Case Name: James Stephen WALDEN, Appellant (Defendant), v. STATE of Florida, Appellee (State)
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1975-09-19
Citations: 319 So. 2d 51
Docket Number: No. W-227
Parties: James Stephen WALDEN, Appellant (Defendant), v. STATE of Florida, Appellee (State).
Judges: McCORD, J., concurs.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 319
Pages: 51–53

Head Matter:
James Stephen WALDEN, Appellant (Defendant), v. STATE of Florida, Appellee (State).
No. W-227.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, First District.
Sept. 19, 1975.
Richard W. Ervin, III, Public Defender, and Judith J. Dougherty, Asst. Public Defender, for appellant.
Robert L. Shevin, Atty. Gen., and Andrew W. Lindsey, Asst. Atty. Gen., for ap-pellee.

Opinion:
MILLS, Judge.
Walden was charged with assault to rob and assault to murder; he was found guilty of both charges by a jury; he was adjudged guilty and sentenced to prison. The point of importance here is whether the trial court erred in refusing to permit Walden to challenge several jurors peremptorily after Walden and the State had accepted the jury, but before the jury was sworn.
The jury was examined and was accepted by both parties on the day before the trial, however, the jury was not sworn. After the jury to try this case was accepted, the jury panel was excused. On the next morning, just before the jury was to enter the box, Walden informed the trial court that he wanted to challenge peremptorily two jurors. The trial court denied Walden's request to challenge the jurors on the basis that by accepting the jury he waived his right to challenge, and that to permit him to challenge would amount to granting a motion for continuance as there was no panel remaining from whom replacement jurors could be selected. The trial court erred.
Rule 3.310, Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure, provides that a defendant may challenge a prospective juror before the jury is sworn to try the case. Since 1860, the law of our State has been that a defendant has the right to retract his acceptance and object to a juror at any time before the juror is sworn. This Court found no modification of this right since that date in Shelby v. State, 301 So.2d 461 (Fla.App. 1st, 1974).
Reversed and remanded for a new trial.
McCORD, J., concurs.
BOYER, C. J., dissents.