FI FTH DI VI SI ON

REESE, P. J.

, M A RKLE and COLVI N, 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

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E m e r ge nc y Or de r o f M a r c h 1 4

, 2 0 2 0 for fur the r

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. ga a ppe a ls .us /r ule s ).

M ay 1, 2020



# I n th e Co u r t o f

A p p eals o f

G eo r g ia

A2 0 A0 49 8 . J O HNSON v . THE STATE.

R E E S E

, Pres i di n g J u d g e.

Kev i n Al an J o h n s o n w as co n v i ct ed o f o n e co u n t o f bu rg l ary i n t he fi rs t d eg ree,

t wo co u n t s o f bu rg lar y i n t h e s eco n d d eg ree, o n e co un t o f t h eft b y t ak in g

, an d o n e

co u nt o f p o s s es s i o n o f a k n i fe d u ri n g t h e co m m i s s i o n o f a fel o n y

. On ap peal

, J o h n so n

arg u es t hat t h e t ri al co u rt erred i n d ecl i n i n g to s t ri k e o n e o f t h e m em b ers o f t h e ju ry

p o o l fo r cau s e. Fo r t h e reas on s s et fo rt h i n fra, we affi rm

.

On e o f t h e p ro s pect i v e ju ro rs (“ J u ro r 3 3 ”) fo r J o h ns o n’ s t ri al was t h e wi fe o f

t h e d is t ri c t a t t o rn ey

. Sh e d i d no t ex p res s an y b i as fo r o r ag ai n s t t h e St at e o r t h e

d efen d an t d u ri n g v o i r d i re. Nei t h er t h e St at e no r d efen s e co un s el as k ed J u ro r 3 3 i f h er

rel at i o n s h i p wi t h t h e di st ri ct at t o rn ey m i g h t im p act h er v iew o f th e ca s e

. Th e t ri al

co u rt g av e t h e St at e an d d efen s e co u n s el t h e o p p o rt u n i ty t o q u es t i o n J uro r 3 3 t h ro u g hi n d i v i d u al v oi r d i re, b u t b o t h d ecl in ed t o do s o

. Defen s e co u n s el t h en m o v ed t o s t ri k e

J u ro r 3 3 fo r cau s e, arg u i n g t h at h e d id n o t “ t h i n k i t ’ s p o s s i b l e t h at s h e can b e

u n b i as ed ” b ecau s e s h e was m arri ed t o t h e h ead p ro secu t o r.

Th e tri al co u rt d en i ed t h e m o t i o n

. T h e co u rt fo u n d t h at t h ere was n o th i n g i n t h e

reco rd s h o wi n g p o s s i bl e b ias

, J uro r 3 3 w as an i n d ep en d en t pro fes s i o n al

, an d t h e co u rt

wo u l d n o t au t o m at i cal l y co n fl at e h er v i ews wi th t h e d i s t ri ct at t orn ey ’ s

. Sh e was p ut

i n t h e p o ol as a po t en t i al al t ern at e ju ro r. J u ro r 3 3 w as u l t i m at el y n ot s el ect ed t o t h e

ju ry an d n o t s el ect ed as an al t ern at e.

“ W h et her t o s t ri k e a ju ro r fo r cau se l i es wi th i n t h e s o u n d d i s cret i o n o f t h e t ri al

ju d g e, an d t h e t ri al co u rt ’ s ex erci s e o f t h at d i s cret i o n wi l l n o t be s et a s i d e ab s en t a

m an i fes t ab u s e o f d is cret i o n .” 1 “ As t h e t ri al co u rt ’ s co n cl u s i o n reg ard i n g b i as i s b as ed

i n p art o n d em ean or an d cred i b i l i t y

, wh i ch are p ecu l i arl y wi th i n th e t ri al co urt ’ s

p ro v in ce, t h o s e fi n d i n gs are to b e g i v en d eferen ce.” 2 W i t h t h es e gu i d i n g p ri n ci p l es

i n m i n d , we n o w t u rn t o t h e J o hn s o n ’ s s p eci fi c cl ai m o f erro r.

1 Br o wn v. S t a t e

, 2 95 Ga. 8 0 4

, 8 08 (4 ) (7 6 4 SE2 d 3 7 6) ( 2 0 1 4 ) (ci t at i o n an d

p u n ct u at i o n o m it t ed ).

2 Po r t er v. S ta te

, 2 7 8 Ga. 6 9 4

, 6 9 7 (5 ) (6 0 6 SE2 d 2 4 0 ) ( 2 0 0 4 ) (ci t at i o n an d

p u n ct u at i o n o m it t ed ).

2In h i s s o l e en u m erat ed erro r o n ap p eal

, J o h n so n arg u es th at t h e t ri al co u rt erred

i n fai li n g t o s t ri k e J u ro r 3 3 fro m t h e ju ry p o o l fo r cau s e. He co n ten d s t h at h er

p res en ce i n t h e ju ry p o o l v i o l at ed OCGA § 1 5 -1 2 -1 3 5 (a) 3 as an i n t eres t ed p art y

,

b ecau s e o f h er rel at i o n s h i p t o t h e d i st ri ct at t o rn ey

.

I n 2 0 1 8

, t h e Geo rg i a Su p rem e Co u rt i s su ed new p reced en t as t o wh at

co n st i t u t es h arm fu l erro r wh en a t ri al co u rt refu s es to ex cu s e a p ro s p ect i v e ju ro r fo r

cau s e. 4 Pri o r t o 2 0 1 8

, a d efen dan t co u ld s h o w h arm wh ere t h ey u nn eces s ari l y h ad to

u s e a p erem

p to ry s t ri k e o n a ju ro r t h at s h o u l d hav e b een ex cu s ed fo r cau s e. 5 Aft er t h e

Su p rem e Co u rt ’ s d eci s io n i n W i l l i s

, h o wev er, “ a d efen d an t m u s t s ho w on ap p eal t h at

o n e o f t he ch al len g ed ju ro rs wh o s erv ed on h i s o r h e r t wel v e-p ers o n ju ry was

3 OCGA § 1 5 -1 2-1 35 (a) s t at es :

Al l t ri al ju ro rs i n t h e co urt s o f t hi s s t at e s h al l b e d is q u a l i f i e d t o act o r

s erv e i n an y cas e o r m a t ter wh en s u ch ju ro rs are rel at ed b y

co n s an g u i n i t y o r affi ni t y t o an y p art y i n t eres t ed i n t h e res u l t o f th e cas e

o r m at t er wi t h i n t h e t h i rd d eg ree as co m p u t ed acco rd i n g to th e ci v i l l aw.

Rel at i o ns h i p m o re rem o t e s hal l n o t b e a d i s q u al i fi cat i o n

.

4 See W i l l i s v. S ta te , 3 0 4 Ga. 6 8 6 , 7 0 1 -7 0 7 (1 1 ) (8 2 0 SE2 d 6 40 ) (2 0 1 8 ).

5 See i d . at 7 0 2 (1 1 ) (a).

3u n q u al i fi ed .” 6 A p pl y i n g t hat n ew ru l e t o t he cas e b efo re i t , t h e Su p rem e Co u rt h el d

t h at an y erro r i n q u al ify i n g two p art i cu l ar ju ro rs was h arm l es s b ecau s e n ei t h er ju ro r

u l t i m at el y

s erv ed o n t h e d efen d an t ’ s ju ry

. 7

In t h i s cas e, J u ro r 3 3 di d n o t serv e o n J oh n s o n ’s t wel ve-p ers o n ju ry o r as an

al t ern at e. Th u s

, an y erro r i n q u al i fy in g t hi s ju ro r des p i t e h er rel at i o n s h i p t o t h e d i s t ri ct

at t o rn ey “ was h arm l es s

, becau s e, b as ed on [J u ro r 3 3 ’ s ] pl a c e m en t o n t he l i s t o f

p o t en t i al ju ro rs an d t h e p art i es ’ co m b i n ed u s e an d l ack o f u s e of t h ei r p erem p t o ry

s t ri k es , [s h e] n ev er s erv ed as a m em ber o f [J o hn s o n ’ s] t wel v e-p ers o n ju ry .” 8

Ju d g men t a f f i r m ed . Ma r

kl e a n d Co l vi n , JJ., co ncu r

.

6 Id . at 7 0 7 (1 1 ) (a).

7 See i d . at 7 0 7 (1 1 ) (b )-(c).

8 W i l l is , 3 0 4 Ga. at 7 07 (1 1 ) (c).

4