Opinion ID: 2633583
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Jury Instructions and Plain Error

Text: When jury instructions or the omission thereof are at issue on appeal, the standard of review is whether, when read and considered as a whole, the instructions given are prejudicially insufficient, erroneous, inconsistent, or misleading. Erroneous instructions are presumptively harmful and are a ground for reversal unless it affirmatively appears from the record as a whole that the error was not prejudicial. [However, e]rror is not to be viewed in isolation and considered purely in the abstract. It must be examined in the light of the entire proceedings and given the effect which the whole record shows it to be entitled. In that context, the real question becomes whether there is a reasonable possibility that error might have contributed to conviction. If there is such a reasonable possibility in a criminal case, then the error is not harmless beyond a reasonable doubt, and the judgment of conviction on which it may have been based must be set aside. State v. Gonsalves, 108 Hawai`i 289, 292-93, 119 P.3d 597, 600-01 (2005) (internal citations, quotation marks, indentations, and paragraphing omitted; bracketed material added). See also State v. Shinyama, 101 Hawai`i 389, 395, 69 P.3d 517, 523 (2003) (same). HRPP Rule 30(f) (2000), entitled Instructions and objections, provides in relevant part: No party may assign as error the giving or the refusal to give, or the modification of, an instruction, whether settled pursuant to subdivision (b) or subdivision (c), of this rule, unless the party objects thereto before the jury retires to consider its verdict, stating distinctly the matter to which the party objects and the grounds of the objection. With respect to the review of errors in light of whether timely objection was or was not made, HRPP Rule 52 (2000) provides: (a) Harmless error. Any error, defect, irregularity, or variance which does not affect substantial rights shall be disregarded. (b) Plain error. Plain errors or defects affecting substantial rights may be noticed although they were not brought to the attention of the court. In line with HRPP Rules 30 and 52, this court has held that: As a general rule, jury instructions to which no objection has been made at trial will be reviewed only for plain error. [ State v.] Pinero , 75 Haw. [282,] 291-2, 859 P.2d [1369,] 1374 [(1993)]. If the substantial rights of the defendant have been affected adversely, the error will be deemed plain error. Id. Further, this Court will apply the plain error standard of review to correct errors which seriously affect the fairness, integrity, or public reputation of judicial proceedings, to serve the ends of justice, and to prevent the denial of fundamental rights. State v. Fox, 70 Haw. 46, 56, 760 P.2d 670, 676 (1988); see also State v. Kahalewai, 56 Haw. 481, 491, 541 P.2d 1020, 1026 (1975). State v. Sawyer, 88 Hawai`i 325, 330, 966 P.2d 637, 642 (1998). The use of the HRPP Rule 52(b) plain error standard of review for erroneous jury instructions was recently reaffirmed in State v. Eberly, 107 Hawai`i 239, 112 P.3d 725 (2005), a case decided six months before the ICA's opinion in the instant case. In Eberly, we observed that notwithstanding HRPP Rule 30[(f)], erroneous [jury] instructions may be grounds for reversal despite counsel's failure to object at trial. Where instructions were not objected to at trial, if the appellant overcomes the presumption that the instructions were correctly stated, the rule is that such erroneous instructions are presumptively harmful and are a ground for reversal unless it affirmatively appears from the record as a whole that the error was not prejudicial. Id. at 250, 112 P.3d at 736 (internal citations and quotation marks omitted) (emphasis in original). We also reaffirmed our previous cases holding that it is ultimately the trial court that is responsible for ensuring that the jury is properly instructed. Id. Nichols argues that in light of our consistent precedent regarding the duty of the trial court to instruct the jury, the ICA gravely erred in concluding that the duty of the trial court is limited to avoiding plain error. We agree and reject the ICA's conclusion to the contrary. Given that the duty to properly instruct the jury lies with the trial court, Nichols argues that the real question for review of jury instructions, whether as plain error or otherwise, is whether there is a reasonable possibility the error contributed to the verdict. . . . If there is such a reasonable possibility in a criminal case, the error is not harmless beyond a reasonable doubt, and the judgment must be reversed. Nichols continues: The extensive body of law establishing the standard of review for jury instructions in this jurisdiction does not allow for the exercise of remedial discretion once prejudicial error is identified. . . . The ICA [thus] gravely erred in concluding that it had the option to decline to exercise its remedial discretion or that it had any remedial discretion at all in regards to such error. We first note that Nichols is correct in asserting that there is no case in this jurisdiction referring to remedial discretion in connection with plain error, nor can we discover any reported criminal case in which this court has found plain error but refused to reverse in the exercise of discretion. While such discretion may exist in the federal courts, we have never employed the four-pronged plain error standard of review set forth in United States v. Olano, 507 U.S. 725, 113 S.Ct. 1770, 123 L.Ed.2d 508 (1993), and we decline to do so now. See State v. King, 205 Wis.2d 81, 555 N.W.2d 189, 194 (Ct.App. 1996) (declining to follow Olano on state law grounds even though the language of its own plain error rule was substantially identical to that of the federal rule). We disagree with Nichols, however, to the extent his argument can be taken as the assertion that plain error review has no discretionary component. In State v. Aplaca, 96 Hawai`i 17, 25 P.3d 792 (2001), we stated: [W]hether to recognize error that has not been raised by trial counsel, appellate counsel, or both, as plain error warranting reversal is, ultimately, discretionary. See HRPP Rule 52(b) (2000) (Plain errors or defects affecting substantial rights may be noticed although not brought to the attention of the court. (Emphasis added.)). Accordingly, we have observed that our power to deal with plain error is one to be exercised sparingly and with caution because the plain error rule represents a departure from a presupposition of the adversary system  that a party must look to his or her counsel for protection and bear the cost of counsel's mistakes. State v. Kelekolio, 74 Haw. 479, 515, 849 P.2d 58, 74-75 (1993) (cited in State v. Arceo, 84 Hawai`i 1, 34, 928 P.2d 843, 876 (1996) (Nakayama, J., dissenting)). In this vein, we will deem harmless beyond a reasonable doubt, and therefore disregard, any error, defect, irregularity[,] or variance that does not affect [the] substantial rights of a defendant. HRPP Rule 52(a) (2000). Id. at 22, 25 P.3d at 797. In effect, we employ our HRPP Rule 52(b) discretion to correct errors that are not harmless beyond a reasonable doubt and to disregard those errors that are harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. However, the necessary implication of this approach is that the same standard of review is to be applied both in cases in which a timely objection to a jury instruction was made and those in which no timely objection was made. The ICA in this case correctly recognized that the merger of the plain error and harmless error standards of review in the case of jury instructions flows from this court's holding in Haanio [5] that the duty to instruct the jury ultimately lies with the trial court: If the duty to give the right jury instructions is assigned to the trial court, (a) the standard of review for an erroneous jury instruction will always be the harmless error non-discretionary standard, and will never be the plain error discretionary standard, and much uncertainty will be avoided; (b) an erroneous jury instruction will never be a basis for a defendant's assertion that he/she has been the victim of the ineffective assistance of counsel; and (c) abuse of the plain error discretionary standard of review will be avoided. ICA's Opinion, ___ Hawai`i at ___, ___ P.3d at ___ The ICA previously attempted to implement its view of the consequences of the allocation of ultimate responsibility for jury instructions to the trial court in State v. Astronomo, 95 Hawai`i 76, 18 P.3d 938 (App. 2001), concluding that with respect to jury instructions, the distinction between `harmless error' and `plain error' is a distinction without a difference. Id. at 82, 18 P.3d at 944. Accord State v. Fields, No. 25455, ___ Hawai`i ___, ___ P.3d ___, ___, n. 7, 2005 WL 1274539, at  n. 7 (App. May 31, 2005) (Now that this duty [to properly instruct the jury] has been imposed on the trial court, it is logical to conclude that erroneous instructions should be examined for HRPP Rule 52(a) `harmless error' rather than HRPP Rule 52(b) `plain error.'), cert. granted 108 Hawai`i 1, 116 P.3d 7 (Haw. July 6, 2005). Based, however, on the perceived failure of this court in State v. Iuli, 101 Hawai`i 196, 203-04, 65 P.3d 143, 150-51 (2003), to approve Astronomo or affirmatively cite the duty of the trial court to properly instruct the jury, the ICA in the instant case took the view that the ultimate responsibility for jury instructions does not lie with the trial court and that it should thus apply a discretionary plain error standard of review to erroneous jury instructions. ICA's Opinion, ___ Hawai`i at ___, ___ P.3d at ___. We now acknowledge that the ICA's earlier view was correct and adopt the substance of Chief Judge Burns' analysis in Astronomo and Fields. Consequently, we hold that, although as a general matter forfeited assignments of error are to be reviewed under the HRPP Rule 52(b) plain error standard of review, in the case of erroneous jury instructions, that standard of review is effectively merged with the HRPP Rule 52(a) harmless error standard of review because it is the duty of the trial court to properly instruct the jury. As a result, once instructional error is demonstrated, we will vacate, without regard to whether timely objection was made, if there is a reasonable possibility that the error contributed to the defendant's conviction, i.e., that the erroneous jury instruction was not harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. [6]