Gray v. Sanchez
Decision Date | 01 February 1974 |
Docket Number | Nos. 9833,9853,s. 9833 |
Citation | 1974 NMSC 11,86 N.M. 146,520 P.2d 1091 |
Parties | Richard GRAY, Petitioner, v. Rozier E. SANCHEZ and Harry E. Stowers, Jr., District Judges, Second Judicial District, State of New Mexico, and all other Judges of the Second Judicial District, Respondents. Willie E. ROBERTSON, Petitioner, v. Honorable Maurice SANCHEZ, Judge of the District Court, Second Judicial District, Respondent; FURR'S INC., Real Party in Interest. |
Court | New Mexico Supreme Court |
FURR'S INC., Real Party in Interest.
Supreme Court of New Mexico.
Supplemental Opinion on Rehearing April 12, 1974.
Marchiondo & Berry, P.A., Mary C. Walters, Albuquerque, for gray.
David L. Norvell, Atty. Gen., Bill Primm, Asst. Atty. Gen., Santa Fe, for Sanchez and Stowers.
Aldridge & Pearlman and John S. Campbell, Albuquerque, for Robertson.
Rodey, Dickason, Sloan, Akin & Robb, P.A., William A. Sloan, Robert G. McCorkle and John P. Burton, Albuquerque, for Sanchez.
The two prohibition proceedings, the subject of this opinion, were heard separately, but because of similar issues both matters will be disposed of in this consolidated opinion. The first, Gray v. Sanchez, et al., No. 9833, will be referred to as Gray. The second, Robertson v. Sanchez, et al., No. 9853, will be referred to as Robertson.
In Gray, an indictment was returned on July 17, 1973, wherein defendant-petitioner was charged with the crimes of murder and assault with a deadly weapon. At his arraignment on August 20, 1973, he pled not guilty and, on August 31, following, petitioner filed affidavits of disqualification (affidavits) against all district judges of the Second Judicial District of New Mexico. On September 4, 1973, petitioner appeared at a hearing before Judge Rozier E. Sanchez of the Second Judicial District who refused to recognize the affidavits. On September 10, 1973, petitioner appeared at a calendar call in the court of Judge Harry E. Stowers, also of the Second Judicial District, who on September 11, 1973 entered an order dishonoring the affidavit as to himself. Petitioner is now asking this Court for a writ of prohibition against the enforcement of either of the orders entered above by the named judges or any other judge of the Second Judicial District.
The petition for a writ of prohibition can summarily be discharged since none of the affidavits of petitioner were timely filed, having been filed more than ten days after the cause was at issue.
Section 21--5--9, N.M.S.A.1953 (Supp.1973), provides that an affidavit must be filed within ten days after the cause is at issue . The question then becomes: When is a criminal case at issue? In a civil case, 'a case is at issue at that state of procedure when an answer is filed which requires no further pleadings by the plaintiff.' Atol v. Schifani, 83 N.M. 316, 318, 491 P.2d 533, 535 (1971). Extending this definition into the criminal arena, a case is put at issue when a defendant 'answers' by appearing at his arraignment. In the present case, the petitioner did not file the affidavits until eleven days after he was arraigned; therefore, under the provisions of § 21--5--9 supra, such affidavits were not timely filed.
Even if the affidavits had been timely filed, petitioner's attempted blanket disqualification of all judges of the Second Judicial District was clearly improper.
Section 21--5--8, N.M.S.A.1953 (Repl.Vol. 4, 1970) provides:
In interpreting this statutory clause, Beall v. Reidy, 80 N.M. 444, 447, 457 P.2d 376, 379 (1969), held that ' § 21--5--8, supra, authorizes the disqualification of only one judge by a party and that judge is the one before whom the case is to be tried.' (Emphasis added.) In the present case, petitioner, at the time of attempted disqualification, did not know the name of the judge before whom the cause would be tried. Therefore, petitioner's action should have been to file a provisional affidavit of disqualification against the judge whom he honestly believed could not preside over the cause with impartiality. See Notargiacomo v. Hickman, 55 N.M. 465, 469, 235 P.2d 531, 534 (1951). In Beall v. Reidy, supra, at 448 of 80 N.M., at 380 of 457 P.2d it was stated:
In response to this direction for a rule which would clarify the disqualification situation, the judges of the Second Judicial District have amended their Rules of Criminal Procedure, at Section VII thereof to read as follows:
'SECTION VII--Disqualification of Judges.
'At the time of arraignment of each criminal case, the Defendant will be advised of the names of the Judges assigned to the Criminal Docket at the time the case is scheduled for trial.
'If the Defendant files more than one Affidavit of Disqualification or names more than one Judge in his Affidavit of Disqualification the first Judge before whom the case is set whose name appears on that Affidavit will accept the Affidavit as to him and the case will be immediately set before the next available Judge.'
We are in agreement with this amendment.
Though adherence to this new rule, the remedy or provisional disqualification should prove to adequately protect the statutory right of disqualification. We urge that the judges of the Second Judicial District respond with a rule which will similarly cover civil cases.
In Robertson, a suit was brought in the District Court of the Second Judicial District to recover damages in a negligence action. Plaintiff-petitioner attempted to disqualify Judge Maurice Sanchez, respondent from hearing defendant's objections to petitioner's interrogatories by filing a statutory affidavit of disqualification under § 21--5--8, supra. We hold that the proposed disqualification will not be allowed since it likewise was untimely filed and the discussion and holding in this regard in Gray will apply here.
The events in Robertson transpired as follows: On December 19, 1972, petitioner filed suit against Furr's Inc., defendant, alleging that defendant's negligence caused petitioner damage. The case was assigned to Judge Joseph F. Baca of the Second Judicial District. On January 29, 1973, defendant filed its answer. On February 8, 1973, defendant filed a demand for a jury trial. On July 1, 1973, respondent took office and on August 1, 1973 notice was given that respondent was assigned to hear motions in civil jury cases. On October 3, 1973, defendant filed objections to interrogatories submitted by petitioner. On October 15, 1973, petitioner filed the affidavit directed at respondent.
Respondent contends that there are two reasons why petitioner's affidavit is faulty. The first is that § 21--5--8 supra, is applicable only to the judge before whom the case is to be tried on the merits. We agree. To the extent that State v. Armijo, 39 N.M. 502, 50 P.2d 852 (1935), and any cases which follow Armijo, are contra, they are hereby overruled.
The second contention of respondent is that the affidavit was not timely filed. We agree. As stated in Gray, § 21--5--9, supra, requires that the affidavit must be filed in this instance, within ten days after the time for filing a demand for jury trial has expired. Thus petitioner should have filed her affidavit in mid-February, 1973, instead of October, 1973, even though respondent did not take office until July, 1973. This result may seem unduly harsh but it is consistent with the clear provisions of the statute.
For the reasons above stated the two writs of prohibition heretofore issued are hereby quashed.
It is so ordered.
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