Opinion ID: 3062180
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Statements Relating to the Burden of Proof

Text: Defendant says that at voir dire the prosecutor used certain tactics “to psychologically condition” jurors into thinking that the State need not prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt. Aplt. Br. at 39. The parties agree that the OCCA rejected this claim on the merits, finding no error. It explained that “[t]he prosecutor had a right to find out if any prospective jurors were unable, either as a matter of principle or simple misunderstanding, to give circumstantial evidence the same weight accorded to direct evidence, as the law would require them to do.” Dodd, 100 P.3d at 1029. Defendant suggests that this analysis was contrary to or an unreasonable application of clearly established federal law. We disagree. The only Supreme Court opinions that Defendant cites in support of this claim are In re Winship, 397 U.S. 358 (1970), and Taylor v. Kentucky, 436 U.S. 478 (1978). Neither case governs the issue here. In Winship the Court held that a juvenile was denied due process when the state adjudicated him a delinquent under a statute requiring proof by only a preponderance of the evidence, rather than beyond a reasonable doubt. See 397 U.S. at 359–61, 368. And in Taylor the Court held that the refusal of a trial court to instruct the jury on the presumption of innocence was a violation of due process when the court’s instructions on the -29- burden of proof were minimal, the prosecutor made remarks suggesting that the defendant’s status as a defendant meant that he was guilty, and the jury was permitted to draw inferences of guilt from the fact of defendant’s arrest and indictment. See 436 U.S. at 486–90. Here, the jury was instructed on the presumption of innocence and that it must find guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The OCCA’s denial of this claim was not contrary to or an unreasonable application of federal law clearly established by the Supreme Court. 5