Opinion ID: 1102725
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Allowing the Jury to Separate Over Objections of the Defense and the Prosecution

Text: Drinkard contends that the trial court erred by allowing the jury to separate, over the objections of both the defense and the prosecution. The Court of Criminal Appeals correctly stated in its opinion that this Court had recently addressed that issue and had decided it in a way that was adverse to Drinkard. We addressed the issue in Ex parte Stewart, 730 So.2d 1246 (Ala.1999), where we held that a trial court may allow the jury to separate over defense counsel's objections. Drinkard asks us to reconsider our holding in that case. Stewart provided the correct interpretation of the interplay between this Court's rules, general act[s] of state-wide application, and the Alabama constitution. See Ala. Const.Amend. 328, § 6.11.