STATE EX REL. A. E., Petitioner, v. CIRCUIT COURT FOR GREEN LAKE COUNTY, the Honorable David C. Willis, Presiding, Respondent.†
No. 79-1524-W
Supreme Court of Wisconsin
Decided February 7, 1980
Memorandum filed May 19, 1980
288 N.W.2d 125
Submitted December 14, 1979. † Motion for reconsideration granted on April 8, 1980.
Our court has not considered the problem of staying trial court proceedings pending appeal. The parties do not address this issue either. The implicit assumption in the majority opinion is that while a petition for leave to appeal is pending and when leave to appeal is granted the trial court proceedings will be stayed because the appeal loses its value if the trial proceeds.
For respondents: Arthur Wiesender, district attorney, Green Lake County, Bronson C. La Follette, attorney general, and Sally L. Wellman, assistant attorney general.
SHIRLEY S. ABRAHAMSON, J. This is a petition for a writ of prohibition by which the petitioner seeks to challenge an order entered under the provisions of
In its response to the petition in this court, the state argues that a juvenile waiver order is not an adjudication within the meaning of
As we said in State v. Jenich, 94 Wis.2d 74, 288 N.W.2d 114 (1980), the question of what orders and judgments are final for purposes of appellate review is a recurring question of statutory interpretation. The final judgment-final order rule is designed to prohibit piecemeal disposal of litigation and thus plays an important role in the movement of cases through the judicial system. However, this court will place qualifications on the rule where the need for immediate review outweighs the purposes of the rule.
In State v. Jenich, supra, this court held that an order may be appealable as of right under
An order waiving juvenile court jurisdiction fulfills these three criteria. The juvenile court‘s order disposes of the question of a ch. 48 disposition finally at the trial court level; the issue of waiver is separable from the
We recognize that interlocutory appeals are undesirable, esрecially in criminal prosecutions, because they cause delays which are inimical to an effective criminal justice system. At the same time we recognize that granting a juvenile immediate review of a waiver order fulfills the public policy expressed by the legislature in chapter 48.
In In Interest of D.H., 76 Wis.2d 286, 251 N.W.2d 196 (1977), a case which arose before the creation of the court of appeals, we similarly held that there are compelling reasons why there should be immediate appellate review as of right of an order of the juvenile court waiving jurisdiction.6
The petition for writ of prohibition to the court of appeals in the case at bar was to invoke the supervisory authority of the court of appeals.8 The court of appeals should have considered the petition for a writ оf prohibition to be a notice of appeal,9 which was filed within the time set forth in
Accordingly, we deny the application for a supervisory writ and remand the matter to the court of appeals for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
By the Court. ---- The petition is denied without costs.
COFFEY, J. (dissenting in part; concurring in part). I agree that the order of the circuit court waiving juvenile court jurisdiction over the petitioner was apрealable. I disagree with the reasoning employed to reach that conclusion. I dissent from that part of the mandate remanding the matter to the court of appeals.
The legislature says that waiver order was a final order appealable under
I agree and would hold that the order in question is appealable under
The majority denies the petition for a writ of prohibition presented herein, but remands the matter to the court of appeals for further proceedings. The majority offers no explanation whatsoever as to how this court acquirеd jurisdiction over the court of appeals in this proceeding. A petition was presented to the court of appeals and denied. No attempt was ever made to seek review in this court of the decision of the court of appeals. Rather, the petitioner presented a new petition for a writ of prohibition to this court. The proceeding which the petitioner sought to prohibit was his trial of the criminal case in the circuit court. There was nothing in the court of appeals to prohibit. Yet, without ever having acquired jurisdiction over the decision of the court of appeals or the proceeding therein, the majority reverses on the ground that the substance controls over form. The form so easily dismissed as unimportant by the majority is a rule of this court requiring that a notice of appeal be filed with the clerk of the trial court in order that the court of appeals might gain jurisdiction over the appeal.
In my reading of the law, it is my belief that a writ of prohibition was not available where there existed an adequate remedy by appeal. State ex rel. Cullen v. Ceci, 45 Wis.2d 432, 173 N.W.2d 175 (1970). The order of the circuit court waiving juvenile court jurisdiction over the petitioner was entered on September 12, 1979. The order of the court of appeals denying the petitioner‘s
I would deny the petition and not remand this matter to the court of appeals. I am authorized to state that Mr. Justice CONNOR T. HANSEN joins in this opinion.
The following memorandum was filed May 19, 1980.
PER CURIAM (on motion for reconsideration). Upon reconsideration, we conclude that juvenile waiver orders are not appealable by right because they are neither “final orders” under
Because, upon reconsideration of State v. Jenich, 94 Wis.2d 74, 288 N.W.2d 114 (1980), we rejected the three criteria used by federal courts to test finality, our initial opinion in this case lacks precedential support. Viewed under the appropriate test set forth in
Similarly, a juvenile waiver order is not appealable by right under
In D.H., supra, a case which arose before the implementation of the court of appeals and the new appellate procedure rules, we fashioned an appellate remedy to supplant the inadequate and time-consuming remedy available to contest juvenile waiver orders under
The legislature did in fact act subsequently in three related areas, the combined effect of which rendered the D.H. procedure unnecessary. The legislature (1) repealed and recreated the statutory procedure for waiving juveniles to adult court;2 (2) reorganized the state
A further advantage of proceeding under
In D.H. we emphasized the critical importance of an order waiving juvenile jurisdiction and the resultant need for prompt appellate rеview. 76 Wis.2d at 292-94. In the court‘s words: “The transfer of the juvenile to the adult criminal process is a grave step, and there should be a way for the juvenile to obtain immediate
Given the significance of a waiver of juvenile jurisdiction orders, we urge that the court of appeals, in the exercise of its discretion, give careful consideration to the merits presented by appeals from such orders. Review will often be necessary to protect the minor from “substantial or irreparable injury” -one of the three criteria for granting permissive appeals under
The editors of the new manual on Wisconsin juvenile court practice advocate handling appeals from juvenile waiver orders in the manner set forth above. The editors state that:
“Although the provision for appeal in the Children‘s Code, s. 48.47, provides for an appeal only of an ‘adjudication of the juvenile court,’ the Wisconsin Suрreme Court has held that an order of waiver under Wis. Stat. s. 48.18 (6) is an appealable order. In re D.H., 76 Wis. 2d 286, 251 N.W.2d 196 (1977). However, the language of In re D.H. is probably modified by Wis. Stat. s. 808.03 (1). Under that section, a waiver order is not appealable as a matter of right because it is not a final order. However, it is appealable as a discretionary appeal under ss. 808.03 (2) and 809.50 and there should be no difficulty demonstrating under ss. 808.03 (3) and 809.50 (1) (c)
that an immediate review of the order is necessary to protect the juvenile from substantial and irreparable injury.” Wisconsin Juvenile Court Practice, sec. 9.23, p. 151 (Youth Policy & Law Center, 1978).
The numerous papers filed on behalf of A.E. and the state throughout A.E.‘s repeated attempts to obtain appellate review of the waiver order demonstrate that counsel valiantly attempted to make sense out of the unexplained interplay between
By the Court.----The petition is denied without costs, and the cause remanded to the juvenilе court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
SHIRLEY S. ABRAHAMSON, J. (concurring on motion for reconsideration). I agree with the majority that the juvenile waiver order does not constitute a final order under
I do not agree with the majority‘s disposition of the writ. If we can speak in terms of “customary disposition of a case like this,” I would say that the customary disposition would be to deny the petition for a writ of prohibition and to extend the stay of criminal proceedings in the circuit сourt for Green Lake county, which this court granted on October 8, 1979, for ten days from the date of our mandate to give petitioner opportunity to file a petition for leave to appeal and to seek a further stay. See
I do not understand why the court remands the case to the “juvenile court.” The judge entered an order waiving juvenile jurisdiction and pursuant to
Although I do not doubt this court‘s power to dismiss the writ of prohibition and to grant A.E. additional time to file a petition for leave to appeal with the court of appeals, I think the court is putting too heavy an emphasis and value on form instead of on substance. We should not dismiss proceedings on procedural, technical grounds. I believe this court should, as it has in other recent proceedings, remand or transfer the matter to the court of appeals. The court of appeals should be directed to treat A.E.‘s petition for a writ of prohibition as а petition for leave to appeal.
A.E. has filed three sets of papers with the clerk of the supreme court (who serves as clerk to both the supreme court and the court of appeals) and has expended $75 in filing fees. The court now forces A.E. to pay
The court has unfortunately put an additiоnal delay in the proceedings by requiring the filing of a petition for leave to appeal. Time, which is of the essence in the instant case, is ticking away. A.E. will reach the age of eighteen on July 13, 1980.
Notes
48.18 Jurisdiction for criminal proceedings for children 16 or older; waiver hearing. (1) If a child is alleged to have violated a state criminal law on or after his or her 16th birthday, the child or district attorney may apply to the court to waive its jurisdiction under this chapter. The judge may initiate a petition for waiver if the judge disqualifies himself or herself from any future proceedings on the case.
“48.47 Appeal. (1) Any person aggrieved by an adjudication of the court under this chapter and directly affected thereby has the right to appeal to the court of appeals in accordance with s. 809.40. Appeal from an order granting or denying an adoption under s. 48.91 and from any circuit court review under s. 48.64 (4) (c) shall be to the court of appeals.(2) A child who has filed a notice of appeal shall be furnished a transcript of the proceedings appealed from or as much of it as is requested without cost upon the filing of an аffidavit that the child or the person who is legally responsible for his or her care and support is financially unable or the person responsible is unwilling to purchase the transcript.”
Appеal. (1) Any person aggrieved by an adjudication of the court under this chapter and directly affected thereby has the right to appeal to the court of appeals in accordance with s. 809.40. Appeal from an order granting or denying an adoption under s. 48.91 and from any circuit court review under s. 48.64 (4) (c) shall be to the court of appeals.
For a detailed discussion of the changes made in sec. 48.18, Stats., by ch. 354, sec. 31, Laws of 1977, see, State ex rel. TDD v. Racine County Cir. Court, 91 Wis.2d 231, 237-41, 280 N.W.2d 264 (1979).Rule (Applicability). (1) An appeal to the court of appeals from a judgment or order in a misdemeanor case or a chapter 48, 51 or 55 case, or a motion for postconviction relief in a misdemeanor case must be initiated within the time periods specified in Rule 809.30 and are governed by the procedures specified in Rules 809.30 to 809.32.
(2) The procedures under Rules 801.01 to 801.25 and 801.50 to 801.85 govern an appeal in a chapter 299, traffic regulation or municipal ordinance violation case under s. 752.31 (2) unless a different procedure is expressly provided in Rules 809.41 to 809.43.
The special procedure established by the court in D.H. did, however, indicate that review on a supervisory writ should be based on the record of the entire juvenile court proceeding. 76 Wis.2d at 295.For a discussion of a final order under sec. 808.03 (1), Stats., see State v. Jenich, 94 Wis.2d 74, 288 N.W.2d 114 (1980).
The basis for our concern with juvenile waiver orders is adequately discussed in D.H. and will not be rеiterated here. See also, State ex rel. TDD v. Racine County Cir. Court, 91 Wis.2d 231, 280 N.W.2d 264 (1979); Mikulovsky v. State, 54 Wis.2d 699, 703-08, 196 N.W.2d 748 (1972); cf., Kent v. United States, 383 U.S. 541 (1966)....
(2) APPEALS BY PERMISSION. A judgment or order not appealable as a matter of right under sub. (1) may be appealed to the court of appeals in advance of a final judgment or order upon leave granted by the court if it determines that an appeal will:
(a) Materially advance thе termination of the litigation or clarify further proceedings in the litigation;
(b) Protect the petitioner from substantial or irreparable injury; or
(c) Clarify an issue of general importance in the administration of justice.
... Any person aggrieved by an adjudication of the county court under this chapter and directly affected thereby has the right to appeal to the circuit court of the same county within 40 days of the entry of the order in the manner in which appeals are taken from judgments in civil actions. No undertaking shall be required on such appeal. The order of the county court shall stand, pending the determination of the appeal, but the circuit court may upon application stay such order. The appeal shall be on the record which the county court shall make and keep of the entire proceedings. Appeal from an order granting or denying an adoption under s. 879.27 and from any county court review under s. 48.64(4) (c) shall be to the supreme court.
Although no “notice of appeal” was filed in the Green Lake county circuit court, a copy of the pеtition for the writ of prohibition was filed in the Green Lake county circuit court, and the petition gave substantially the same information as required in a notice of appeal.
On September 25, 1979, the court of appeals dismissed A.E.‘s petition for a writ of prohibition stating that the proper manner of challenging the juvenile waiver order was first by appeal to
When the court of appeals dismissed A.E.‘s petition for a supervisory writ, A.E. apparently had the choice of (1) filing a notice of appeal and seeking a stay of the criminal trial; (2) seeking review of the dismissal by a petition to review in this court pursuant to
A.E. chose not to file a notice of appeal with the court of appeals (which A.E. had asserted would not рrovide speedy and efficient review) or a petition to review with this court. A.E. chose the supervisory writ route. On October 3, 1979, A.E. filed two petitions in this court for supervisory writs. One petition was a petition for a writ of mandamus asking this court to direct the court of appeals to review the juvenile waiver order. The second petition was a petition for a writ of prohibition asking this court to direct the Green Lake county circuit court not to proceed with a criminal trial and asking this court to review the juvenile waiver order. A.E. paid $50.00 in filing fees, $25.00 for each petition. Each pеtition refers to the other petition, and each petition asks for relief in the alternative, either prohibition or mandamus. The caption of each petition is different: Mandamus names the court of appeals as respondent; prohibition names the circuit court as respondent. However, both the circuit court and the court of appeals were notified of the filing of both petitions in this court. In both the petition for a writ of prohibition and the petition for a writ of mandamus, the real parties in interest (A.E. and the state), their counsel, and the issues presented аre the same. A.E.‘s petitions for the writs were filed in this court within the thirty-day period set forth in
On October 8, 1979, in an unpublished order which gave no explanation for this court‘s action, this court denied A.E.‘s petition for a writ of mandamus which had been directed to the court of appeals. This court ordered all criminal proceedings in the circuit court arising out of the juvenile waiver order stayed and ordered a response to A.E.‘s petition for the writ of prohibition. This court was then left with A.E.‘s petition for a writ of prohibition directed to the circuit court not to proceed with an adult criminal trial and asking this court to review the merits of the juvenile waiver order.
