Opinion ID: 1107717
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Role of Trial Counsel in Preserving Objections

Text: Carratelli's claim that, in preserving an objection, counsel acts as appellate counsel, and therefore the prejudice analysis should focus on the appeal, is based on the Eleventh Circuit's decision in Davis v. Secretary for the Department of Corrections, 341 F.3d 1310 (11th Cir.2003). There, a Florida defendant filed a petition for habeas corpus in federal court alleging that trial counsel was ineffective for failing to renew (and thus preserve) an objection to the State's peremptory challenge. Davis, 341 F.3d at 1312-13; see Davis v. State, 710 So.2d 723, 724 (Fla. 3d DCA 1998) (finding that the objection was not preserved); Davis v. State, 763 So.2d 332 (Fla. 3d DCA 2000) (affirming the summary denial of Davis's postconviction motion alleging ineffective assistance of counsel for failing to preserve the claim). The Eleventh Circuit acknowledged that under Joiner, to preserve an objection counsel had to renew it at the conclusion of voir dire or accept the jury with a reservation. The federal court decided, however, that in such an unusual circumstance counsel acts as trial counsel when first raising the issue, but as appellate counsel when renewing it. See Davis, 341 F.3d at 1315-16; see also Purvis v. Crosby, 451 F.3d 734, 739 (11th Cir.) (This Court held that because the failure of counsel was solely in his role as appellate counsel at trial (those are not the words we used in Davis, but it is what we meant), the prejudice inquiry should focus on the effect that counsel's omission at trial had on the appeal.), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 127 S.Ct. 587, 166 L.Ed.2d 436 (2006). The court concluded that the failure to preserve the issue by renewing the objection was error related to the appeal and by its nature, unrelated to the outcome of [the] trial. 341 F.3d at 1315. We believe that Davis misreads our opinion in Joiner. As we explained in Joiner, jury selection is by nature a dynamic process. The requirement of renewing objections before the jury is impaneled allows both the attorney and the court, knowing the final composition of the jury, to reconsider their positions. From the attorney's point of view, many factors may militate in favor of abandoning a previous objection. Joiner, 618 So.2d at 176. From the court's point of view, the trial court may exercise[] discretion to either recall the challenged juror for service on the panel, strike the entire panel and begin anew, or stand by the earlier ruling. Id. Thus, the renewal requirement provides the party with the opportunity at trial to timely raise a claim previously denied (or decide not to), and provides the trial court the opportunity to readdress the claim and possibly correct an error. Id. These considerations are quintessentially issues about the trial, not the appeal. As the Fourth District noted: The requirement of preservation is central to the trial process. Carratelli II, 915 So.2d at 1262. Therefore, contrary to Carratelli's argument, the requirements we imposed in Joiner address the trial itself. We reject the proposition that trial counsel renewing an objection (or failing to do so) before a jury is impaneled is acting as appellate counsel.