Opinion

Williams v. City of Tulsa

  • 740 P.2d 737
  • 1987 OK CR 150
  • 1987 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 432
Court
Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
Filed
Jul 13, 1987
Status
Published
Author
Bussey
On the bench
Parks, Brett, Bussey
Cited by
3 cases
Authority
More cited than 22.9%

The opinion

BUSSEY, Judge,

dissenting.

I must dissent to the reversal of this case. For his first assignment of error, the appellant alleges that he cannot be convicted by a non-unanimous verdict. Article II, § 19 of the Constitution of Oklahoma allows a conviction in a case less than a felony by a verdict rendered by five of a six person jury, as was the result in the case before us. The appellant relies upon Burch v. Louisiana, 441 U.S. 130 , 99 S.Ct. 1623 , 60 L.Ed.2d 96 (1979) wherein the Supreme Court of the United States held that a five out of six verdict violated the federal constitutional right to a trial by jury when it was allowed for a non-petty offense. He does not argue, however, that this offense is non-petty, but asserts that because many criminal offenses which are “less than felonies” are non-petty in nature, a conflict exists between Art. II, § 19 and the holding in Burch , and that because such a conflict exists, this Court has no authority to construe Oklahoma’s Constitution to allow any but a unanimous verdict. I am not persuaded by this argument. Nothing in the Constitution of the State of Oklahoma is intended to conflict with any provision of the Constitution of the United States, where such provision is applicable to an

individual State. Acuff v. State, 283 P.2d 856 (Okl.Cr.1955). The Oklahoma constitutional and statutory provisions providing for a right to trial by a six-person jury authorized to reach a 5-1 verdict is limited by Burch to those misdemeanors and municipal ordinance violations which may be deemed “petty” under federal laws. Within that area those provisions remain operative and effective and bind the Court. See dissent, Murrah v. City of Oklahoma City, 620 P.2d 1335 (Okl.Cr.1980). The verdict in the case at bar violates neither the Constitution of the State of Oklahoma nor the Constitution of the United States. Therefore, I would affirm the judgment and sentence.

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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