CHRISTOPHER E. CLAWSON AND DENNIS M. COCHRANE, PETITIONERS,
v.
PAUL BAKER, JUDGE OF THE CRIMINAL COURT OF RECORD, DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, RESPONDENT

Fla. | 1971-03-03
No. 40740
ROBERTS, C. J., and CARLTON, BOYD and DEKLE, JJ., concur.
245 So. 2d 223 Florida Supreme Court (1971) Positive Treatment
Cited by 26 cases

AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.

Synopsis

Petitioners sought mandamus relief to compel dismissal of criminal charges under Florida's speedy trial statute. The Florida Supreme Court denied relief, finding that petitioners had prematurely sought discharge before the requisite three full terms had expired.


Holding

Petitioners were not entitled to discharge because they prematurely sought their release before the expiration of the third full term after commitment. The statute required three full terms to expire, and the term following the fourth term had not yet concluded at the time of their motion.


Headnotes

[1] A defendant is not entitled to discharge for failure to bring them to trial within the statutory period if the motion for discharge is filed before the expiration of the…

[2] A term of court during which a defendant is arrested and released on bond cannot be considered a "full term" for the purpose of calculating the statutory speedy trial per…

Previewing 2 of 4 headnotes on this case. FLexlaw’s editorially structured points of law — every proposition, pinpointed — are reserved for members.

Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence

Key Quotes

“the statute requires, under such circumstances, that Petitioners be brought to trial "at or before the third full term after the date" they are first committed”

Establishes the key statutory requirement governing the petitioners' entitlement to speedy trial discharge

Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.

Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence

Facts & Procedural History

Clawson and Cochrane were arrested and released on bond on June 24, 1970, during a term that began June 9, 1970. They filed written demands for speedy…

The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.

Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence

© FLexlaw, Inc. — AI-generated enrichments are proprietary. All rights reserved.


Opinion of the Court
ADKINS, Justice.

*224ADKINS, Justice.

This is an original proceeding in mandamus wherein Petitioners, charged with a crime, seek an alternative writ commanding the Respondent Judge to either dismiss a criminal case or show cause why he has not done so.

Petitioners were arrested and released on bond on June 24, 1970. This was during a term of court which began on June 9, 1970, and will be referred to herein as “Term One.” On July 1, 1970, during Term One, Petitioners filed a written demand for speedy trial.

A new term (herein referred to as Term Two) began August 11, 1970, and on this date the second demand for speedy trial was filed.

Another term (herein referred to as Term Three) began on October 13, 1970, and a demand for speedy trial was filed on October 14, 1970.

The next term (herein referred to as Term Four) began December 8, 1970, and a demand for speedy trial was filed on December 9, 1970. On December 14, 1970, during Term Four, Petitioners moved ore tenus for discharge under Fla.Stat. § 915.-01(2), F.S.A. This motion for discharge was denied by the Respondent trial Judge upon the ground that the statute was unconstitutional.

Petitioners filed the written demands for trial as required by the provisions of the statute. However, the statute requires, under such circumstances, that Petitioners be brought to trial “at or before the third full term after the date” they are first committed. Term One could not be considered as a “full term” after Petitioners were committed, so they were not entitled to discharge until after the expiration of Term Four. The first “full term” was Term Two, as described above, the second “full term” was Term Three, and the third “full term” was the fourth term or the term beginning December 8, 1970.

It should be noted that in State ex rel. Leon v. Baker, 238 So.2d 281 (Fla.1970), the Defendant filed a demand the last day of the term in which he was arrested, the first day of the next, or second, term, the last day of the third term, and sought his release on the last day of fourth term. In the case sub judice, the fourth term had not expired at the time Petitioners sought their release.

The Petitioners having prematurely sought their release, the Respondent Judge did not commit error in denying their motion for discharge.

The constitutionality of the statute was, therefore, not before the Judge and his order denying the motion for discharge should not be considered as an adjudication that the statute is unconstitutional.

The petition for alternative writ of mandamus is denied and these proceedings are dismissed.

It is so ordered.

ROBERTS, C. J., and CARLTON, BOYD and DEKLE, JJ., concur.


Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus


Citator

Cited By (13 total)

  • Kirkland v. Edwards, 245 So. 2d 221 (Fla. 1971)
    …PER CURIAM. Certiorari denied. See Clawson et al. v. Baker, Fla., 245 So. 2d 223 (Fla.1971). ROBERTS, C. J., and ERVIN, CARLTON, McCAIN and DEKLE, JJ., concur.…
  • …PER CURIAM. The writ of certiorari issued in this cause is discharged and the petition is dismissed on authority of Clawson et al. v. Baker, 245 So. 2d 223 (Fla.1971). It is so ordered. ROBERTS, C. J., and ERVIN, CARLTON, McCAIN and DEKLE, JJ., concur.…
  • Bernard v. State, 261 So. 2d 133 (Fla. 1972)
    …tion and the case on July 2, 1970. Three full terms of court had not expired after the defendant filed his demands when the court dismissed the information. This Court in Morrero v. Turner, 246 So. 2d 769 (Fla.1971), in discussing Clawson v. Baker, 245 So. 2d 223 (Fla.1971), said: “[W]e held in order to meet the requirements of the Statute, it is necessary that: (1) three motions for speedy trial be properly filed in three consecutive terms of court and (2) three full terms of court pass after the first mot…

Previewing 3 of 13 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.

Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence

Authorities Cited

Full citator, related cases, and AI research tools

Open in FLexlaw