counsel and the right to refrain from self-incrimination, Miranda v. Arizona, 284 U. S. 436 (86 SC 1602, 16 LE2d 694) (1966); the right to appeal, Fay v. Noia, supra, at 439; the right to trial by jury, Patton v. United States, 281 U. S. 276, 312 (50 SC 253, 74 LE2d 854) (1930); and rights waived by guilty pleas, Boykin v. Alabama, 395 U. S. 238 (89 SC 1709, 23 LE2d 274) (1969).
The Supreme Court has made it equally clear, that it is not necessary to show a personal waiver in every case where a right existing under the Constitution is not asserted. Estelle v. Williams, 425 U. S. 501 (96 SC 1691, 48 LE2d 126) (1976); Davis v. United States, 411 U. S. 233 (93 SC 1577, 36 LE2d 216) (1973); Francis v. Henderson, 425 U. S. 536 (96 SC 1708, 48 LE2d 149) (1976).
This case involves a claim of denial of the right to confrontation based upon a violation of the Bruton rule. Bruton v. United States, supra. The question here is whether, by failure to make a timely objection to the introduction of this evidence, appellant has waived his right to confrontation. It is clear that if the right to confrontation, in the context of the Bruton rule, is of such a fundamental nature as to require the personal Johnson *466v. Zerbst waiver, i. e., voluntarily knowingly and intelligently, then this record could not support a finding of waiver.. Furthermore, the Supreme Court has indicated that a personal waiver is required in some circumstances where a defendant’s right to confrontation is abridged. See Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U. S. 218, 237 (93 SC 2041, 36 LE2d 854) (1972); Barber v. Page, 390 U. S. 719 (88 SC 1318, 20 LE2d 255) (1967); Brookhart v. Janis, 384 U. S. 1 (86 SC 1245, 16 LE2d 314) (1965).
However, I believe that it is unnecessary to decide, in this case whether the right to confrontation in these circumstances must be personally waived by the defendant or may be waived by defendant’s counsel as a matter of trial strategy. The record reveals that the introduction of the statement made by appellant’s co-defendant was objected to on the ground that the statement was not made voluntarily. Thus, it is clear from this record that appellant’s counsel did not wish to allow the statement in evidence; on the contrary, he attempted to have the statement excluded. This indicates that the failure to assert appellant’s right to confrontation was inadvertent, and not a deliberate decision. I would not, in this case, decide under what circumstances, if any, the state’s legitimate interest in requiring contemporaneous objection, when balanced against a violation of some right secured by the Constitution, would justify a finding of waiver where the failure to object was due to inadvertence. I do however, believe that the right to confrontation, as it arises in the context of a violation of the Bruton rule, is of sufficient importance to the integrity of the fact finding process that an inadvertent failure to assert the right by contemporaneous objection should not foreclose appellant from raising the claim on habeas corpus.
Because I agree that the error was not harmless, I think we must reverse the judgment of the habeas court and order that the appellant be given a new trial. Bruton v. United States, supra; Roberts v. Russell, supra.