Opinion ID: 2539046
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Wicks Exceptions

Text: As a single point on appeal, Miller's Rule 10 counsel sets forth three issues that he believes warrant reversal and should, pursuant to Wicks, 270 Ark. 781, 606 S.W.2d 366, be addressed by this court even though there was no contemporaneous objection below. Specifically, Miller's Rule 10 counsel identified the following arguments: (1) the victim-impact witnesses erroneously advocated the death sentence; (2) improper penalty-phase closing argument by the prosecuting attorney; and (3) based on questions posed by the prosecuting attorney during voir dire regarding potential jurors' ability to sentence to death in accordance with the law, the jury was organized to return a death sentence in violation of Witherspoon v. Illinois, 391 U.S. 510, 88 S.Ct. 1770, 20 L.Ed.2d 776 (1968). We have addressed the first two of these arguments previously in this opinion. Further review is not warranted. We touched on the Witherspoon argument in point I.B of this opinion, wherein we noted that the Constitution does not prohibit the states from death-qualifying juries. Lockhart, 476 U.S. 162, 106 S.Ct. 1758. Here, Miller contends that the prosecutor posed questions to prospective jurors regarding their ability to sentence to death in accordance with the law, and that such questions resulted in a jury organized to return a death sentence. Miller makes a general assertion here, without identifying any particular potential juror or any particular questions from the prosecutor. It is true that the Sixth Amendment's guarantee of a fair and impartial jury prohibits a state from excluding prospective jurors for stating mere objections to the death penalty or for expressing conscientious or religious beliefs against imposing the death penalty. Witherspoon, 391 U.S. 510, 522, 88 S.Ct. 1770. The Supreme Court, however, clarified Witherspoon by stating the proper standard for determining when a prospective juror may be excluded for cause because of his or her views on capital punishment. That standard is whether the juror's views would prevent or substantially impair the performance of his duties as a juror in accordance with his instructions and his oath. Wainwright v. Witt, 469 U.S. 412, 424, 105 S.Ct. 844, 83 L.Ed.2d 841 (1985). Accordingly, we find no merit to Miller's argument that the prosecutor's questions of the prospective jurors concerning their ability to impose a death sentence in accordance with Arkansas law resulted in a violation of his Sixth Amendment rights.