Translate
Text Highlighter

Bookmark

PDF

Share

Report a problem
AMICUS AI
Citation Codes
Equivalent Citations
citation codes
Docket Number
Advocates
Are you a practicing lawyer?
Enhance your digital presence and reach by creating a Casemine profile.
Upload pleading to use the new AI search
Cites
Cited by
Citation Codes
Equivalent Citations
citation codes
Docket Number
Advocates
Smart Summary

People v. Moore, No. 3 January Term 1974 (Decided April 16, 1974)

Factual and Procedural Background

Reuben Moore was charged and convicted by a jury of unlawful possession of a narcotic drug and was sentenced to a prison term of eight to ten years. The facts at trial show that Flint vice squad officers in plain clothes, patrolling in an unmarked car in an area known for street prostitution, observed activity they suspected was solicitation. After stopping, the officers placed Moore under arrest for soliciting for immoral purposes. Moore reached into his pants pocket; an officer, fearing he might reach for a weapon, seized and spun him against a car; a small unlabeled clear plastic vial with capsules fell from Moore's hand. The officer conducted a cursory examination at the police station, concluded the capsules contained heroin, and then arrested Moore on a narcotics charge. At trial the vial and its contents were admitted and used to convict Moore.

On appeal the Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction but reduced the minimum term of Moore's sentence to six years, eight months relying on People v Tanner. The Michigan Supreme Court reviewed Moore's appeal. The Supreme Court affirmed the conviction on the merits but remanded the case for resentencing because the sentencing record showed the trial judge considered a prior conviction that may have been constitutionally invalid under Gideon and related precedent (United States v Tucker).

Legal Issues Presented

  1. Whether the warrantless seizure of the narcotic drug during a cursory examination incidental to Moore's valid arrest for an unrelated crime was constitutionally valid.
  2. Whether Moore's prior convictions were admissible for impeachment of his credibility.
  3. Whether Moore's prior convictions were inadmissible because he lacked counsel at the times of those convictions, and, if so, whether they should have been excluded at sentencing.
  4. Whether Moore was denied effective assistance of counsel because his trial lawyer failed to preserve the foregoing objections.

Arguments of the Parties

People's Arguments

  • The prosecution relied on the legality of the seizure as an incident to a lawful custodial arrest and cited federal cases (e.g., United States v Robinson and Gustafson v Florida) supporting search-and-seizure incident-to-arrest principles.
  • The prosecutor provided records concerning Moore's prior convictions (a docket entry and a transcript) to demonstrate that at least one prior conviction appeared to have been obtained with counsel and another appeared to show no counsel was provided; these materials were used to address claims about the validity of prior convictions.
  • The prosecution urged application of the collateral-attack doctrine (citing People v Gavin and Brown v United States) — i.e., that challenges to prior convictions should be pursued in the courts where they were obtained — but the Court was not persuaded to adopt that approach as a requirement for Moore in this context.

Defendant's Arguments

  • Moore challenged the warrantless seizure and the admissibility of the vial and its contents seized incident to his arrest for solicitation.
  • Moore contended prior convictions used to impeach him were constitutionally infirm because he lacked counsel at the time, making those convictions inadmissible both for impeachment and for consideration at sentencing.
  • Moore asserted ineffective assistance of counsel, arguing his trial lawyer failed to preserve the foregoing objections; the record did not contain the testimonial evidence required under People v Ginther to support an ineffective-assistance claim dependent on facts not of record.

Table of Precedents Cited

Precedent Rule or Principle Cited For Application by the Court
People v Tanner, 387 Mich. 683; 199 N.W.2d 202 (1972) Authority relied on by Court of Appeals in reducing appellant's minimum term. Cited as authority for the Court of Appeals' modification of the sentence; not the basis for the Supreme Court's remand.
People v Ginther, 390 Mich. 436; 212 N.W.2d 922 (1973) Requirement that a defendant make a testimonial record at trial to support ineffective-assistance claims based on facts not of record. Applied to hold that Moore did not create the requisite record at trial, so his ineffective-assistance claim lacked the testimonial proof required for appellate review.
People v Smith, 260 Mich. 486; 245 N.W. 502 (1932) Cited in context of appellate consideration of unpreserved suppression issues. Cited as precedent recognizing appellate relief on unpreserved suppression claims where the record shows suppression should have been granted.
People v Steeneck, 247 Mich. 583; 226 N.W. 231 (1932) Similar authority on appellate review of suppression issues. Used as supporting authority for the proposition that appellate courts may grant suppression relief raised for the first time on appeal if record shows suppression should have been granted.
People v Ibarra, 60 Cal.2d 460; 34 Cal.Rptr. 863; 386 P.2d 487 (1963) Authority cited on appellate review of suppression issues. Cited in a group of cases supporting appellate consideration of unpreserved suppression errors when appropriate.
People v Johnson, 38 Ill.2d 399; 231 N.E.2d 447 (1967) Authority cited on appellate review of suppression issues. Cited in support of appellate review of suppression questions appearing in the record.
Chambers v Maroney, 399 U.S. 42; 90 S Ct 1975; 26 L Ed 2d 419 (1970) Search and seizure principles relevant to stationhouse searches and their reasonableness. Cited by analogy in discussing the officer's cursory examination at the station and reasonableness of searches incident to arrest.
People v Weaver, 35 Mich. App. 504, 513; 192 N.W.2d 572 (1971) State app. case concerning searches and seizures. Cited as related authority in the discussion of searches incident to arrest.
United States v Robinson, 414 U.S. 218; 94 S Ct 467; 38 L Ed 2d 427 (1973) Holding that a full search of the person is permissible incident to a lawful custodial arrest and that items discovered during such a search may be seized. Relied upon to support the proposition that a cursory inspection incident to a lawful custodial arrest can justify seizure of contraband; the Court found no reason on the record to question the officer's belief that the capsules were heroin.
Gustafson v Florida, 414 U.S. 260; 94 S Ct 488; 38 L Ed 2d 456 (1973) Similar ruling regarding inspection incidental to custodial arrest (marijuana in cigarette box). Used together with Robinson to support the reasonableness of a cursory examination incidental to arrest.
Cady v Dombrowski, 413 U.S. 433, 439; 93 S Ct 2523, 2527; 37 L Ed 2d 706, 713 (1973) Statement that the ultimate Fourth Amendment standard is reasonableness. Quoted to emphasize that reasonableness is the controlling standard for searches and seizures.
People v Trudeau, 385 Mich. 276, 279-281; 187 N.W.2d 890 (1971) Cited in connection with limits on search-and-seizure examinations. Cited as a related state case when discussing the scope of permissible examinations incidental to arrest.
People v Roderick Walker, 27 Mich. App. 609; 183 N.W.2d 871 (1970) Another state appellate decision on search issues. Cited as related authority in the context of permissible examinations incident to arrest.
People v Pennington, 383 Mich. 611; 178 N.W.2d 471 (1970) Interprets Michigan constitutional proviso protecting receipt of certain seized items in evidence; holds proviso invalid to the extent it conflicts with federal Fourth Amendment protections. Applied to conclude Michigan's proviso cannot impose a higher standard than federal Fourth Amendment standards; supports using federal standards for narcotics seizures outside curtilage.
People v Turner, 390 Mich. 7; 210 N.W.2d 336 (1973) Example of this Court establishing standards higher than federal standards in some contexts (entrapment cited). Cited as contrast where this Court has imposed standards higher than federal ones in other areas.
People v White, 390 Mich. 245; 212 N.W.2d 222 (1973) Example of this Court setting standards (double jeopardy) higher than federal standards. Cited as contrast to show this Court sometimes establishes higher standards, but not in the narcotics proviso context.
People v Jackson, 391 Mich. 323; 217 N.W.2d 22 (1974) Requirement that a judge be asked to exercise discretion before excluding reference to a defendant's conviction record. Applied to hold Moore's attorney did not request the judge to exclude reference to convictions and thus Moore cannot fault the judge for not exercising discretion; this made the impeachment objection unpreserved.
People v Pollard, 39 Mich. App. 291; 197 N.W.2d 546 (1972) Appellate authority regarding impeachment by prior convictions. Cited in a group of cases discussing the judge's discretion concerning impeachment by prior convictions.
People v Downs, 45 Mich. App. 130; 206 N.W.2d 241 (1973) Appellate authority on impeachment by prior convictions. Cited as related authority in the impeachment/discretion discussion.
People v Calvin Jones, 44 Mich. App. 633, 638; 205 N.W.2d 611 (1973) Appellate authority on impeachment by prior convictions. Cited as related authority in the impeachment/discretion discussion.
United States v Tucker, 404 U.S. 443, 445-446, 448; 92 S Ct 589, 591-592; 30 L Ed 2d 592, 595, 597 (1972) Rule that sentences must be vacated and remanded for resentencing where the sentencing court considered prior convictions that are invalid under Gideon; such invalid priors should not be considered in sentencing. Applied and adopted with full retroactivity for Michigan sentences; led to remand for resentencing because the sentencing judge had considered an apparently invalid 1949 conviction.
Gideon v Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335; 83 S Ct 792; 9 L Ed 2d 799 (1963) Right to counsel in felony prosecutions; convictions obtained in violation of Gideon may not be used to support guilt or enhance punishment. Foundational authority for determining that prior uncounseled convictions are constitutionally infirm and for application of Tucker and Loper principles.
Towers v Director, Patuxent Institution, 16 Md. App. 678; 299 A.2d 461 (1973) State application of Tucker retroactively. Cited as one of several state court decisions accepting retroactive application of Tucker to state convictions.
Howard v State, 280 So.2d 705 (Fla App, 1973) State application of Tucker/Gideon retroactivity. Cited as supporting state-court retroactive application of Tucker.
State v Flores, 511 P.2d 414 (Or App, 1973) State application of Tucker retroactively. Cited as supporting state-court retroactive application of Tucker.
Collins v State, 129 Ga. App. 87; 198 S.E.2d 707 (1973) State decision relevant to Tucker retroactivity. Cited as part of authorities accepting Tucker retroactivity.
Baldwin v State, 499 S.W.2d 7 (Tex Crim App, 1973) State decision relevant to Tucker retroactivity. Cited as part of authorities accepting Tucker retroactivity.
Commonwealth v Phelps, 450 Pa. 597; 301 A.2d 678, 683-684 (1973) State court citing Tucker as reason for adopting mandatory presentence disclosure. Cited as an example of a state court adopting procedures in light of Tucker.
People v McGaha, 10 Ill. App.3d 1051; 295 N.E.2d 476 (1973) State court authority mentioned in the note regarding Tucker/Loper developments. Cited as related authority in the discussion of retroactivity and post-conviction remedy practice.
Loper v Beto, 405 U.S. 473, 480; 92 S Ct 1014; 31 L Ed 2d 374, 380 (1972) Holding that convictions obtained in violation of Gideon may not be used to impeach or enhance punishment; applied with full retroactivity in federal habeas context. Relied upon to bar use of void prior convictions for impeachment and applied by analogy to state sentencing and impeachment context; used to evaluate Moore's impeachment claim.
Doughty v Maxwell, 376 U.S. 202; 84 S Ct 702; 11 L Ed 2d 650 (1964) Authority cited as part of decisions supporting Gideon retroactivity. Cited among cases establishing Gideon retroactivity principles.
Pickelsimer v Wainwright, 375 U.S. 2; 84 S Ct 80; 11 L Ed 2d 41 (1963) Authority cited for Gideon retroactivity. Cited as supporting the full retroactivity of Gideon.
Burgett v Texas, 389 U.S. 109; 88 S Ct 258; 19 L Ed 2d 319 (1967) Rule that a defendant cannot be tried under a recidivist statute when he did not have counsel at time of prior convictions. Quoted and cited as supporting principle that constitutionally infirm priors cannot be used against a defendant.
Spaulding v State, 481 P.2d 389 (Alas, 1971) State decision excluding infirm prior convictions for impeachment or sentencing. Cited as one of several state courts that had evolved an exclusionary rule prior to Loper.
In re Dabney, 71 Cal.2d 1; 76 Cal.Rptr. 636; 452 P.2d 924 (1969) State decision regarding exclusion of infirm prior convictions. Cited as one of several state courts that had a similar exclusionary approach prior to Loper.
Johnson v State, 9 Md. App. 166; 263 A.2d 232 (1970) State decision on excluding infirm prior convictions. Cited as an example of pre-Loper state-court practice excluding invalid priors.
State v Koch, 118 N.J. Super. 421; 288 A.2d 295 (1972) State decision on exclusion of prior convictions. Cited as another example of state-court approaches to invalid priors.
Fee v State, ___ Tenn ___; 497 S.W.2d 748, 750 (1973) Post-Loper state decisions applying or recognizing Loper. Cited as authority applying Loper.
Commonwealth v Barrett, 296 N.E.2d 712 (Mass. App, 1973) State decision recognizing Loper's applicability. Cited as a post-Loper state decision applying or recognizing Loper's rule.
Wood v State, 478 S.W.2d 513 (Tex Crim App, 1972) State decision on exclusion of invalid priors. Cited as among the state court authorities applying the principles underlying Loper.
Brown v United States, 483 F.2d 116, 119 (CA 4, 1973) Referenced in connection with the collateral-attack doctrine and People v Gavin. Cited in a note as underlying Gavin's approach that one should first attack the underlying sentence in the issuing court; the Supreme Court declined to adopt Gavin's limiting approach here.
People v Eugene Jones, 47 Mich. App. 160; 209 N.W.2d 322 (1973) Michigan Court of Appeals decisions accepting Tucker retroactivity. Cited as local appellate authority accepting Tucker's retroactive application.
People v Gavin, 50 Mich. App. 743; 213 N.W.2d 758 (1973) Court of Appeals case urging collateral-attack doctrine. The Supreme Court considered and rejected requiring collateral attack first; Gavin was discussed but not adopted as a limiting rule.
People v Gonzales, 356 Mich. 247, 255; 97 N.W.2d 16 (1959) Case addressing whether officers who stop an automobile to issue a traffic ticket may routinely search the automobile under Michigan law. Cited to distinguish Robinson/Gustafson circumstances from routine traffic stops where arrest or custodial detention is not intended.

Court's Reasoning and Analysis

The Court structured its analysis as follows:

  • Issue of ineffective assistance (People v Ginther): The Court noted that to the extent Moore's ineffective-assistance claim depended on facts not in the trial record, Moore was required to make a testimonial Ginther record in the trial court. Because no such motion was filed, the appellate record could not support an ineffective-assistance finding on that basis.
  • Search and seizure (Robinson/Gustafson analysis): The Court described the arrest facts and compared them to United States v Robinson and Gustafson v Florida, where the U.S. Supreme Court held that a full search incident to a lawful custodial arrest is a reasonable Fourth Amendment exception. The Court found no reason on the record to question the arresting officer's immediate, cursory belief at the station that the capsules were heroin and therefore concluded the seizure was reasonable and admissible.
  • Michigan constitutional proviso and federal standards: The Court explained that Michigan's constitutional proviso permitting certain seized items to be admitted in evidence cannot be construed to impose standards stricter than those the U.S. Supreme Court has applied under the Fourth Amendment; People v Pennington was cited to show the State proviso is invalid to the extent it conflicts with federal protections.
  • Impeachment by prior convictions (preservation and Jackson): The Court observed Moore's counsel did not ask the trial judge to exclude reference to prior convictions; under People v Jackson the judge's discretion must be invoked. Because Moore failed to preserve the objection, the Court declined to reverse on the impeachment issue.
  • Retroactivity of Tucker and Loper for sentencing and impeachment: The Court discussed United States v Tucker and Loper v Beto, recognizing that Tucker requires resentencing where a sentencing judge considered prior convictions invalid under Gideon, and Loper bars use of void prior convictions for impeachment. The Court concluded that Tucker and the Gideon-related doctrines apply with full retroactivity to Michigan sentences.
  • Application to Moore's priors: The prosecutor supplied a docket entry and a transcript: the transcript indicated the 1949 breaking-and-entering conviction appeared to have been obtained without counsel, while the 1958 narcotics conviction appeared to have counsel. The Court determined that impeachment by the valid-appearing 1958 narcotics conviction sufficiently undermined Moore's credibility so that the additional impeachment effect of the apparently invalid 1949 conviction "might well have influenced the outcome" did not obtain; thus, there was no Loper violation requiring reversal of the conviction.
  • Sentencing consideration of invalid prior (Tucker application): The sentencing judge's remarks at sentencing showed he had considered Moore's 1949 uncounseled conviction. Because Tucker instructs that a sentence may need to be vacated when the judge considered invalid priors, the Court remanded for resentencing.
  • Procedure for future Tucker claims: The Court outlined a process for raising post-sentencing Tucker claims in Michigan: the defendant must present prima facie proof that a prior conviction violated Gideon (e.g., docket entries or transcripts) or show the sentencing court has not provided requested records; then the prosecutor bears the burden to establish the prior conviction's constitutional validity. If the prosecutor produces records within one month, the judge may decide on papers unless the defendant shows cause for a hearing; otherwise the judge must set an early hearing and order the defendant produced.
  • Collateral-attack doctrine rejected as a rigid requirement: The Court considered but declined to adopt the prosecutor's urged rule (based on People v Gavin and Brown v United States) that a defendant must first attack underlying convictions in separate post-conviction proceedings; the Court found such a requirement would be unnecessary and burdensome and that Michigan courts are competent to resolve the validity of prior Michigan convictions for purposes of resentencing.

Holding and Implications

Holding: The Michigan Supreme Court affirmed Reuben Moore's conviction for unlawful possession of a narcotic drug but remanded the case for resentencing.

Implications:

  • The Court upheld the admissibility of the heroin seized after a cursory examination incident to a lawful custodial arrest, relying on the reasonableness standard applied in United States v Robinson and Gustafson v Florida.
  • The Court held that Moore's impeachment objection was unpreserved because defense counsel did not request the trial judge to exercise discretion under People v Jackson; thus the impeachment ruling was not reversed.
  • The Court adopted United States v Tucker and Loper v Beto principles as fully retroactive for Michigan sentences and sentencing practice: a sentencing court's consideration of prior convictions arguably invalid under Gideon requires remand for resentencing. Because the sentencing judge explicitly considered Moore's apparently uncounseled 1949 conviction, the Court remanded for resentencing.
  • The Court established a procedure for litigating post-sentencing Tucker claims in Michigan: defendants must present prima facie proof of the invalidity of prior convictions or show the sentencing court failed to produce requested records; the prosecutor then bears the burden to prove validity; the sentencing judge should decide on papers if records are timely produced or hold an early hearing if not.
  • No new rule striking down admission of seizures incident to custodial arrest was created; the direct effect is affirmation of the conviction but remand for resentencing to exclude consideration of any prior convictions shown to be constitutionally infirm.

Disposition: Conviction affirmed; remanded for resentencing.

PEOPLE v. MOORE

LEVIN, J.

Reuben Moore was convicted by a jury's verdict for unlawful possession of a narcotic drug and sentenced to serve a prison term of eight to ten years. The Court of Appeals, in an unpublished per curiam opinion, affirmed, reducing the minimum term of Moore's sentence to six years and eight months on the authority of People v Tanner, 387 Mich. 683; 199 N.W.2d 202 (1972).

MCLA 335.153; MSA 18.1123.

The issues concern:

1) the validity of the warrantless seizure of the narcotic drug during a cursory examination incident to Moore's valid arrest for an unrelated crime;

2) the admissibility of Moore's prior convictions for the purpose of impeaching his credibility;

3) a claim that Moore was not represented by counsel at the times of the earlier convictions and, therefore, even if prior convictions are generally admissible, these prior convictions were not admissible and, similarly, they should not have been considered at the time of sentencing;

4) a claim that Moore was denied the effective assistance of counsel because his trial lawyer failed to preserve any of the foregoing objections.

I

In People v Ginther, 390 Mich. 436; 212 N.W.2d 922 (1973), we recently held that, to the extent a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel depends on facts not of record, the defendant must make a testimonial record at the trial court level which evidentially supports his claim and which excludes reasonable hypotheses consistent with the view that his trial lawyer represented him adequately. The requisite motion was not filed, and therefore, we do not have a record or findings by a trial judge to review.

However, Moore could not have been convicted unless there had been admitted in evidence the heroin seized as an incident to his arrest. Therefore, if it appears from the trial record that had a motion to suppress been made it should have been granted, an appellate court may properly grant relief even though the issue was raised for the first time on appeal.

See People v Smith, 260 Mich. 486; 245 N.W. 502 (1932); People v Steeneck, 247 Mich. 583; 226 N.W. 231 (1932); People v Ibarra, 60 Cal.2d 460; 34 Cal.Rptr. 863; 386 P.2d 487 (1963); People v Johnson, 38 Ill.2d 399; 231 N.E.2d 447 (1967).

II

Two Flint police officers, dressed in civilian clothes, as part of the vice squad's operations to curtail street prostitution, were patrolling a "problem area" in an unmarked car. They observed several female and male subjects on the street and a female talking to a man in an automobile. Suspecting that she was attempting to solicit someone in that automobile, they pulled their automobile over to the curb. Almost immediately, Moore approached and inquired whether the officers would be interested in engaging the services of a prostitute. An officer stepped from the car and placed Moore under arrest "for soliciting for immoral purposes".

Moore placed his hand in his pants pocket. The officer, believing Moore might be reaching for a weapon, grabbed him and spun him against the side of an automobile. Moore then opened his right hand and a small plastic vial fell to the ground.

The vial was of clear plastic with a snap-on top of the kind commonly used by pharmacies to dispense medicine. The vial was unlabeled. Inside were 20 small capsules containing white powder. Eighteen capsules were of clear plastic and the other two were red. The capsules lacked the fresh, uniform appearance typical of capsules dispensed by a pharmacy. Immediately upon taking Moore to the police station, the officer conducted a cursory examination of the vial, concluded that the capsules contained heroin, and then arrested Moore on a narcotics charge.

Cf. Chambers v Maroney, 399 U.S. 42; 90 S Ct 1975; 26 L Ed 2d 419 (1970); People v Weaver, 35 Mich. App. 504, 513; 192 N.W.2d 572 (1971).

The officer knew Moore "from before" — "a number of years ago". Moore testified, "if he knew me from the past he would have known" that Moore had a prior narcotics record.

In two recent cases decided by the United States Supreme Court, United States v Robinson, 414 U.S. 218; 94 S Ct 467; 38 L Ed 2d 427 (1973), and Gustafson v Florida, 414 U.S. 260; 94 S Ct 488; 38 L Ed 2d 456 (1973), the defendants were arrested for traffic offenses, taken into custody, and searched for weapons. In Robinson, during the search the arresting officer uncovered a crumpled cigarette pack. His cursory examination of the pack revealed 14 gelatin capsules of white powder which he thought to be and, upon subsequent analysis, proved to be heroin. In Gustafson, the arresting officer's search yielded a Benson and Hedges cigarette box. Upon his cursory examination "it appeared there were marijuana cigarettes in the box".

The Court summarized its holding in Robinson: "[I]n the case of a lawful custodial arrest a full search of the person is not only an exception to the warrant requirement of the Fourth Amendment, but is also a `reasonable' search under that Amendment," and then concluded:

"Having in the course of his lawful search come upon the crumpled package of cigarettes, [the arresting officer] was entitled to inspect it; and when his inspection revealed the heroin capsules, he was entitled to seize them as `fruits, instrumentalities or contraband' probative of criminal conduct." (p 236.)

These opinions were written by Mr. Justice Rehnquist who, in an earlier case, said for the Court: "The ultimate standard set forth in the Fourth Amendment is reasonableness." Cady v Dombrowski, 413 U.S. 433, 439; 93 S Ct 2523, 2527; 37 L Ed 2d 706, 713 (1973).

In both Robinson and Gustafson there were motions to suppress and full hearings concerning the reasonableness of the seizure. Moore did not move to suppress and there is no reason on this record to question the reasonableness of the arresting officer's belief upon his cursory examination that the white powder contained in the aberrant transparent capsules in the curiously unmarked, transparent vial was heroin.

Moore was not, in contrast with the defendants in Robinson and Gustafson, arrested for a traffic offense.
Mr. Justice Powell, concurring in Robinson and Gustafson, recognized the common experience that it is not customary to arrest for many relatively minor traffic offenses:
"In Gustafson, post, p 260, the petitioner conceded the validity of the custodial arrest, although that conclusion was not as self-evident as in Robinson. Gustafson would have presented a different question if the petitioner could have proved that he was taken into custody only to afford a pretext for a search actually undertaken for collateral objectives. But no such question is before us." United States v Robinson, supra, p 238, fn. 2.
In a footnote to the opinion of the Court in Robinson, the Court discussed Robinson's claim that the arresting officer may have been aware of Robinson's record of two prior narcotics convictions and may have used the traffic violation arrest "as a mere pretext for a narcotics search which would not have been allowed by a neutral magistrate" had the officer sought a warrant. Police department regulations required an officer summarily to arrest and take to the station house for booking a person, such as Robinson, who is arrested for operating a motor vehicle after revocation of his operator's permit. The Supreme Court responded to Robinson's argument:
"We think it is sufficient for purposes of our decision that respondent was lawfully arrested for an offense, and that Jenks' [the arresting officer's] placing him in custody following that arrest was not a departure from established police department practice. * * * We leave for another day questions which would arise on facts different from these." United States v Robinson, supra, p 221, fn. 1.
In People v Gonzales, 356 Mich. 247, 255; 97 N.W.2d 16 (1959), this Court answered in the negative the following question: "May police who stop an automobile on a Michigan highway to issue a traffic ticket also routinely search the automobile under Michigan law?" The Court observed that, "the officers had no intention of incarcerating Leal [the driver] or detaining him further. There were no fruits of the traffic offense to search for, nor any need to search for the means by which it had been committed. And since no further detention was contemplated, there was no need to search for weapons or other means of possible escape from custody."
Robinson and Gustafson do not conflict with Gonzales; as the United States Supreme Court carefully noted the validity of the custodial arrests was not challenged in either case.
We express no opinion about the propriety of a warrantless seizure and examination by someone other than the arresting officer or about an examination not conducted incidental to the custodial arrest or immediately following at the station house, or about the constitutional validity of an examination by the arresting officer of the seized material any more intensive or time-consuming than a cursory examination like those conducted by the arresting officers in Robinson, Gustafson and this case. Cf. People v Trudeau, 385 Mich. 276, 279-281; 187 N.W.2d 890 (1971); People v Roderick Walker, 27 Mich. App. 609; 183 N.W.2d 871 (1970).






While Const 1963, art 1, § 11 protects against "unreasonable searches and seizures", its proviso prohibiting the exclusion from evidence of "any narcotic drug, firearm, bomb, explosive or any other dangerous weapon, seized by a peace officer outside the curtilage of any dwelling house", precludes a construction of the Michigan search and seizure clause imposing a higher standard of reasonableness for searches and seizures of items named in the proviso than the United States Supreme Court has held applicable under the Fourth Amendment. In People v Pennington, 383 Mich. 611; 178 N.W.2d 471 (1970), this Court held the narcotic and firearms proviso invalid under the Federal constitution only to the extent it would permit receipt of evidence barred under the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments as construed by the United States Supreme Court.

Contrast State v Elkins, 245 Or. 279; 422 P.2d 250 (1966), and Caver v Kropp, 306 F. Supp. 1329 (ED Mich, 1969).

Cf. People v Turner, 390 Mich. 7; 210 N.W.2d 336 (1973) (entrapment); People v White, 390 Mich. 245; 212 N.W.2d 222 (1973) (double jeopardy), where this Court established standards higher than the Federal standards.

III

In contrast with People v Jackson, 391 Mich. 323; 217 N.W.2d 22 (1974), Moore's attorney did not ask the judge to exclude, in the record. Since he did not invoke the judge's discretion, Moore cannot fault the judge for failing to exercise it when he allowed impeachment on the basis of prior convictions.

Similarly see People v Pollard, 39 Mich. App. 291; 197 N.W.2d 546 (1972); People v Downs, 45 Mich. App. 130; 206 N.W.2d 241 (1973); People v Calvin Jones, 44 Mich. App. 633, 638; 205 N.W.2d 611 (1973).

Refusing to consider this unpreserved issue on its merits is not inconsistent with resolution of the similarly unpreserved search and seizure issue on its merits. Moore could not have been convicted without introduction of the heroin; the impeachment of Moore by reference to his past convictions was not necessarily decisive. Additionally, Jackson does not require a trial judge to exclude reference to a defendant's conviction record; it only requires that he exercise his discretion before deciding whether to permit reference to a conviction record. In contrast, a judge presented with a meritorious search and seizure claim is obliged to exclude the impermissibly obtained evidence.

IV

In United States v Tucker, 404 U.S. 443, 445-446, 448; 92 S Ct 589, 591-592; 30 L Ed 2d 592, 595, 597 (1972), the United States Supreme Court, in a post-conviction proceeding instituted a number of years after Tucker's conviction, affirmed the judgment of the Ninth Circuit remanding the case to the district court for resentencing "without consideration of any prior convictions which are invalid under Gideon v Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335 [ 83 S Ct 792; 9 L Ed 2d 799; 93 ALR2d 733 (1963)]."

Tucker's three previous state felony convictions preceded Gideon. It was established that two of them were constitutionally infirm because Tucker "had been unrepresented by counsel, and that he had been `neither advised of his right to legal assistance nor [had] he intelligently and understandingly waive[d] [his] right to the assistance of counsel'". 404 U.S. 445. The Court, while reasserting the "wide discretion" granted a judge in sentencing, remanded for resentencing because the sentence "might have been different if the sentencing judge had known that at least two of the respondent's previous convictions had been unconstitutionally obtained". The Court observed that if the sentencing judge "had been aware of the constitutional infirmity of two of the previous convictions, the factual circumstances of the respondent's background would have appeared in a dramatically different light at the sentencing proceeding". 404 US p 448.

Although Tucker arose in a Federal post-conviction proceeding challenging a Federal conviction and sentence, its retroactive application to state convictions has been accepted by a number of state courts, including our Court of Appeals. We conclude, in light of the consistent retroactive application in state criminal proceedings of Gideon and its progeny's expansion of the right to counsel, that Tucker is applicable with full retroactivity to all sentences imposed by Michigan courts.

Towers v Director, Patuxent Institution, 16 Md. App. 678; 299 A.2d 461 (1973); Howard v State, 280 So.2d 705 (Fla App, 1973); State v Flores, 511 P.2d 414 (Or App, 1973). Similarly, see Collins v State, 129 Ga. App. 87; 198 S.E.2d 707 (1973) and Baldwin v State, 499 S.W.2d 7 (Tex Crim App, 1973), which may, however, have been tried after Tucker was decided.
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania cited the necessity to follow Tucker as one of the reasons for adopting a policy of mandatory presentence disclosure. Commonwealth v Phelps, 450 Pa. 597; 301 A.2d 678, 683-684 (1973). Cf. People v McGaha, 10 Ill. App.3d 1051; 295 N.E.2d 476 (1973).

People v Eugene Jones, 47 Mich. App. 160; 209 N.W.2d 322 (1973); People v Gavin, 50 Mich. App. 743; 213 N.W.2d 758 (1973).

Loper v Beto, 405 U.S. 473; 92 S Ct 1014; 31 L Ed 2d 374 (1972); Doughty v Maxwell, 376 U.S. 202; 84 S Ct 702; 11 L Ed 2d 650 (1964); Pickelsimer v Wainwright, 375 U.S. 2; 84 S Ct 80; 11 L Ed 2d 41 (1963) (Gideon fully retroactive); Burgett v Texas, 389 U.S. 109; 88 S Ct 258; 19 L Ed 2d 319 (1967) (a defendant cannot be tried under a recidivist statute when he did not have counsel at the time of his prior convictions).

In Loper v Beto, 405 U.S. 473, 480; 92 S Ct 1014, 1018; 31 L Ed 2d 374, 380 (1972), the Court, again reiterating its guiding principle that "a conviction obtained in violation of Gideon v Wainwright [cannot] be used against a person either to support guilt or enhance punishment for another offense", further extended Gideon by affirmatively answering the question posed in the petition for certiorari: "Does the use of prior, void convictions for impeachment purposes deprive a criminal defendant of due process of law where their use might well have influenced the outcome of the case?" As Loper was a Federal habeas corpus proceeding challenging a state court conviction and itself applied its principle with full retroactivity, its holding and retroactivity is directly applicable to state court proceedings.

Loper v Beto, p 481, quoting Burgett v Texas, supra, p 115.

Several state courts on the constitutional authority of Loper's predecessors had already evolved an exclusionary rule like the rule established in Loper prior to the Supreme Court's decision in that case. See Spaulding v State, 481 P.2d 389 (Alas, 1971); In re Dabney, 71 Cal.2d 1; 76 Cal.Rptr. 636; 452 P.2d 924 (1969); Johnson v State, 9 Md. App. 166; 263 A.2d 232 (1970); State v Koch, 118 N.J. Super. 421; 288 A.2d 295 (1972); rule modified and extended in light of Loper, 119 N.J. Super. 184; 290 A.2d 738 (1972).
Following Loper, several other state courts have either applied Loper or recognized its applicability. Fee v State, ___ Tenn ___; 497 S.W.2d 748, 750 (1973); Commonwealth v Barrett, 296 N.E.2d 712 (Mass. App, 1973); Wood v State, 478 S.W.2d 513 (Tex Crim App, 1972).

V

Moore, anticipating neither Tucker nor Loper, did not make a factual record at the trial level regarding the invalidity of his prior convictions. The prosecutor has remedied this deficiency by furnishing, in one case, a copy of the docket entries showing that Moore apparently had counsel and, in the other case, a transcript evidencing Moore's proffer and the acceptance of his plea of guilty. The transcript shows that Moore did not have counsel and, although he pleaded poverty, he was not offered counsel.

The apparently invalid conviction was a 1949 conviction for breaking and entering in the night-time. The apparently valid conviction was in 1958 for illegal possession of narcotics. Proceeding on these assumptions, we cannot find that the impeachment of Moore on the basis of his 1949 conviction "might well have influenced the outcome of the case" and accordingly we find no violation of Loper. Moore was charged in this case with possession of narcotics. Once Moore was impeached on the basis of his apparently valid 1958 conviction for possession of narcotics, the credibility of his defense that the vial was not his was so undermined that his credibility could not have been further damaged by reference to his apparently void 1949 conviction. We, accordingly, affirm his conviction.

This ruling does not preclude Moore, in further proceedings at the trial court level, from attacking the validity of his 1958 narcotics conviction. If he can establish its constitutional infirmness, then our analysis of the Loper issue should be reconsidered by the trial court.

While a harmless error rule might also be applied to a Tucker claim, from a practical point-of-view, in contrast with a Loper claim which if meritorious requires a new trial, in most cases a judge can more readily resentence a convicted person than determine whether whatever consideration was given an invalid conviction at sentencing was harmless. Also, a determination of harmlessness would invite further appeal. And, even more importantly, the United States Supreme Court has indicated that the question is whether the sentence "might have been different" if the sentencing judge had known that the earlier convictions had been unconstitutionally obtained. (Emphasis supplied.) United States v Tucker, supra, p 448.

As in Tucker, supra, p 447, the "record in the present case makes evident that the sentencing judge gave specific consideration" to Moore's previous invalid conviction before imposing sentence. We, therefore, need not decide whether, if the record was less clear, there should be a preliminary inquiry whether the sentencing judge considered the invalid conviction.

When Moore was sentenced in this case the judge adverted to his earlier convictions saying: "[Y]ou've had prison of 1-1/2 to 15, 1-1/2 to 5, 6 to 10, and one by Judge Newblatt in 1967 of 8 to 10, which however he set aside this year."
The 1-1/2 to 15 year sentence was imposed for Moore's 1949 breaking and entering conviction.
The only reasonable inference from the foregoing is that the judge did consider Moore's uncounseled 1949 conviction when sentencing him in this case.

The rule which we glean from what the United States Supreme Court did in Tucker is that where the record shows that the sentencing judge considered a conviction invalid under Gideon an appellate court will remand for resentencing. Accordingly, we remand for resentencing.

VI

In the future, post-sentencing Tucker claims should be initially decided by the sentencing judge or his successor. He is in the best position to explore and decide the factual issues and, if necessary, the defendant can then be resentenced. The Court of Appeals may refrain from considering a Tucker claim until the sentencing court has had an opportunity to resolve it.

To invoke a Tucker hearing, the defendant must (1) present prima facie proof that a previous conviction was violative of Gideon, such as a docket entry showing the absence of counsel or a transcript evidencing the same; or (2) present evidence that he has requested such records from the sentencing court and it has failed to reply or has refused to furnish copies of records within a reasonable period of time, say four weeks. Upon such presentation, either (1) or (2), the burden will then be upon the prosecutor to establish the constitutional validity of the prior conviction. Thus, if the prosecutor contends that the defendant waived counsel, the burden will be on him to show affirmative record evidence of waiver.

If the prosecutor obtains and furnishes the judge and the defendant or his lawyer with photocopies of records establishing the constitutional validity of the prior conviction, the judge may decide the matter on the papers presented unless the defendant, on notice, shows cause to hold a hearing at which he is present. Unless the prosecutor furnishes such evidence within one month of the defendant's motion, the judge shall set the matter for an early hearing and order the production of the defendant at the hearing.

We have considered the collateral attack doctrine set forth in People v Gavin, 50 Mich. App. 743; 213 N.W.2d 758 (1973), urged upon us by the prosecutor, but are unpersuaded. A defendant will not be required "first [to] establish in separate post-conviction actions that the underlying convictions are invalid". Clearly, a Michigan trial court is competent to resolve the factual issues regarding the constitutional validity of a defendant's previous Michigan convictions. A Michigan court may also properly determine the validity of convictions in other state courts and the Federal courts for the limited purpose of reassessing the validity of a Michigan sentence.

Gavin is based on Brown v United States, 483 F.2d 116, 119 (CA 4, 1973), where the Court declared that it would require "a prisoner who bases his [Tucker] attack against one sentence on a collateral attack on another state sentence, particularly, when imposed in a foreign jurisdiction, to attack first the underlying sentence in the court imposing that sentence."
There is, however, no problem of Federal-state relations where the prior convictions were in Michigan.

Moore's previous convictions were both Michigan convictions.

Requiring a defendant seeking Tucker relief from a Michigan sentence to first attack the previous underlying convictions in the trial courts where he was convicted would unnecessarily add legal steps and compound the misery, not only for the defendant and any lawyer who may be representing him, but also for the taxpayers who ultimately foot the bill for all these procedures. Most all these claimants will still be indigent, by definition with prior records, probably lengthy sentences and quite willing to besiege the courts until the matter is resolved on the merits.

Conviction affirmed. Remanded for resentencing.

T.M. KAVANAGH, C.J., and T.G. KAVANAGH, SWAINSON, WILLIAMS, M.S. COLEMAN, and J.W. FITZGERALD, JJ., concurred with LEVIN, J.

Use AI to get other relevant cases.

Comments

PEOPLE v. MOORE
(Apr 16, 1974)