Opinion ID: 2581763
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Voir Dire About Possible Racial Bias

Text: Of the panel of 107 prospective jurors, 76 were Caucasian, seven were African-Americans, and the rest were Latino or Asian-American. The written questionnaires contained a question asking jurors to describe defendant and general questions about possible bias, including racial bias. None of the potential jurors indicated that racial bias would affect his or her decision. A jury of 11 Caucasians and one African-American was ultimately selected to try the case. [3] Defendant contends that the superior court erred in failing to ask the predominantly Caucasian jury panel additional questions designed to bring out their hidden prejudices against blacks like [him] accused of heinous crimes. He also asserts that such failure violated his state and federal constitutional right to a fair trial. [A] defendant cannot complain of a judge's failure to question the venire on racial prejudice unless the defendant has specifically requested such an inquiry. ( Turner v. Murray (1986) 476 U.S. 28, 37, 106 S.Ct. 1683, 90 L.Ed.2d 27; see also People v. Horton (1995) 11 Cal.4th 1068, 1093, 47 Cal.Rptr.2d 516, 906 P.2d 478 [in light of defense counsel's failure to ask further questions of prospective jurors after being provided an opportunity to do so, defendant waived the right to complain of the trial court's restriction of voir dire].) Defendant participated in drafting the questionnaire, presumably including the questions regarding bias. He did not request additional voir dire concerning racial bias; nor does he justify his failure to do so. The point is waived and will not be considered on its merits. In the alternative, defendant argues that trial counsel's failure to ask additional questions of the jurors amounted to ineffective assistance of counsel. He asserts that because the jury had to decide whether the killings were committed by him or a Latino gang, the biases of jurors might improperly influence their determination of guilt or innocence. The claim is lacking in merit. The questionnaire, which trial counsel helped prepare, included several questions designed to elicit the racial bias of prospective jurors. Defendant fails to show that additional or different questions would have been more effective in uncovering juror biases.