Does the majority of the Supreme Court hold that there is no constitutional right to jury trial on the issue of premeditation?

California, United States of America


The following excerpt is from People v. Bright, 12 Cal.4th 652, 49 Cal.Rptr.2d 732, 909 P.2d 1354 (Cal. 1996):

If the majority's holding does mean that there is no constitutional right to jury trial on the issue of premeditation, it produces this anomaly: As to completed murders, premeditation is an element of the crime of first degree murder and therefore subject to the constitutional right of jury trial; as to attempted murders, however, premeditation is merely a penalty consideration and therefore not subject to the constitutional right of jury trial. In this case, for example, had Deputy Kain died of the wounds defendant inflicted, and had the prosecution charged defendant with murder, the issue of premeditation would have been an element of the charged offense of murder in the first degree, and defendant therefore would have had a constitutional right to a jury trial on that issue. (United States v. Gaudin, supra, 515 U.S. 506, ---- [115 S.Ct. 2310, 2317].) Yet because Kain did not die and defendant was charged with attempted premeditated murder (and because the majority concludes that premeditation is a mere penalty consideration in this context), defendant apparently has no constitutional right to a jury trial on the very same issue of premeditation. This incongruity provides yet another reason to reject the majority's construction of the statutory language.

Other Questions


How does the Court treat a claim by a defendant that an issue raised and decided in the trial court resulted in constitutional violations? (California, United States of America)
Does the majority opinion in the Supreme Court of Canada say that a trial court lacks subject matter jurisdiction pending an appeal? (California, United States of America)
Is a party who fails to alert the trial court to an issue that has been left unresolved forfeits the right to raise the issue on appeal? (California, United States of America)
Is a defendant's claim that the trial court's failure to provide him with the means and subpoena witnesses to defend at trial a violation of his Sixth Amendment right to represent himself at trial reversible? (California, United States of America)
When a defendant makes a mid-trial motion to revoke his self represented status and have standby counsel appointed for the remainder of the trial, does the trial court have a duty to manage the trial? (California, United States of America)
Does defendant's voluntary absence operate to waive his constitutional right to be present at trial and permitted continuation of the trial? (California, United States of America)
What is the duty of a trial court to instruct a jury on the general principles of law relevant to the issues raised by the trial? (California, United States of America)
What is the test for a defendant's claim that he was denied his constitutional right to due process of law because the trial court relieved the prosecution of its burden of establishing that defendant acted with malice? (California, United States of America)
In the absence of a decision by the California Supreme Court on the issue of consent for searches and seizures, what is the effect of the consent process in the context of this issue? (California, United States of America)
Does the Court of Appeal have found that Defendant Joiner did not waive his assumed constitutional right to be personally present at the remand hearing and that the court erred in conducting that hearing in his absence? (California, United States of America)
X



Alexi white


"The most advanced legal research software ever built."

Trusted by top litigators from across North America.