FI FTH DI VI SI ON

PHI PPS, P. J.

, DI LLA RD and PETERSON, JJ.

N O T IC E : M otions for r e c ons i de r a tion m us t be

ph y sic a l ly r e ce iv ed i n our c le r k ’s offic e w ithin te n

da y s of the da te of de c is ion to be de e m ed tim e ly file d.

http://w w w .ga a ppe a l s .us /r ule s

M ay 6, 2016



# I n th e Co u r t o f

A p p eals o f

G eo r g ia

A1 6 A0 01 0 . LAM B v . THE STATE.

P H I P P S , Pres i d i n g J u dg e.

Fo l l owi n g a ju ry t ri al

, A n d re Lam b was co n v i ct ed o f ch il d m o l es t at i o n

. He

a p p e a l s

, as s ert i n g t h at t h e t ri al co u rt erred i n rep l aci n g a ju ro r du ri n g t ri al

. Fo r

reas on s t h at fo l l o w, we affi rm

.

Th e reco rd s h o ws t h at ju ry s el ect i o n to o k p l ace o n M ay 6

, 2 0 1 4

. Al th o u g h t h e

s el ect i o n p ro ceed i n g s were n o t fu l l y t ran s cri b ed

, t h e p art i es ag ree t h at d u ri n g v o i r

d i re, a pro s p ect i v e ju ro r (“ J u ro r 1 9 ”) di s cl o s ed t h at h e had a card i o l o g i s t ap p o i n t m en t

at 3 : 0 0 p .m

. o n M ay 8

, 2 0 1 4

, i n Ro m e, Geo rg i a, ap p ro x i m at el y 3 0 m i nu t es away fro m

t h e co u rt ho u s e. Des p i t e t he d i s cl o s u re, bo t h p art i es accep t ed J u ro r 19 o n t o t h e ju ry

.

Th e t ri al p ro ceed ed o ver t h e n ex t t wo d ay s

. O n t h e m o rn i n g of M ay 8

, t h e cas e

was s u b m i t t e d t o t h e ju ry

, wh i ch d el i b erat ed fo r a p eri o d o f t i m e, t h en reces s ed fo rl u n c h

. D u r i n g t h e reces s

, J u ro r 1 9 rem i n d ed t h e co u rt ab o ut h i s 3 : 0 0 p .m

.

ap p oi n t m en t

. Th e co u r t d i s cu s s ed t h e i s s u e wi t h t h e p art ies

, no t in g t hat th ey h ad

s ev eral o p t i o n s : (1 ) in fo r m J u r o r 1 9 t h at h e m i g h t m i s s h is ap p o in t m en t ; (2 ) d o

n o t h i n g an d wai t t o s ee i f t h e ju ry reach ed a v erd i ct b efo re J u ro r 1 9 n eed ed t o l eav e

at ap p ro x i m at el y 2: 0 0 p .m .; (3 ) i m m ed i at el y rep l ac e h i m wi t h an al t ern at e ju ro r; o r

(4 ) s u sp en d del i b erat io n s fo r t h e d ay an d h av e t h e ju ry (i ncl u d in g J u ro r 1 9 ) ret u rn t h e

n ex t m o rn i n g

.

Th e S t at e arg u ed fo r i m

m ed i at el y rep l aci n g J u ro r 1 9 s o t h at t h e ap p o i n t m en t

wo u l d no t b e “ p res s i n g o n h i s m i n d ” a n d del i berat i o n s co ul d co n t i n u e. Defen s e

co u ns el o b

ject ed

, as s ert i n g t h at h e d i d n o t “ wan t t h e Co u r t t o m a k e an y ch an g es to

t h e co m p o s i t i on o f t h e ju ry .” Aft er h eari n g arg u m en t

, t he t ri al co u r t n o t ed t h at t h e

“ wo rs t t hi n g ” w o u l d be t o d o n o t h i n g an d s i m p ly h o p e fo r a v erd i ct b y 2: 0 0 p.m

. Th e

c o u rt al s o o pp o s ed s u s p en di n g d el i b erat i o n s un t i l t h e fo l l o wi ng d ay b ecau s e t h e

cl o s i ng arg u m en t s an d ju ry i n s t ru ct i o n s w ere s ti l l “ fres h o n [ju ro rs ’ ] m i nd s ” t h at

aft ern o o n

. Th e ju d g e u l ti m at el y d eci ded t o d is m i s s J u ro r 1 9 an d rep l ace h i m wi t h an

al t ern at e, ex p l ai n i n g: “ I fi n d t h at t h i s w as a p ro perl y di s cl o s ed m ed i cal ap p o i n t m en t

.

Nei t h er [t h e p ro s ecu t i o n n o r t h e d efen s e] ch o s e t o s t ri ke h i m

, o b vi ou s l y, o r h e

wo u l d n ’ t b e t h ere. So I am g o i ng t o rep l ace h i m .”

2Th e co u rt cal l ed t he ju ry i n t o t h e co urt ro o m , co n fi rm ed wi t h J u ro r 1 9 t h at h e

h ad n o t can cel l ed h i s m ed i cal ap p o i n t m en t, an d ex cu s ed h i m fro m t he cas e s o t h at h e

wo u l d n o t h av e t h e ap p o in t m en t “ w ei g h i n g o n [h i s ] m i n d du ri n g t h e d el i b erat i v e

p r o c e s s .” Th e co u rt rep l aced J uro r 1 9 wi t h an al t ern at e, t hen i n s t ru ct ed t h e ju r y t o

s t art o v er wi t h i ts del i b erat i on s t o i n cl u d e t he n ew ju ro r. T h e ju ry s u b s eq u en t l y fo u n d

Lam b g u i l ty o f ch i l d m o l es t at i o n

.

Lam b arg u es t h at t h e t ri al co u rt erred i n rep l aci ng J uro r 1 9 d u ri n g

d el i b erat i o n s . W e d i s ag ree. Pu rs u an t t o OCGA § 1 5 -1 2 -1 7 2

,

If at an y t i m e, w h et h er b efo re o r aft er fi n al su b m i s s i o n o f t h e cas e t o th e

ju ry

, a ju ro r d i es

, b eco m es i l l

, u p o n o th er g o o d cau s e s h o w n t o t h e co u rt

i s fo u n d t o be u n ab l e to p erfo rm h is du t y

, o r i s d i s ch arg ed fo r o t h er l eg al

cau s e, t h e fi rs t al t ern at e j u r o r s h al l t ak e th e pl ace o f t h e fi rs t ju ro r

b eco m i n g i n cap aci t at ed

.

A tri al co urt ex erci s es i t s d i s cret i o n i n rep l aci n g a ju ro r u n d er t h is p ro v i s i o n,

an d rem o v al m ay o ccu r aft er t h e ju ry h as b eg u n i t s d el i b erat i o n s

. 1 Bu t “ [t ] h ere m u s t

b e s o m e s o un d b as i s u p o n wh i ch t h e t ri al ju d g e ex erci ses h i s d i scret i o n t o rem o v e t h e

ju ro r.” 2 In s h o rt

, t h e t ri al co urt m ay rem o v e a ju ro r wh en i t “ i s c o n v i n c ed t h at t h e

1 Br ya n t v. S ta t e , 3 2 0 Ga. Ap p . 5 0 4 , 5 0 6 (1 ) (7 4 0 SE2 d 2 4 7) (2 01 3 ).

2 Id . (ci t at i o n o m it t ed ).

3rem o v ed ju ro r’ s ab il i t y t o p erfo rm [h i s ] d u t i es i s i m p ai red .” 3 W e wi l l n o t rev ers e t h e

t ri al co u rt ’ s d eci s i o n t o rep l ace a ju ro r ab s en t an ab u se o f d i s cret i o n

. 4

Th e m ed i cal is s u e i n t h i s cas e was n o t a s u rp ri se. Lam b k n ew d u ri n g v o i r d i re

ab o ut Ju ro r 1 9 ’ s u p co m in g ap p o i n t m e n t

, b u t n ev ert h el es s accep ted hi m on t h e ju ry

p an el

. W h en t h e ju ro r rem i n d ed t h e co u rt t h at h e need ed t o l eav e fo r hi s ap p o i n t m en t

o n M ay 8

, t h e t ri al co u rt th oro ug h l y rev i ewed th e o p t i o n s fo r han d l in g t h e si t u at i o n

an d d et erm i n ed th at rep l aci ng h i m wo u l d b e b es t

. In reach i n g th i s d et erm i n at i o n

, t h e

t r i a l co urt n o t ed t h at i t d i d n o t wan t J u ro r 1 9 t o d el i b erat e wi t h th e ap p o i n t m en t

wei g h i ng o n h i s m i nd

.

Ul t i m at el y

, t h e t ri al co urt co n cl u d ed t h at t h e i m p en d i n g m ed ical ap p o i n t m en t

p rev en ted Ju ro r 1 9 fro m p erfo rm i n g h i s d u t i es o n M ay 8

. Al th o u g h i t co n s i d ered

d el ay i n g d el i b erat io n s u n t i l t h e fo ll o w i n g day

, t h e co urt el ect ed n o t t o d o s o b ecau s e

t h e cas e was fres h o n ju ro rs ’ m i nd s t h at aft ern o o n

. Gi v en t h es e ci rcu m s tan ces

, as wel l

3 W ea t h er s b y v. St at e

, 2 6 3 Ga. Ap p

. 34 1

, 3 4 3 (4 ) (5 87 SE2 d 8 3 6 ) (2 0 0 3 )

(p u n ct u at i o n an d fo o t n o t e o m i t t ed ).

4 See i d

.

4as Lam

b ’ s o ri g i n al d eci s i o n t o accep t J u ro r 1 9 o n t o th e ju ry p an el d es p it e h i s m ed i cal

co n fl i ct , t h e t ri al co u rt d id n o t ab u s e i t s d is cret i o n i n rep l aci ng t h e ju ro r. 5

Ju d g men t a f f i r m ed . Di l l ar d

a n d Pet er s o n , JJ., co ncu r

.

5 S e e Cl evel a n d v. S ta t e

, 2 1 8 Ga. Ap p

. 6 6 1, 66 4 (4 ) (4 63 SE2 d 3 6 ) (1 9 9 5 )

(“ Hu rry in g to a v erd i c t b e c au s e o f an x iet y ab o u t k eep i n g an i m p o rt an t m ed i cal

ap p oi n t m en t rel at i ng t o t h e ju ro r’ s o wn h eal th co u ld it s el f i n fect th e v er d i ct .”),

o v erru l ed i n p art o n o t h er g ro u nd s by S co t t v. St at e

, 2 9 5 Ga. 3 9

, 4 2 n. 4 (3 ) (7 5 7 SE2 d

1 0 6 ) (2 0 1 4 ). See al s o B r

ya n t

, s u p ra a t 5 0 8 ( 1 ) (t ri al co u rt d i d n o t err i n rem o v i n g

ju ro r wh en i t m ad e an i n fo rm ed ex erci s e o f d i s cret io n); Ta yl o r v. S t a t e

, 2 8 5 Ga. Ap p.

6 9 7

, 7 0 2 (4 ) (6 4 7 SE2 d 3 8 1 ) (2 0 0 7 ) (t ri al co urt p ro p erl y rep l aced j u ro r wi t h al t ern at e

aft er d et erm in in g t h at ju ro r co ul d n o t p erfo rm h er d u t i es b ecau s e h er ch i l d h ad b een

ad m i t t ed t o ho s p i t al ); Cl o u d v. S t a t e

, 2 3 5 Ga. A p p

. 7 21

, 7 2 2 ( 1 ) (5 1 0 SE2 d 3 7 0 )

(1 9 9 8) (t ri al co u rt di d n o t ab u s e i t s d i s cret i o n in rep l aci n g ju ro r aft er m ak i n g “ an

i n fo rm ed fi n d i n g o f i n cap aci t y ”).

5