Opinion ID: 2607856
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Conduct of the Trial Judge

Text: Defendant claims that throughout the course of the trial the judge made comments and rulings which demonstrated extreme bias against the defendant's case. Defendant also claims that the judge made facial gestures, shook his head and smiled as defendant testified. Defendant argues that this misconduct denied defendant her constitutional right to trial by an impartial tribunal. U.S. Const. amend. VI, XIV; N.M. Const. art. II, § 14. A trial judge must exercise great care to assure a criminal defendant a fair and impartial trial. See Annot., 34 A.L.R.3d 1313 (1970). This required fairness and impartiality may often run counter to natural human reaction, particularly where the case involves a heinous crime, State v. Nordstrom, R.I., 408 A.2d 601 (1979), or the demeanor of an attorney has been particularly disrespectful or antagonistic, United States v. Spears, 558 F.2d 1296 (7th Cir.1977); People v. Di Carlo, 242 App.Div. 328, 275 N.Y.S. 40 (1934). Nonetheless, fairness and impartiality are required of a judge and necessitate that the judge be patient, dignified and courteous to litigants, jurors, witnesses, lawyers and others with whom he deals in his official capacity. NMSA 1978, Code of Judicial Conduct, Canon 3(A)(3) (Repl.Pamp. 1983). In the present case, defendant contends that certain improprieties on the part of the trial judge took place off the record. Defendant relies on affidavits attached to her new trial motion in challenging the purported comments and gestures. Affidavits so presented do not establish the record. State v. Haar, 94 N.M. 539, 612 P.2d 1350 (Ct.App.), cert. denied, 94 N.M. 674, 615 P.2d 991 (1980). Defense counsel did, at one point, attempt to make a record concerning comments he claimed the trial judge had made during a recess. The trial judge, however, refused defense counsel the opportunity to establish a record on defense counsel's objections to the trial judge's conduct. This was improper. Butler v. United States, 188 F.2d 24 (D.C. Cir.1951). In order for this Court to review a defendant's claim of improper conduct on the part of a trial judge, some evidence of the conduct must be included in the record. State v. Gurule, 90 N.M. 87, 559 P.2d 1214 (Ct. App.), cert. denied, 90 N.M. 254, 561 P.2d 1347 (1977). Although tape-recorded transcripts do give an appellate court some indication of the tone of statements made in the transcript, they cannot reflect whether a trial court indulged in improper mannerisms, gestures, or outside statements, unless counsel is given an opportunity to record fully and accurately what has transpired. See State v. Herrera, 90 N.M. 306, 563 P.2d 100 (Ct.App.), cert. denied, 90 N.M. 637, 567 P.2d 485 (1977); Annot., 49 A.L.R.3d 1186 (1973). Defendant also argues that the taped transcript contains a number of unnecessary statements made by the judge to defense counsel. See Annot., 62 A.L.R.2d 166 (1958). At trial, defendant made no objection to the statements. NMSA 1978, Crim., Child.Ct., Dom.Rel. and W/C App.R. 308 (Repl.Pamp. 1983). The issue was not properly brought to the attention of the trial court and was therefore not preserved as an independent point for review. State v. Wilson, 86 N.M. 348, 524 P.2d 520 (1974). We consider the issue, however, only for purposes of determining whether the cumulative impact of irregularities, including the trial judge's conduct, deprived defendant of her right to a fair trial. After reviewing the comments complained of, we hold that, while none is so prejudicial as to require reversal in and of itself, they add to the totality of irregularities which occurred in the trial of this case and which resulted in the cumulative error that deprived defendant of a fair trial.