Opinion ID: 160217
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: General Questioning During Voir Dire

Text: 49 Hale argues that Mr. Van Wagner was ineffective because he failed to educate the jury on any aspect of his second stage strategy. However, Hale has failed to demonstrate how Mr. Van Wagner's questioning during voir dire fell below constitutional standards. 50 In Nguyen v. Reynolds, 131 F.3d 1340 (10th Cir. 1997), this Court held that [a]n attorney's actions during voir dire are considered to be matters of trial strategy. A strategic decision cannot be the basis for a claim of ineffective assistance unless counsel's decision is shown to be so ill chosen that it permeates the entire trial with obvious unfairness. Id. at 1349 (citation omitted). Hale has failed to demonstrate that Mr. Van Wagner's failure to question jurors about a possible defense strategy permeated the trial with unfairness. 51 The Supreme Court has held that in a capital trial, due process requires a voir dire examination of a potential juror's views on the death penalty, see Morgan v. Illinois, 504 U.S. 719, 729, 112 S. Ct. 2222, 119 L. Ed. 2d 492 (1992); however, it is clear from the transcript of the voir dire proceedings that such an examination did take place in this case. Furthermore, after examining the transcript, it is clear that Mr. Van Wagner did ask the jurors questions that attempted to elicit potential biases which could be either helpful or damaging to Hale's case. These questions included whether the jurors held an opinion, whether they knew anyone in law enforcement that would color their ability to be impartial, and whether they were members of a church. Moreover, the court thoroughly questioned the jurors as to their views on the death penalty. Thus, Hale has failed to show that Mr. Van Wagner's performance in questioning the jurors during voir dire was constitutionally deficient or prejudicial. 52