Opinion ID: 1919690
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 33

Heading: the trial court's refusal to draw the venire from both judicial districts of hinds county deprived davis of a fundamentally fair trial.

Text: Davis was convicted of killing Biggert in the First Judicial District of Hinds County, Mississippi. As a result of pre-trial publicity Davis was granted a change of venue to Forrest County. However, as a result of Davis' mother's death in an auto accident, Davis sought and was granted a mistrial. Davis subsequently requested that venue be moved back to Hinds County. Now, Davis argues that the trial judge abused his discretion when he refused to draw venire members from both judicial districts of Hinds County. Davis correctly points out that Miss. Code Ann. § 13-5-21 (Supp. 1991), allows the trial judge to draw the jury venire members from both Judicial Districts of Hinds County. Section 13-5-21 provides: In counties where there are two (2) circuit court districts, the jury commission shall make a list of jurors for each district in the manner directed for a county, and the same shall be treated in all respects as for an entire county. In such counties a juror shall not be required to serve out of his district, except should the court, in its discretion, otherwise direct, and except when drawn on a special venire. In either of such excepted cases, the jury shall be drawn from the two (2) jury boxes if the court so direct, one (1) name for each alternately. (emphasis added). This Court previously addressed this issue in Taylor v. State, 148 Miss. 621, 114 So. 390 (1927). Taylor is dispositive of the case sub judice. In Taylor, this Court, when confronted with the defendant's challenge to the trial judge's refusal to draw jury venire members from both judicial districts of Chickasaw County, held that [the defendant did not] contend in this record that the jury was in any manner unfair, biased, or partial, and the record shows that the defendant was tried by a fair and impartial jury. Taylor, 148 Miss. at 625. The Taylor Court then discussed Section 2338, Hemingway's Code 1927 (the precursor to Miss. Code Ann. § 13-5-21) and held that the statute vested discretion in the judge as to whether to draw a jury venire from both judicial districts in a county that has two judicial districts. The Court found that the statute [Section 13-5-21] was purely discretionary and absent an abuse of discretion by the trial judge, this Court would not reverse the trial judge's decision to draw a special venire from one judicial district. Finally, this Court held that where there was no evidence to show that the defendant was not tried by a fair and impartial jury, error may not be predicated for an irregularity in drawing or impaneling the jury. Taylor, 148 Miss. at 626. In this assignment of error Davis does not allege that he was tried by a biased and partial jury. Likewise, Davis does not offer evidence to indicate that his jury was biased or partial. Accordingly, Davis has not established in any way that the trial judge abused his discretion in refusing his request to draw venire members from both judicial districts of Hinds County. Davis merits no relief on this assignment of error.