Opinion ID: 2382929
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The court's examination of witnesses

Text: Appellant argues the trial court committed plain error when it asked questions of two government witnesses after each side had completed its examination. In particular, the court questioned Dr. Jordan about the nature of a second degree burn and the pain caused by such a burn. The court also asked Townes about the events of January 28, 1988. We have stated before that [t]he trial court `must not take on the role of a partisan.... Prosecution and judgment are two separate functions in the administration of justice; they must not merge.' Robinson v. United States, 513 A.2d 218 (D.C.1986) (citations omitted). In this case, however, we are satisfied that the court's questioning did no more than permissibly illuminate the witnesses' testimony, see Khaalis v. United States, 408 A.2d 313 (D.C.1979), cert. denied, 444 U.S. 1092, 100 S.Ct. 1059, 62 L.Ed.2d 781 (1980), and in no way jeopardized appellant's presumption of innocence, see Petway v. Jackson, 391 A.2d 798, 799 (D.C.1978), or improperly suggested to the prosecutor tactics he had not considered, see Robinson, supra, 513 A.2d at 222.