Opinion ID: 1479721
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Proceedings Held In Chambers

Text: The last two issues concern whether certain conferences held on defense motions and on the jury charge should have been recorded and conducted in public rather than in chambers.
A conference upon defendant's motions to dismiss, to disqualify the state's attorney, and upon the validity of the immunity given to Brown and Adolph Mecier was held off the record in chambers. The purpose of the conference was to determine whether a full evidentiary hearing was required. The court found it was not. The prosecution did not attend, no testimony was presented and defendant made no objection to the informality of the conference. The charge conference held for the purpose of reviewing jury instructions with both counsel was also not recorded. No request for a court reporter was made at this conference by either party. Defendant argues that the lack of a transcript in these proceedings deprives him of effective assistance of counsel on appeal because counsel will be unable to review the entire record for plain error. He alleges that his right to effective assistance under the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments, as well as under Articles 4 and 10 of Chapter I of the Vermont Constitution, has been infringed. Although it is a rule in federal courts that all criminal proceedings be held on the record, 28 U.S.C. § 753(b), the absence of a stenographer even there is not per se reversible error. United States v. Alfonso, 552 F.2d 605, 620 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 434 U.S. 857, 98 S.Ct. 179, 54 L.Ed.2d 129 (1977). The Vermont Rules of Criminal Procedure, however, do not require that hearings on all motions and conferences be recorded. Rule 12(g) does require that motions to dismiss for lack of a prima facie case and status conferences be heard on the record. Rule 17.1(b) mandates that a pretrial conference be recorded. Rule 47, pertaining to motions, however, contains no such requirement nor does Rule 30, which outlines the procedure to follow in requesting jury instructions. In alleging a violation of the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments as well as Articles 4 and 10 of Chapter I of the Vermont Constitution, defendant relies upon Hardy v. United States, 375 U.S. 277, 84 S.Ct. 424, 11 L.Ed.2d 331 (1964); United States v. Selva, 559 F.2d 1303 (5th Cir.1977); and Gaskins v. United States, 265 A.2d 589 (D.C.1970). He also cites several other state and federal cases. A review of these cases reveals that they require a verbatim transcript of the trial on the merits. Hardy v. United States, supra , required, in an in forma pauperis appeal, a transcript of the testimony and evidence presented by the defendant and also the court's charge to the jury, as well as the testimony and evidence presented by the prosecution. 375 U.S. at 282, 84 S.Ct. at 428. In United States v. Selva, supra, 559 F.2d at 1305, a transcript of closing arguments was required where new counsel represented defendant on appeal. See also United States v. Gregory, 472 F.2d 484, 486 (5th Cir.1973) (transcript of voir dire and opening and closing statements required where new counsel represented defendant on appeal); State v. Bizette, 334 So.2d 392, 394 (La.1976) (motion for acquittal denied and new trial ordered where tape recorder malfunction was not due to bad faith on part of state). In Gaskins v. United States, supra , on application of new appellate counsel, the court found that the better practice would be to order transcript of all pretrial proceedings in which substantial and articulable legal issues were resolved against appellant. 265 A.2d at 593. In light of the fact that the only purpose for the off-the-record conference was to determine the need for an evidentiary hearing, that defendant's counsel was present throughout the conference, that the court made its ruling on the record, and that defendant has been unable to demonstrate any prejudice, we are unable to find an error so egregious that it `strikes at the very heart of defendant's constitutional rights,' and, thus, no plain error. State v. Boucher, supra, 144 Vt. at 282, 478 A.2d at 222 (quoting State v. Welch, supra, 136 Vt. at 445, 394 A.2d at 1116). With respect to the charge conference, defendant had full opportunity at the close of the charge to place any objections on the record; there was no violation of V.R.Cr.P. 30 or of defendant's constitutional rights and no plain error. We agree with the reasoning of Gaskins, however, that it is better practice to record all such proceedingsespecially in a serious felony matter such as this. We recommend this practice to the trial courts.
The motions to dismiss and to disqualify the prosecution discussed above were heard in chambers rather than in open court, and defendant argues that this procedure violated his right to a public trial under the Fifth, Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments and Article 10, Chapter I of the Vermont Constitution. This argument is based upon the proposition that public scrutiny is basic to a fair trial and essential to due process. He claims his attorney had no right to waive his right to a public trial, that it is a personal right and requires an affirmative waiver by defendant himself. The conference involved here was later summarized by the court in a Statement of Proceedings. As stated earlier, the conference was held to determine whether defendant's motions would require a full, on-the-record evidentiary hearing. The court did not allow the prosecution to attend the conference and only permitted the moving party to discuss, in general terms, the type of evidence it possessed. No evidence of specific acts or statements was allowed; such evidence, the trial court stated, would only be taken on the record. After hearing the general allegations, the court determined that there were insufficient legal grounds for disqualification, even if the allegations were proved. The court went on to say, however, if the matters raised on the motion became an issue during trial, a hearing would be held at that time. Defendant never raised the issue again. The public trial guaranty exists primarily to prevent the courts from becoming instruments of persecution. In re Oliver, 333 U.S. 257, 270, 68 S.Ct. 499, 506, 92 L.Ed. 682 (1948). Public opinion has been thought to be an effective restraint on possible abuse of judicial power. Id. Other reasons for holding trials in public also exist. Witnesses are encouraged to be more truthful, and other people with relevant information, as yet unknown to the parties, may become aware of the proceedings and make themselves available to testify. Additionally, the openness of trials allows spectators to learn about the operation of the judicial system and acquire confidence in its remedies. 6 J. Wigmore, Evidence § 1834, at 435-38 (1976). Preliminary conferences have traditionally been held not to be a part of the trial and not required to be in open court. People v. Kirkpatrick, 70 Ill.App.3d 166, 173, 26 Ill.Dec. 356, 360, 387 N.E.2d 1284, 1288 (1979) (citing 21 Am.Jur.2d Criminal Law § 260; State v. Pullen, 266 A.2d 222 (Me.1970); Hayes v. United States, 296 F.2d 657 (8th Cir.1961), cert. denied, 369 U.S. 867, 82 S.Ct. 1033, 8 L.Ed.2d 85 (1962); People v. Teitelbaum, 163 Cal.App.2d 184, 329 P.2d 157 (1958), cert. denied, 359 U.S. 206, 79 S.Ct. 738, 3 L.Ed.2d 759 (1959)). Although there are cases requiring open pretrial criminal proceedings based upon Sixth Amendment guarantees, see, e.g., United States v. Cianfrani, 573 F.2d 835, 846-54 (3d Cir.1978) (pretrial suppression hearing), recent cases in the First Amendment area suggest that there is no unqualified constitutional right, at least on the part of the public, to open pretrial proceedings. See, e.g., Waller v. Georgia, ___ U.S. ___, ___, 104 S.Ct. 2210, 2215, 81 L.Ed.2d 31 (1984); Gannett Co. v. DePasquale, 443 U.S. 368, 391, 392, 99 S.Ct. 2898, 2911, 2912, 61 L.Ed.2d 608 (1979); Herald Association, Inc. v. Ellison, 138 Vt. 529, 531, 419 A.2d 323, 325 (1980). In addition to constitutional provisions, V.R.Cr.P. 56(b) provides: All trials upon the merits shall be conducted in open court and so far as convenient in a regular courtroom. All other acts or proceedings may be done or conducted by a judicial officer in chambers.... (Emphasis added.) It is clear that Rule 56 requires only that trial itself be held in open courtthe rule imposes no such requirement, however, upon a proceeding such as this. Although this Court has stated in the civil context that the general rule is that trials should be public, with chamber proceedings the exception ..., Sunday v. Stratton Corp., 136 Vt. 293, 306, 390 A.2d 398, 405 (1978), after scrutinizing the nature of the proceeding in this case, we find no error. The conference did not involve the taking of testimony from witnesses but merely offers of proof by counsel. The judge ruled on these offers as a matter of law on the record while assuring counsel that an evidentiary hearing could be conducted at a later date, if necessary. We, therefore, can see no prejudice to defendant and find no abuse of discretion by the trial court. Affirmed