Court Opinion

ID: 9754188
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-28 19:48:55.986098+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:27:50.413738
License: Public Domain

*421Concurring Opinion by
Mr. Justice Roberts:
While I agree with the majority that Bordner’s Statements 2 through 6 are inadmissible, I cannot concur with the majority’s disposition concerning Statement No. 1. In my view, the admissibility of Statement No. 1 is not now properly before this Court, and I therefore believe that the Court should reach no conclusions as to it.
The Commonwealth’s appeal from the pretrial order of the suppression hearing court may be entertained at this time by virtue of Commonwealth v. Bosurgi, 411 Pa. 56, 190 A. 2d 304 (1963), which held that the Commonwealth could appeal from a pretrial suppression order which will either cause the termination of the prosecuton or will “result in a prosecution wherein the Commonwealth is substantially handicapped because it cannot present all its available evidence.” Id. at 63, 190 A. 2d at 308 (emphasis in original). The rationale of Bosurgi is of course that if the Commonwealth must go to trial handicapped by the loss of evidence without the right of interlocutory appeal, it will be deprived of all appellate review of the validity of the suppression order if it loses at trial. I therefore agree that this Court could properly hear the Commonwealth’s appeal from the suppression order which would deprive it of the use at trial of five of Bordner’s six statements.
It should be clear however that this Court can in no way properly consider Statement No. 1, which was held to be admissible by the hearing court. Since the hearing court ruled in favor of the Commonwealth as to Statement No. 1, it is obvious that the Commonwealth is not appealing that decision. Nor of course can the Commonwealth seek a declaratory judgment or an advisory opinion as to the admissibility of Statement No. 1. The rationale of Bosurgi permits the *422Common-wealth to appeal to this Court from a pretrial order only when it has lost at the suppression hearing and faces the loss of potentially helpful evidence perhaps without any appellate review.
Likewise, although Bordner is grieved by the pretrial decision that Statement No. 1 is admissible, Bosurgi explicitly denies to defendants the right of interlocutory appeal which is granted to the Commonwealth. Id. at 64, 190 A. 2d at 308-09. If a defendant is found guilty at trial, he of course will then be able to pursue appellate remedies.
Since neither party can properly raise the issue of the admissibility of Statement No. 1, it is clear that this Court cannot decide that issue. Since the issue is not properly before the Court in this case, I must conclude that the Court’s discussion of the issue is merely unfortunate dictum. As a result, I find it unnecessary to posture this opinion as a dissent, although I am obligated to condemn the pursuit in dictum of an important issue not properly cognizable by the Court.