United States v. Howe

United States Court of Appeals
For the First Circuit
No. 12-2321
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Appellant,
v.
RYAN HOWE,
Defendant, Appellee.
APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
[Hon. Joseph A. DiClerico, Jr., U.S. District Judge]
Before
Lynch, Chief Judge,
Selya, Circuit Judge,
and Hillman,* District Judge.
Seth R. Aframe, Assistant United States Attorney, with whom
John P. Kacavas, United States Attorney, was on brief, for
appellant.
Behzad Mirhashem, with whom Jeffrey S. Levin was on brief, for
appellee.
November 15, 2013
*
Of the District of Massachusetts, sitting by designation.
LYNCH, Chief Judge. The question raised is whether the
district judge correctly dismissed one count of a 2012 federal
indictment against Ryan Howe. That in turn hinges on whether Howe,
convicted in 1995 of a felony, had his civil right to sit on a jury
restored as a matter of New Hampshire state law. The state
statutes involved, though, have not yet been construed and are far
from clear, and their construction will be determinative in this
case. Qualification for jury service is a core concern of the
state and its judiciary. We think the best course is to certify
the statutory interpretation question to the New Hampshire Supreme
Court. See N.H. Sup. Ct. R. 34.
I.
The defendant, Ryan Howe, was indicted in August 2012 for
possession of a firearm by a felon, see 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1),
based on his prior predicate conviction of a state felony. He
moved to dismiss this count, arguing that he could not be
classified as a felon under § 922(g)(1) due to the exceptions
listed in 18 U.S.C. § 921(a)(20). Section 921(a)(20) provides:
"[a]ny conviction which has been expunged, or set aside or for
which a person . . . has had his civil rights restored shall not be
considered a conviction for purposes of this chapter . . . ." This
court has held that "the civil rights that must be restored to
trigger the exception [in § 921(a)(20)] are the rights to vote, to
hold public office, and to serve on a jury." United States v.
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Estrella, 104 F.3d 3, 5-6 (1st Cir. 1997). The government concedes
that Howe's right to vote and right to hold public office were
restored before the date of the charged offense.
Howe argues that he was eligible to serve on a jury under
New Hampshire's juror eligibility statutes as of September 15,
2011, the date of the federal crime. The prosecution argues that
he was not. The district court adopted Howe's reading, as a matter
of law, and dismissed the felon in possession charge.1 See United
States v. Howe, No. 12-cr-101-01-JD, 2012 WL 4757891, at *2-3
(D.N.H. Oct. 4, 2012). The government appealed. We now certify to
the New Hampshire Supreme Court the question of law of whether
Howe's right to serve on a New Hampshire jury was restored as of
September 15, 2011 under sections 500-A:7-a and 651:5 of the New
Hampshire Revised Statutes. The facts are undisputed.
II.
The New Hampshire Supreme Court will accept certified
questions of law from a federal court "if there are involved in any
proceeding before it questions of law of this State which may be
determinative of the cause then pending in the certifying court and
as to which it appears to the certifying court there is no
controlling precedent in the decisions of this court." N.H. Sup.
Ct. R. 34. This case meets those requirements; whether Howe's
1
He is also charged with one count of possession of an
unregistered firearm, which is not at issue in this appeal.
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right to serve on a jury had been restored is determinative of
whether this court must affirm the dismissal of the federal charge.
The New Hampshire Supreme Court has not previously construed the
state's juror qualification and annulment statutes with respect to
the qualification law's annulment-of-prior-felonies provisions, and
the answer to the question presented here is far from clear.
Federalism concerns also motivate us to certify the question best
left to the New Hampshire high court to resolve.
The New Hampshire statute governing Qualifications of
Jurors provides: "A juror shall not have been convicted of any
felony which has not been annulled or which is not eligible for
annulment under New Hampshire law." N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann.
§ 500-A:7-a(V). The process for annulment is set forth at
section 651:5 of the New Hampshire Revised Statutes. It requires
felons seeking an annulment to file a petition with a court and
sets forth standards for the allowance of such a petition. Howe
was eligible for annulment under New Hampshire law beginning five
years from the date of his release from incarceration, see N.H.
Rev. Stat. Ann. § 651:5(III)(d), but he had not petitioned for
annulment before the date of the alleged offense. The question,
then, is whether a felon who is eligible for annulment but who has
not received an annulment may serve on a New Hampshire jury.
The parties offered competing interpretations of the New
Hampshire statutes, and our view is that there are other possible
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interpretations as well. Howe argues that section 500-A:7-a should
be interpreted to make a felon eligible to serve on a jury if (1)
he had received an annulment, or (2) he were eligible to petition
for an annulment, regardless of whether he had received it. The
prosecution argues that section 500-A:7-a should be interpreted to
be consistent with section 651:52 and to make a felon ineligible as
long as (1) his conviction was not eligible to be annulled, or (2)
his conviction had not been annulled, even if it was eligible for
annulment.
We look to "the method and approach" for legal
interpretation announced by the state's highest court. Cahoon v.
Shelton, 647 F.3d 18, 22 (1st Cir. 2011). Using those methods, we
find no controlling precedent on this question.
III.
A. Statutory Text
A court interpreting New Hampshire law must "first look
to the language of the statute itself, and, if possible, construe
that language according to its plain and ordinary meaning." State
v. Dor, 75 A.3d 1125, 1127 (N.H. 2013). When construing statutory
text, New Hampshire follows the widely accepted rule that "all of
the words of a statute must be given effect and that the
2
The relationship between the two statutes that concern
annulment of convictions, one entitled Qualifications of Jurors,
section 500-A:7-a, and the other entitled Annulment of Criminal
Records, section 651:5, may be part of the interpretive task.
-5-
legislature is presumed not to have used superfluous or redundant
words." State v. Guay, 62 A.3d 831, 835 (N.H. 2013) (quoting
Pennelli v. Town of Pelham, 807 A.2d 1256, 1258 (N.H. 2002))
(internal quotation mark omitted).
The parties' competing interpretations each run the risk
of rendering some words redundant. On one hand, as the district
court noted, the government's reading could arguably make the
"which is not eligible" clause redundant. The argument goes that
any felony "which is not eligible" for annulment would fall into
the category of felonies that "ha[ve] not been annulled." So,
under the government's reading, the statute could have been, but
was not, written as "A juror shall not have been convicted of any
felony which has not been annulled under New Hampshire law." The
government argues in response that the clauses are not redundant
because they implicitly distinguish between convictions that are
flatly ineligible for annulment and those that are eligible for
annulment but have not yet been annulled. Without the "which is
not eligible" clause, the government argues, the statute would be
ambiguous as to whether felons with convictions ineligible for
annulment could serve on juries. It is also possible that the
"which is not eligible" clause is only partially redundant under
the government's reading, insofar as it could be intended as a
catch-all to prohibit jury service by individuals with felonies
that were improperly annulled.
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On the other hand, Howe's interpretation has a similar
flaw, as it arguably makes the "has not been annulled" clause
redundant. Since a felony that was actually annulled would have
been eligible for annulment, Howe's reading would allow the statute
to have been written, although it was not, as "A juror shall not
have been convicted of any felony which is not eligible for
annulment." Howe's reading also reverses the logic of the text,
effectively inverting its two disjunctive disqualifiers (a
prospective juror is disqualified if he has a felony that "has not
been annulled" or "is not eligible for annulment") to become
disjunctive qualifiers (a prospective juror is qualified if he has
a felony that "has been annulled" or "is eligible for annulment").
This reading would be in tension with the New Hampshire Supreme
Court's command not to "add language that the legislature did not
see fit to include." Dor, 75 A.3d at 1127.
We also note the statutes' interpretation may affect New
Hampshire residents who are otherwise eligible jurors but who have
felony convictions, whether annulled or not, from another
jurisdiction.
B. Legislative History
The legislative history -- which may be used when
multiple reasonable interpretations of a statute exist, see State
v. Lathrop, 58 A.3d 670, 673 (N.H. 2012) -- does not appear to
resolve the matter. Howe points to isolated statements in the
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legislative history, especially one by the study committee that
evaluated an early draft of what became the juror eligibility law
at issue here. But the statements were not made before the full
legislative body and concerned an earlier draft of the statute with
different language than the version ultimately enacted. Cf.
Hooksett Conservation Comm'n v. Hooksett Zoning Bd. of Adjustment,
816 A.2d 948, 952 (N.H. 2003) (declining to rely solely on
legislative history when the legislative history fails to
"provide[] sufficient guidance to determine the legislature's
intent").
C. Administrative Interpretation
In some instances, New Hampshire courts consider the
administrative practice of the bodies implementing relevant laws.
See In re Westwick, 546 A.2d 1051, 1053 (N.H. 1988) ("[W]here a
statute is of doubtful meaning, the long-standing practical and
plausible interpretation applied by the agency responsible for its
implementation, without any interference by the legislature, is
evidence that the administrative construction conforms to the
legislative intent." (quoting State Emps.' Ass'n v. State, 503 A.2d
829, 832 (N.H. 1986)) (internal quotation marks omitted)). We
would be hesitant to give such an administrative interpretation
much weight given the textual difficulties noted. Further, it is
the New Hampshire Supreme Court which is in charge of the judicial
system, and it has not spoken.
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Howe, after argument,3 provided a copy of the form that
was issued by The Jury Center of the New Hampshire Superior Court
to use to evaluate juror eligibility. In a portion reserved for
court use, that form states next to a check box: "All of the
convictions are eligible for an annulment under New Hampshire law.
The juror is qualified for jury service." Howe reads that as
supporting his position. However, we have not been provided with
any basis for the conclusion that the Center is entitled to any
deference in its administrative interpretation of the laws. Cf.
Hamby v. Adams, 376 A.2d 519, 521 (N.H. 1977) (noting the
importance of "administrative discretion" in evaluating weight of
administrative practice). And, more importantly, an administrative
practice that runs counter to the text of the law does not merit
deference. See In re Westwick, 546 A.2d at 1055.
IV.
In conclusion, certifying the question in this case is
proper not just because the legal issues are not decided by New
Hampshire case law but also because they deal with strong state
interests. Cf. Real Estate Bar Ass'n for Mass., Inc. v. Nat'l Real
Estate Info. Servs., 608 F.3d 110, 119 (1st Cir. 2010) (noting the
importance of "strong federalism interests"); Globe Newspaper Co.
3
Counsel for Howe has also represented that he was told by a
clerk of the New Hampshire District Court in Merrimack County that
the courts follow his interpretation. But the evidentiary
shortcomings of that claim, which is not supported by an affidavit,
are obvious.
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v. Beacon Hill Architectural Comm'n, 40 F.3d 18, 24 (1st Cir. 1994)
(noting that issues "of peculiarly state and local concern" are
well-suited for certification). Determining the balance between
the possible New Hampshire legislative policy goals as to who may
be qualified as a juror is a task better suited to the state high
court. Cf. Acadia Ins. Co. v. McNeil, 116 F.3d 599, 605 (1st Cir.
1997) (certifying question to New Hampshire Supreme Court in part
"because the public policy arguments cut both ways").
V.
We certify the following question to the New Hampshire
Supreme Court:
Under sections 500-A:7-a(V) and 651:5 of the
New Hampshire Revised Statutes and the
undisputed facts of this case, is a felon
whose conviction is eligible for annulment
(that is, not categorically disqualified from
jury service) but who has not applied for or
received an annulment of that conviction
qualified to sit as a juror?
We would also welcome any other comments on relevant points of
state law that the New Hampshire Supreme Court should wish to
share.
The clerk of this court is instructed to transmit to the
New Hampshire Supreme Court, under the official seal of this court,
a copy of the certified question and our opinion in this case,
along with copies of the parties' briefs, appendix, and
supplemental filings under Rule 28(j) of the Federal Rules of
Appellate Procedure. We retain jurisdiction over this appeal.
So ordered.
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