Opinion ID: 1060830
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 13

Heading: administration of oath to less than twelve jurors

Text: The appellants argue that the trial court abused its discretion by removing a juror who refused to take the oath when it was administered and by replacing that juror with the first alternate. The appellants contend that the swearing-in of eleven rather than twelve jurors violated T.C.A. § 40-18-106 and that the trial court's removal of the juror because she did not say the oath nor wanted to serve on the jury was an arbitrary discharge of a duly selected juror. In addition, appellant Quintero claims that the seating of the first alternate by the trial court denied him the right to exercise his remaining peremptory challenges. We disagree. On November 7, 1991, after voir dire examination, a jury of twelve individuals and two alternates was selected by the parties. At the conclusion of this process, defense counsel requested that the twelve jurors be sworn in, but the trial court refused to do so. The next day, a third alternate was selected, and the twelve jurors and three alternates were sworn in. The trial court then questioned one of the jurors because she did not acknowledge the oath when it was administered. The juror stated that she would be more sympathetic to the witnesses who had lost somebody at the hand of someone else rather than towards the appellants. The trial court subsequently concluded that the juror did not want to serve. When the trial court asked counsel for suggestions, counsel for appellant Quintero requested that jury selection be reopened since he had three preemptory challenges left. Counsel for appellant Hall and the state recommended that the first alternate be placed on the jury. Counsel for appellant Quintero again objected, and counsel for appellant Hall joined in the objection. The trial court removed the juror and replaced her with the first alternate. Although we find this issue to be without merit, we first note that any complaint as to the trial court's actions in this matter has been waived by appellant Hall, who initially recommended the taken course of action. A party responsible for an error cannot seek relief from the recommended course of action on appeal. See Tenn. R.App. P. 36(a). T.C.A. § 40-18-106 states that [i]n impaneling a jury for the trial of any felony, the court shall not swear any of the jurors until the whole number are selected for a jury. Under the statute, all twelve jurors must be selected at the time that the jurors are sworn in. Here, twelve jurors were selected and sworn in, however, one juror refused to take the oath. In Tennessee, the trial court has wide discretion in examining prospective jurors and ruling on their qualifications. State v. Howell, 868 S.W.2d 238, 248 (Tenn.1993), cert. denied, 510 U.S. 1215, 114 S.Ct. 1339, 127 L.Ed.2d 687 (1994). It is also within the discretion of the trial judge to seat an alternate who had been selected by the parties when a regular juror must be removed. Tenn. R.Crim. P. 24(e)(1); State v. Millbrooks, 819 S.W.2d 441, 445 (Tenn.Crim.App.1991). Under the circumstances of this case, we find that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in removing the juror and filling the opening with the first alternate, especially since the juror was excused in part because of her admitted bias against the appellants. Moreover, the appellants have failed to show that the actual jury was impartial, making any potential error harmless.