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295 Ala. 423

327 So.2d 927

State v. Burns

In re STATE of Alabama v. Robert Spencer BURNS. Ex parte State of Alabama.

Supreme Court of Alabama

SC 1670.

Decided March 5, 1976.

Supreme Court of Alabama · decided 1976-03-05

Cited by 18 later decisions — most recently June 1984

18 state decisions

Key passage — most relied on by later courts

“". . . The Supreme Court of Alabama has never reversed a trial judge, to my knowledge, for failing to instruct. When a trial judge's instructions are not as full as defendant's counsel desires, the remedy is to request instructions explaining defendant's theory of the case . . ."”

quoted by 3 later decisions, including 354 So. 2d 317 - Simpson v. State, 371 So. 2d 951 - Yielding v. State

Relies on Smith v. State

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1976-03-05

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

¶1William J. Baxley, Atty. Gen., and Randolph P. Reaves, Asst. Atty. Gen., for the State.

¶2EMBRY, Justice.

¶3WRIT DENIED.

¶4HEFLIN, C. J., and ALMON, J., concur.

¶5BLOODWORTH and FAULKNER, JJ., concur specially.

¶6BLOODWORTH, Justice. (concurring specially.)

¶7I concur to deny the writ because of the erroneous instructions given by the trial judge.

¶8I must respectfully disagree with the opinion of the Court of Criminal Appeals insofar as it seems to imply that failure to instruct on "guilty scienter" constituted reversible error. The Supreme Court of Alabama has never reversed a trial judge, to my knowledge, for failing to instruct. When a trial judge's instructions are not as full as defendant's counsel desires, the remedy is to request instructions explaining defendant's theory of the case. Smith v. State,262 Ala. 584, 80 So.2d 307 (1955).

¶9Nor, are the references in the Court of Criminal Appeals' opinion to the Alabama Rules of Civil Procedure apt. This Court specifically provided in Rule 1, A.R.C.P., that these rules apply only to civil cases. Therefore, any reference to Rule 51 is ill advised and misleading to bench and bar, in my judgment.

¶10FAULKNER, J., concurs.

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