Opinion ID: 792413
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Precautionary Measures

Text: 73 Courts cite two distinct concerns arising from the use of an anonymous jury: (1) that anonymity will inhibit the meaningful exercise of peremptory challenges; and (2) that anonymity will diminish the presumption of innocence by raising the appearance that the defendant is a dangerous person. United States v. Vario, 943 F.2d 236, 241 (2d Cir.1991). 74 The Ross panel focused on the second concern when noting that juror anonymity is a drastic measure that requires reasonable steps to minimize any prejudicial effects. 33 F.3d at 1519, 1521-22. It noted that the threat to a defendant's presumption of innocence is minimized when the trial court gives the jurors a plausible and nonprejudicial reason for hiding their identities. Id. at 1520 (citing United States v. Thomas, 757 F.2d 1359, 1365 (2d Cir.1985) (jurors were told that anonymity was to prevent unwanted press attention) and United States v. Scarfo, 850 F.2d 1015, 1026-28 (3d Cir.1988) (jurors were told that anonymity allowed them to consider the case without apprehension and assured that both defendant and the government receive a fair trial)). 75 In a more recent case, however, we noted that the district court's failure to give the instruction does not warrant reversal. Bowman, 302 F.3d at 1239. Because the defendant in Bowman did not request such an instruction, he waived any right he had to it, and he could only appeal on the basis of plain error. Id.; see also United States v. Mansoori, 304 F.3d 635, 652 (7th Cir.2002) (despite the district court's willingness to give a cautionary instruction regarding anonymity, defendants' failure to remind it to do so waived that issue); Vario, 943 F.2d at 241 (defendant did not object to district court's jury charge and therefore waived his right to explicit instructions on juror anonymity). 76 Here Ochoa argued adamantly against the use of a curative instruction. He contended that telling the jury a curative lie would inevitably compound the prejudice imposed by juror anonymity because it is inconceivable that the jury, at least in this case, would be fooled by such lies. D.E. 982 at 8. Moreover, he claimed that giving the jury a truthful explanation would unduly prejudice his presumption of innocence. Id. at 10. While Ochoa did hedge his position by claiming that the district court should fashion an agreeable (even if ultimately ineffectual) instruction for the jury, he failed to request such an instruction during voir dire or in the final jury charge. He has thus waived that issue absent plain error, of which this Court finds none. 28 77 In addition to implicating the defendant's presumption of innocence, juror anonymity deprives the defendant of information that may be helpful in making appropriate challenges, especially peremptory challenges, during jury selection. Mansoori, 304 F.3d at 650; United States v. DiDomenico, 78 F.3d 294, 301-02 (7th Cir.1996); United States v. Edmond, 52 F.3d 1080, 1090 (D.C.Cir.1995). Thus, where juror anonymity is warranted, the defendant's fundamental right to an unbiased jury is sufficiently guaranteed by the court's conduct of a voir dire that can uncover any bias towards issues in the case or to the defendant himself. Ross, 33 F.3d at 1520. A district court, then, must elicit sufficient information during voir dire to permit a defendant to intelligently exercise both his for-cause and peremptory challenges. See Barnes, 604 F.2d at 142. 78 Here Ochoa contends that juror anonymity and enhanced security were material issues that [he] was constitutionally entitled to explore in voir dire, and that the district court erred in preventing him from doing so. Yet he cites no case, and we have found none, supporting this position. Nor have we found a case even suggesting voir dire as a means of combating potential prejudice to a defendant's presumption of innocence that may arise from anonymity. Rather, anonymity decreases the parties' knowledge of the jurors, thus diminishing their ability to use peremptory challenges. Mansoori, 304 F.3d at 650. Voir dire is highlighted, then, as a means of compensating for this lack of knowledge, id. at 652, not as a means of investigating the potential effect of anonymity on the jurors' ability to presume the defendant innocent. 79 In some instances where juror prejudices are reasonably suspected, courts require voir dire questions to address specific topics. See Ham v. South Carolina, 409 U.S. 524, 527, 93 S.Ct. 848, 35 L.Ed.2d 46 (1973) (racial bias in civil rights case); Morgan v. Illinois, 504 U.S. 719, 735-36, 112 S.Ct. 2222, 119 L.Ed.2d 492 (1992) (jurors' views on death penalty); Jordan v. Lippman, 763 F.2d 1265, 1281-82 (11th Cir.1985) (extensive pre-trial publicity). While there have been numerous opinions discussing anonymous juries, none suggests that juror anonymity should be similarly addressed with specific voir dire questions. In fact, requiring such questions on that score would be contrary to the generally accepted practice for minimizing prejudice, which is to downplay (not accentuate) the significance of the juror anonymity procedure. See Abramovsky, supra at 457 (noting that many courts conceal the real reason for using an anonymous jury and instead provide a non-prejudicial explanation to the jury); Eleventh Circuit Pattern Jury Instructions (Criminal) at 533 (2003) (explaining that anonymity will serve to discourage inquiries from those seeking information and otherwise preserve your privacy ... against unwanted and unsolicited publicity, telephone calls, letters, questions, and the like). 29 Thus, Ochoa had no right to have the jury questioned specifically about the anonymity procedure. 30 80 Ochoa also claims that the use of an anonymous jury rendered his peremptory challenges ineffective because he did not know the jurors' names, addresses, or places of employment. He claims that he lacked sufficient information by which to prudently exercise his strikes, resulting in the placement of an IRS agent on his jury. There exists skepticism among jurists about the ability of lawyers to pick favorable jurors, DiDomenico, 78 F.3d at 301, even when granted unfettered access during voir dire. 31 Moreover, even if they can gainfully employ the information they receive, the purpose of the voir dire is to ascertain disqualifications, not to afford individual analysis in depth to permit a party to choose a jury that fits into some mold that he believes appropriate for his case. Schlinsky v. United States, 379 F.2d 735, 738 (1st Cir.1967). And we must keep in mind that prosecutors are equally harmed by juror anonymity in this respect, as they likewise are hampered in exercising their peremptory challenges. Yet, so long as courts utilize peremptory challenges, we must consider the cost of depriving lawyers of information used in the exercise of that valued procedural right. DiDomenico, 78 F.3d at 301. 81 Here the district court appropriately applied its discretion in determining that this is one of those drastic cases in which the defendant's need for the maximum knowledge in exercising peremptory challenges is overridden by the jurors' interest in safety and the public's interest in preventing juror tampering. Additionally, while other judges might have conducted a more rigorous voir dire, Ochoa has not shown that it was insufficient to uncover any bias towards issues in the case or to the defendant himself. Ross, 33 F.3d at 1520; see also United States v. Daniels, 986 F.2d 451, 454 (11th Cir.1993) (district court has wide discretion in determining which questions will be asked during voir dire).