Opinion ID: 1103987
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Information Sufficient to Exercise Meaningful Challenges.

Text: ¶ 41. Bell cites several questions that counsel failed to ask the prospective juror and claims that such questions were necessary to cure trial court's defective voir dire. Examples of necessary questions include: 1) whether they would automatically impose the death penalty or would they fairly consider mitigating evidence; 2) do they have racial biases; 3) whether they were exposed to pre-trial publicity; 4) whether they or their family members worked in a convenience store; 5) whether they or a family member had ever been a victim of a crime; 6) whether they had a friend or relative who had a drug or alcohol problem; and 7) whether they had religious beliefs concerning alcohol. ¶ 42. Bell cites no authority that the failure to ask such questions supports the claim of ineffective assistance of counsel. In Conner v. State, 684 So.2d at 613, the Court found that counsel was not ineffective for failing to conduct a more extensive voir dire, especially where any questions would have been redundant and the accused failed to indicate how the defense was prejudiced by counsel's failure. See also Baldwin v. Johnson, 152 F.3d 1304, 1316 (11th Cir.1998) (Defense counsel's failure to conduct more extensive questioning of potential jurors regarding their racial attitudes and their views of death penalty on voir dire represented reasonable, strategic decision and, thus, did not constitute ineffective assistance of counsel); Price v. State, 749 So.2d 1188, 1199 ¶ 42 (Miss.Ct.App.1999) (Deciding what questions to ask during voir dire is left largely up to the attorney and is a matter of trial strategy.). ¶ 43. We examined the record of the voir dire in the direct appeal and found that, although the trial court may not have conducted the best voir dire, any flaws in the judge's examination of the panel are mitigated by the leeway allowed defense counsel in his phase of voir dire. Bell, 725 So.2d at 844 ¶ 10. By raising this issue now, Bell is attempting a second bite at the apple. As stated above, not only has Bell failed to show that the performance of trial counsel was deficient, there has been no showing that the jury impaneled was not fair and impartial.