Opinion ID: 1236089
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: counsel-provoked jury prejudice

Text: Of considerably greater significance in deciding whether there existed justification for a judge's sua sponte declaration of a mistrial is the possibility of counsel-provoked jury prejudice. While it is not entirely clear from the record whether this was a factor in Judge Occhipinti's dismissal of the jury, [27] Judge Kalamarides relied on it in denying defendant's motion to dismiss, [28] and thus it will be considered as a possible circumstance providing the manifest necessity to justify a declaration of mistrial. [29] United States v. Dinitz [30] dealt with the propriety of a lower court declaration of mistrial because of counsel-provoked jury prejudice. In his opening statement, after specifically being told that such is not the place for personal opinions, defense counsel referred to the case as the case of the incredible witness. This caused the judge to have the jury removed and to severely reprimand defense counsel, threatening to prohibit counsel from practicing before the court should he attempt to bait the court again. In the same opening statement, defense counsel began to assert that defendant had received phone calls shortly after his indictment offering a dismissal of charges for a certain price. The government objected and again the jury was removed from the courtroom. The court then asked defense counsel for evidence that the government's informer was involved in the extortion attempt. When no proof was forthcoming, the court ordered defense counsel out of court. Shortly thereafter, a mistrial was declared. In reviewing the propriety of that order, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals observed that the ultimate cause of the mistrial remains the counsel-provoked jury prejudice. [31] The court initiated its inquiry into the propriety of the mistrial by examining the actions of defense counsel and their effect on the jury and it concluded: If the court below considered that the jury ... had been prejudiced by Wagner's conduct ... such prejudice could have been cured by a cautionary instruction. This being so, the existence of such curable prejudice would not support a mistrial. [32] The mistrial was found not to be justified by manifest necessity. In so holding, the court stated: ... Wagner's actions did not rise to the malevolent level of creating incurable jury prejudice or requiring the banishment of counsel from the courtroom to preserve the orderly processes of justice. Adequate alternatives were available to deal with the errors which did not require sacrificing of the defendant's ability to continue his defense. [33] Furthermore, both the United States Supreme Court [34] and this court [35] have stated that the trial judge, prior to the declaration of a mistrial, should consider alternative means less drastic than the abrupt termination of the trial. Whenever such alternative remedies capable of adequately curing any jury prejudice that may have arisen from the errors or misconduct of counsel exist, they should be utilized. Only in their absence will the draconian measure of ordering a mistrial over the defendant's objection be appropriate, and the retrial of that defendant be constitutionally permissible.