Opinion ID: 8095
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Due Process on Direct Appeal:

Text: 9 Weston claims that he was denied due process of law on direct appeal when the Louisiana Supreme Court failed to completely consider one of his designated assignments of error due to an incomplete transcript. Specifically, before the charge was read to the jury, the trial court made some general introductory comments. 2 The trial court then read the jury the charge, a copy of which was provided to Weston. The trial court overruled Weston's objection that he should have been provided a copy of the introductory remarks, and Weston later raised this argument on direct appeal. However, because the record did not contain the introductory remarks given by the trial court, the Louisiana Supreme Court did not address the claim. 10 The remarks Weston refers to were simply introductory remarks and not jury instructions. Moreover, even if they were instructions, Weston does not challenge their accuracy, and reversal would have been required in the state courts only if they were inadequate. See State v. Hawthorne, 623 So.2d 899, 903 (La.App.), writ denied, 629 So.2d 417 (1993). Accordingly, there was no due process violation.