State v. McMasterState v. McMaster
- Reporters:
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- Before:
- Steinmetz
Thе issue in this case is whether the Double Jeopardy Clause of the
There is no dispute over the facts in this case. On July 16, 1994, Peter McMaster received a citation for operating while under the influencе of an intoxicant in violation of
After his initial appearance before the trial court, McMaster filed a motion to dismiss, claiming that the criminal prosecution under
McMaster appealed to the court of appeals. The court of appeals affirmed the circuit court judgment of conviction. In its decision, the court found that
This case presents a question of constitutional interpretation and a determination of statutory purpose. Whether a statute is considered punishment is a finding of constitutional fact and is an issue of law. State v. Woods, 117 Wis. 2d 701, 715, 345 N.W.2d 457 (1984). Therefore, this court may decide the issue independently of the circuit court or the court of appeals. State v. Thierfelder, 174 Wis. 2d 213, 218, 495 N.W.2d 669 (1993).
A party challenging a statute must show it to be unconstitutional beyond a reasonable doubt.
State v. Carpenter,
197 Wis. 2d 252, 263, 541 N.W.2d 105 (1995). There is a strong presumption in favor of the constitutionality of the statute.
See id.
Therefore, McMaster bears “the burden of overcoming the strong presumption that [
Historically, the United States Supreme Court has held that civil sanctions imposed in separate proceedings from a criminal prosecution stemming from the
The Court in 89 Firearms concluded that whether a statute is criminal and рunitive, or civil and remedial, is a matter of statutory interpretation. As such, the Court adopted a two-prong test established in United States v. Ward, 448 U.S. 242, 248 (1980), to aid courts in the exercise of statutory interpretation:
‘Our inquiry in this regard has traditionally proceeded on two levels. First, we have set out to determine whether Congress, in establishing the penalizing mechanism, indicated either expressly or impliedly a preference for one label or the other. Second, where Congress has indicated an intention to establish a civil penalty, we have inquired further whethеr the statutory scheme was so punitive either in purpose or effect as to negate that intention.’
89 Firearms, 465 U.S. at 362-63 (citations omitted). The theme in all of these cases is consistent: forfeitures of this type are primarily remedial sanctions that do not constitute punishment for purposes of a double jeopardy analysis.
Despite the consistent trend in
Various Items
and its progeny, three United States Supreme Court cases in recent years have created some confusion in the area of double jeopardy jurisprudence. In 1989, the Supreme Court decided
United States v. Halper,
490 U.S. 435 (1989).
Halper
involved a situаtion where a man was convicted of 65 counts of violating the criminal false-claims statute involving $585 actual loss. After he was sentenced in the criminal proceeding, the government brought an action under the civil False Claims Act, exposing Halper to a potential liability of $130,000. Because the Court found that the penalty was “entirely unrelated” to the actual damages suffered, it held that the civil penalty was a “second punishment” in violation of the Double Jeopardy Clause.
Halper,
490 U.S. at 447-49. The Court noted that “the labels ‘criminal’ and ‘civil’ are not of paramount importance,” for “a civil as well as a criminal sanction constitutes punishment when the sanction as
The Halper decision seemed to indicate the beginning of a changing tide in modern jurisprudence, particularly with respect to the civil/criminal distinction. It was followed by the Court‘s decision in Austin v. United States, 509 U.S. 602 (1993). In Austin, the government initiated civil forfeiture proceedings against a body shop and a mobile home after the owner pleaded guilty to a drug offense. Relying on the distinction in Halper between punitive and remedial goals, the Court held that the Eighth Amendment‘s Excessive Fines Clause applies to in rem civil forfeiture proceedings and, because the forfeiture at issue did not serve solely a remedial purpose, it was invalidated by the Court. Id. at 622.
The case of Department of Revenue of Montana v. Kurth Ranch, 511 U.S. 767 (1994), shed more confusion on the proper means of analyzing statutes to determine if they are punitive in nature. In Kurth Ranch, the Court concluded that the imposition of a drug tax on the parties after their criminal conviction for drug offenses was, in this case, a violation of double jeоpardy because the tax could fairly be characterized as punishment. The Court cited to Halper, but rejected the Halper mode of analysis to determine whether a statute is remedial or punitive. Kurth Ranch, 511 U.S. at —, 114 S.Ct. at 1948. Instead, the Court decided that the imposition of the tax after the criminal prosecution violates double jeopardy because it applies only to an illegal activity and, in fact, is imposed only after the arrest of a person for an illegal activity. Kurth Ranch, 511 U.S. at —, 114 S.Ct. at 1947.
There has been some confusion as to whether
Halper, Austin,
and
Kurth Ranch
represent a shifting
Ursery analyzes the defendant‘s double jeopardy claim under the two-prong Ward test advocated by the Court in 89 Firearms. This decision in Ursery adds another tool for analyzing the nature of a statute. Perhaps more importantly, however, Ursery also clarifies and limits the holdings in Halper, Austin, and Kurth Ranch. The Court notes that neither Halper, Austin, nor Kurth Ranch was meant to overrule the well-established cases involving civil forfeitures. In fact, the Court explains that each of those decisions must be limited in its holding:
In sum, nothing in Halper, Kurth Ranch, or Austin, purported to replace our traditional understanding that civil forfeiture does not constitute punishment for the purpose of the Double Jeopardy Clause. Congress long has authorized the Government to bring parallel criminal proceedings and civil forfeiture proceedings, and this Court consistently has found civil forfeitures not to constitute punishment -under the Double Jeopardy Clause. It would have been quite remarkable for this Court both to have held unconstitutional a well-established practice, and to have overruled a long line of precedent, without having even suggested that it was doing so. Halper dealt with in personam civil penalties under the Double Jeopardy Clause; Kurth Ranch with a tax proceeding under the Double Jeopardy Clause; and Austin with civil forfeitures under the Excessive Fines Clause. None of those cases dealt with the subject of this case: in rem civil forfeitures for purposes of the Double Jeopardy Clause.
Ursery, — U.S. — , 116 S.Ct. at 2147 (emphasis added).
The situation in the case at bar is not identical to that in any of the cited Supreme Court cases. Wisconsin Statutes
The
Carpenter
court adopted the standard for determining whether the Double Jeopardy Clause has been violated from
State v. Killebrew,
115 Wis. 2d 243, 340 N.W.2d 470 (1983). In
Killebrew,
the court held that administrative discipline for an escape from prison does not preclude criminal prosecution for the same incident because the administrative action does not constitute punishment. The court noted that “[gjovernmental action is punishment under the double jeopardy clause if its principal purpose is punishment, retribution or deterrence. When the principal purpose is nonpunitive, the fact that a punitive motive may also be present does not make the action punishment.”
5
Id.
at 251. Applying this standard, the court in
While it is accepted in Wisconsin that civil sanctions can constitute punishment, the analysis centers on whether the sanction is” ‘so extreme and so divorced from the Government‘s damages and expenses as to constitute punishment’ to which double jeopardy can attach.” State v. Thierfelder, 174 Wis. 2d 213, 228, 495 N.W.2d 669 (1993), quoting Halper, 490 U.S. at 442. In Thierfelder, this court held that the Double Jeopardy Clause did not bar criminal prosecution for two offenses involving intoxicated use of a motor vehicle subsequent to a civil judgment in a municipal traffic ordinance action arising from the same incident. The court explained that the defendant failed to dеmonstrate that the civil sanctions could be characterized as cririiinal penalties. Thierfelder, 174 Wis. 2d at 229.
Perhaps the best way to determine whether a statute is criminal and punitive, or civil and remedial, is through an analysis under the two-prong
Ward
test as advocated by the Supreme Court in
89 Firearms
and
Ursery.
Even before
Ursery
was decided, this court adopted the
Ward
test to analyze double jeopardy challenges.
See Carpenter,
197 Wis. 2d at 264;
State v. Kramsvogel,
124 Wis. 2d 101, 114, 369 N.W.2d 145 (1985),
cert. denied,
474 U.S. 901 (1985). Applying this test to the case at hand, this court must consider 1) whether the legislature intended
In applying the first prong of the test to
The results of the DOT report clearly indicate that the passage of
Despite the obvious remedial purpose of the statute, this court would be remiss to pretend that the administrative license suspension does not serve some deterrent effects. However, the test is not whether the statute serves some deterrent or punitive goals; rather, the inquiry involves determining whether the statute is so punitive in nature or effect as to render it punishment for purposes of the Double Jeopardy Clause.
See Ursery,
— U.S. —, 116 S. Ct. at 2147. McMaster argues
In State v. Schulz, 100 Wis. 2d 329, 302 N.W.2d 59 (Ct. App. 1981), the court held that a finding of guilt for violating a county ordinance does not bar criminal prosecution on the homicide by intoxicated user charge. The court explained that Schulz could lose his license, be forced to attend driver safety school, and be imprisoned for failure to pay his forfeiture, all in addition to the original forfeiture. Howevеr, “[t]hese penalties are not so punitive in purpose or effect to negate the intent of the legislature.” Id. at 331. The court proceeds to state that “[l]oss of license.. .is not so punitive as to cause us to conclude that jeopardy should attach.” Id.
The statute serves to protect the safety of all who travel on Wisconsin‘s public streets and highways. It is not intended primarily as a punishment, and its effects are not so punitive as to render it as such.
6
There are
As previously noted, the burden to rebut the presumption of constitutionality falls on
McMaster
in this case. In
Killebrew, Thierfelder, Kramsvogel,
and
Carpenter,
this court has rejected the defendants’ challenges to civil statutes as violative of the Double Jeopardy Clause. In all of these cases, the court found that the defendant had failed to meet his or her burden of proving that the statute had a criminal or punitive purpose, nature, or effect. Just like the defendants in those cases, McMaster has “failed to show that the principal purpose of the statute [
Based on a careful application of the two-prong
Ward
test, we conclude that the legislature intended
By the Court. — The decision of the court of appeals is affirmed.
Notes
McMaster was charged with a violation of
(1) No person may drive or operate a motor vehicle while:
(a) Under the influence of an intoxicant or a controlled substance or a combination of an intoxicant and a controlled substance, under the influence of any other drug to a degree which renders him or her incapable of safely driving, or under the combined influence of an intoxicant and any other drug to a degree which renders him or her incapable of safely driving; or
(b) The person has a prohibited alcohol concentration.
McMaster was charged under this section because he had previous convictions under
Penalty for violating sections 346.62 to 346.64.
(2) Any person violating s. 346.63 (1):
(a) Shall forfeit not less than $150 nor more than $300, except as provided in pars, (b) to (e).
(b) Shall be fined not less than $300 nor more than $1,000 and imprisoned for not less than 5 days nor more than 6 months if the total number of suspensions, revocations and convictions counted under s. 343.307 (1) equals 2 in a 5-year period, except that suspensions, revocations or convictions arising out of the same incident or occurrence shall be counted as one.
(7) Chemical Test; Administrative Suspension, (a) If a person submits to chemical testing administered in accordance with this section and any test results indicate a prohibited alcohol concentration, the láw enforcement officer shall report the results to the department and take possession of the person‘s license and forward it to the department. The person‘s operating privilege is administratively suspended for 6 months.
(b) If a person who was driving or operating or on duty time with respect to a commercial motor vehicle submits to chemical testing administеred in accordance with this section and any test results indicate any measured alcohol concentration above 0.0, the law enforcement officer may take possession of the person‘s license and retain the license for 24 hours. The person may reclaim a seized license in person or request return of the license by mail. The law enforcement officer shall issue a citation for violation of s. 346.63 (7) (a) 1., issue citations for such other violations as may apply and issue an out-of-service ordеr to the person for the 24 hours after the testing, and report both the out-of-service order and the test results to the department in the manner prescribed by the department. If the person is a nonresident, the department shall report issuance of the out-of-service order to the driver licensing agency in the person‘s home jurisdiction.
(8) Chemical Test; Administrative Suspension; Administrative and Judicial Review, (a) The law enforcement officer shall notify the person of the administrative suspension under sub; (7) (a). The notice shall advise the person that his or her operating privilege will be administratively suspended and that he or she has the right to obtain administrative and judicial review under this subsection. This notice of administrative suspension serves as a 30-day temporary license. An administrative suspension under sub. (7) (a) becomes effective at the time the 30-day temporary license expires. The officer shall submit or mail a copy of the notice to the department.
The Double Jeopardy Clause provides that no person shall “be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb....”
The ultimate holding of State v. Killebrew, 115 Wis. 2d 243, 340 N.W.2d 470 (1983), was superseded by a statutory change eliminating “statutory good time.” See State v. Fonder, 162 Wis. 2d 591, 595, 469 N.W.2d 922 (Ct. App. 1991). However, the “principal purpose” test applied in Killebrew has not been affected.
Cases decided in other jurisdictions in recent years overwhelmingly have recognized that administrative license suspension following a drunk driving arrest or refusal to submit to required testing is primarily remedial in purpose and effect so that a subsequent criminal prosecution does not violate double jeopardy. See Allen v. Attorney General of Maine, 80 F.3d 569, 577 (1st Cir. 1996) (administrative license suspension under Maine law “represents a reasonable effort to protect the public from motorists who have demonstrated a dangerous pro pensity to drink before they drive;” because sanction is primarily remedial, subsequent criminal prosecution is not barred on double jeopardy grounds). Accord United States v. Imngren, — F.3d —, 1996 WL 614637 (4th Cir. 1996); State v. Reichenberg, 915 P.2d 14 (Idaho 1996); State v. Kocher, 542 N.W.2d 556 (Iowa 1996); State v. Hanson, 543 N.W.2d 84 (Minn. 1996); State v. Mayo, 915 S.W.2d 758 (Mo. 1996), cert. denied, — U.S. —, 117 S. Ct. 61 (1996); State V. Gustafson, 668 N.E.2d 435 (Ohio 1996); State v. Hickman, 668 A.2d 1321 (Conn. 1995), cert. denied, — U.S. —, 116 S. Ct. 1851 (1996); State v. Higa, 897 P.2d 928, 933 (Haw. 1995); State v. Funke, 531 N.W.2d 124, 126-27 (Iowa 1995); State v. Jones, 666 A.2d 128 (Md. 1995), cert. denied, — U.S. —, 116 S. Ct. 1265 (1996); Luk v. Commonwealth, 658 N.E.2d 664 (Mass. 1995); State v. Savard, 659 A.2d 1265, 1268 (Me. 1995); State ex rel. Schwartz v. Kennedy, 904 P.2d 1044 (N.M. 1995); State v. Zimmerman, 539 N.W.2d 49 (N.D. 1995).
See also Butler v. Department of Pub. Safety & Corrections, 609 So. 2d 790, 795-97 (acknowledging that while license suspension statute is to some extent deterrent and thus punitive, its primary effect is remedial); State v. Strong, 605 A.2d 510, 513-14 (Vt. 1992) (although there is an element of deterrence in the administrative license suspension provisions, it is not the primary purpose of the statutory scheme); State v. O‘Brien, 609 A.2d 981 (Vt. 1992). But see, People v. Uzquiano, 642 N.Y.S.2d 769 (N.Y.Just. Ct. 1996); Seven Hills v. Adkins, 658 N.E.2d 828 (Ohio Mun. 1995).