Aaron v. State
| Decision Date | 11 July 1973 |
| Docket Number | No. 42439,42439 |
| Citation | 284 So.2d 673 |
| Parties | Fred AARON, Petitioner, v. STATE of Florida, Respondent. |
| Court | Florida Supreme Court |
Henry R. Barksdale of Barksdale, Mayo & Murphy, Pensacola, for petitioner.
Robert L. Shevin, Atty. Gen., and Richard W. Prospect, Asst. Atty. Gen., for respondent.
This cause is before us on petition for writ of certiorari to review the decision of the District Court of Appeal, First District, reported at 261 So.2d 515, which affirmed the judgment of the Circuit Court of the First Judicial Circuit in and for Escambia County. Our jurisdiction is based on conflict between the decision sought to be reviewed and State ex rel. Brocato v. Purdy. 1
The following are the facts in this case:
On August 13, 1970, the Escambia County Grand Jury issued a presentment charging that petitioner had attempted to influence the action of a Grand Juror, Mrs. Jennie F. Rosenbaum. On August 17, 1970, the Circuit Court issued an order for petitioner to appear before said Court on August 20, 1970, and to show cause why he should not be held in contempt, said order being served on Aaron on August 18, 1970. Petitioner filed a motion for a continuance on August 19, 1970, and a continuance to August 26, 1970, was granted. A demand for trial by jury was filed on behalf of petitioner on August 21, 1970, and said motion was denied that same day. On August 24, 1970, motions were filed in behalf of petitioner seeking an order to take the deposition of Mrs. Jennie F. Rosenbaum, for a continuance of the cause, and for a bill of particulars. Each of these motions was denied without hearing on August 25, 1970. On August 26, 1970, a letter requesting the voluntary statement of Mrs. Jennie F. Rosenbaum was filed and on the same day a statement of Mrs. Rosenbaum's refusal to give the voluntary statement to petitioner's attorney was also filed in the Circuit Court for Escambia County, Florida.
On August 26, 1970, petitioner entered a plea of not guilty and was that day tried, convicted and sentenced to four months in the County Jail and fined $250.00 for contempt, said trial conducted before the Judge as the trier of the facts and law, without benefit of jury.
On the foregoing facts, the District Court of Appeal, First District, was presented with the following points of law:
(a) Whether or not the refusal of the trial court to grant defendant's motion for a trial by a jury resulted in the denial of due process of law guaranteed by the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution and Article 1, Section 22 and Article 1, Section 9 of the Florida Constitution.
On this point of law the Court affirmed the judgment of the trial court holding that under the applicable law one must look in retrospect to the actual sentence imposed and by doing so in the present case the offense for which petitioner was found guilty was a 'petty' offense as distinguished from a 'serious' offense as he was sentenced to less than six months in the County Jail and therefore was not entitled to the benefit of a trial by jury as demanded.
(b) Whether or not the trial court erred in refusing to grant a motion for continuance and thereby greatly prejudiced the defendant by failing to provide sufficient time for the presentation of an adequate defense.
On this point of law the Court affirmed the judgment of the trial court holding that this ground was 'without substantial merit.'
(c) Whether or not the trial court erred in failing to grant the motion for a bill of particulars filed in behalf of the defendant and thereby greatly prejudiced the preparation of the case for the defense.
On this point of law the Court affirmed the judgment of the trial court holding that said point was 'without substantial merit.'
(d) Whether or not the trial court erred in refusing to enter an order to allow defendant to take the deposition of Mrs. Jennie Rosenbaum, witness for the state.
On This point of law the Court affirmed the judgment of the trial court holding that said point was 'without substantial merit.'
Upon careful examination of the record and argument of counsel we are compelled to reverse the decision of the District Court of Appeal for the following reasons.
Historically, criminal contempt, both direct and indirect, has been punishable by fines and imprisonment. Although the trials have been, and still are, handled in a summary fashion, to assure speedy judicial progress without interruption, these proceedings are effectively criminal in nature and persons accused of contempt are as much entitled to the basic constitutional rights as are those accused of violating criminal statutes. 2
In Bloom v. Illinois, 3 the Supreme Court of the United States held that prosecutions for serious criminal contempts are subject to the jury trial provisions of Article III, § 2, of the Federal Constitution, and of the Sixth Amendment, which is made binding upon the states by virtue of the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Duncan v. Louisiana 4 distinguished between serious and petty crimes, in relation to the necessity for trial by jury, and the Supreme Court of the United States specifically held that a crime punishable by two years in prison is a serious crime, thus invoking the right to jury trial. The distinctions between serious and petty crimes were further amplified in Baldwin v. New York, 5 where the Court stated:
6
The Court further held that:
'We cannot . . . conclude that . . . administrative conveniences . . . justify denying an accused the important right to trial by jury where the Possible penalty exceeds six months' imprisonment.' 7
The Court has, in the past, required a jury trial for contempt, Dade County Classroom Teachers Association, Inc. v. Rubin. 8 However, at the time of that decision, the applicable Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure, 33 F.S.A., in effect also stated such a requirement. 9 Since that decision, the Rule has been amended to permit the judge to hear and determine both the law and the facts. 10 The question before this Court then, is whether the present rule, F.R.C.P. 3.840(a)(4), does, in light of the foregoing federal decisions, pass constitutional muster. We hold that it does not--to the extent that it authorizes a judge to impose a sentence of six months' imprisonment, or greater, without empanelling a jury to try the facts.
The District Court of Appeal, in affirming the conviction, relied upon Bloom and Cheff v. Schnackenberg, 11 for the proposition that, in contempt trials, the result would be viewed retroactively to determine if the right to a jury trial existed at the time of trial. That is, if the defendant was, as in the instant case, the recipient of a sentence of less than six months, he was not entitled to a jury of his peers at the inception of trial. The District Court of Appeal apparently bases its decision on the following language found in Bloom:
12
We believe, however, that the District Court of Appeal erred in assuming that such a situation exists in this State, as an examination of the following statutes will show.
Section 38.22 of the Florida Statutes, F.S.A., authorizes courts to impose imprisonment and fines for contempt, but states no maximum time for such imprisonment. 13 Section 775.01 of the Florida Statutes, F.S.A., provides that the common law crimes of England are crimes in Florida. 14 Section 775.02 of the Florida Statutes, F.S.A., provides that when no maximum punishment is prescribed for criminal contempt, the maximum shall not exceed one year imprisonment and a fine of $500.00. 15
Therefore, we must conclude that criminal contempt is a crime under Florida law, with the possible maximum punishment exceeding six months' imprisonment. In light of this conclusion, we hold that F.R.C.P. 3.840(a)(4), authorizing the judge to be the trier of both the law and the facts, is limited in its application to situations in which the judge contemplates, if a finding of guilt be made, the imposition of a sentence of less than six months' imprisonment. A judge's denial of a pre-trial motion for trial by jury will mean that he cannot impose a sentence of six months' imprisonment, or greater, should there be a finding of guilt. If the judge contemplates the imposition of a sentence of six months' imprisonment, or greater, he must empanel a jury to try the facts, unless the defendant has made a waiver thereof. Had a sentence of six months' imprisonment, or greater, been imposed upon the petitioner, the invalidity of the rule beyond the six-month limit would require reversal. However, petitioner's sentence of four months' imprisonment was properly imposed by the judge, as trier of both law and fact, in that the sentence falls within the constitutional limitations upon the operation of the rule we announce today. 16
In the case before us, petitioner was denied the right to take the deposition of the primary State's witness against him--the woman whom he was charged with attempting to influence as a member of the Grand Jury. Additionally, the Judge denied petitioner's motion for a bill of particulars. The right of persons accused of serious offenses to know, before trial, the specific nature and detail of crimes they are charged with committing is a basic right guaranteed by our Federal and State Constitutions. The foregoing federal cases lead us to conclude that this right is extended to those...
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