Opinion ID: 1667082
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Whether the jury was properly sworn?

Text: ¶ 34. Manix urges that the verdict announcing his guilt and his successive sentence to life in prison are void because the jury was not properly sworn. The facts are undisputed. The prospective jury pool was sworn twice, once before their qualifications were assessed and once afterward. Yet after voir dire had been conducted and the jury finally selected, the transcript does not reflect that they were sworn. However, the final sentencing order entered by the trial court stated, Thereupon came a jury composed of twelve good and lawful jurors of Jackson County who were empaneled, accepted by both the state and defendant, who were duly sworn according to law.. .... (bold for emphasis). The State argues that this language creates a presumption that the order was correct, and specifically, that the jury was sworn. See Young v. State, 425 So.2d 1022, 1025 (Miss.1983); Bell v. State, 360 So.2d 1206, 1215 (Miss.1978). In Young, the defendant challenged a criminal conviction wherein the record revealed that the jury was not duly sworn to try the issues at the outset of the trial. 425 So.2d at 1025. This Court noted that the record did not indicate whether or not the jury was specially sworn. Id. However, this Court refused to reverse Young's conviction holding that where the order contains language that the jury was sworn, a rebuttable presumption arises to the effect that the trial judge properly performed his duties of swearing the jury. Id. (citing Bell, 360 So.2d at 1215). We hold that because the final sentencing order entered by the trial court specifically states that the jury was sworn, a rebuttable presumption to this effect was created. Manix does not offer any evidence to rebut the presumption that the order was valid and the jury sworn. ¶ 35. Further, there is no evidence in the briefs, the record, or the trial transcript that Manix ever objected to the trial court's asserted failure to swear the jury. This Court has held that the failure of the court to specifically swear the jury in a capital case is waived where no objection is made by the defendant until the verdict is rendered. This issue cannot be raised for the first time on appeal. McMillan v. State, 191 Miss. 59, 61, 2 So.2d 823, 824 (1941) (citing Hill v. State, 112 Miss. 375, 383, 73 So. 66, 67 (1916)). ¶ 36. We hold that because Manix did not object to the issue of the unsworn jury until his trial was completed and a verdict was rendered, he has procedurally waived his claim to this assignment of error. Also, his claim fails on the merits because the final sentencing order clearly states that the jury was duly sworn. Manix did not present sufficient evidence to overcome the presumption that the trial judge properly performed his duties.