Opinion ID: 2518827
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Buttons Worn by Trial Spectators

Text: ¶ 18 It is beyond dispute that [t]he constitutional safeguards relating to the integrity of the criminal process . . . embrace the fundamental conception of a fair trial, and . . . exclude influence or domination by either a hostile or friendly mob. Cox v. Louisiana, 379 U.S. 559, 562, 85 S.Ct. 476, 13 L.Ed.2d 487 (1965) (citation omitted). However, a silent showing of sympathy or affiliation in a courtroom, without more, is not inherently prejudicial. The trial court did not abuse its discretion when it allowed the presence of spectator buttons for a portion of the trial. See Flynn, 475 U.S. at 570, 106 S.Ct. 1340 (inherent prejudice requires an unacceptable risk of impermissible factors). We affirm the Court of Appeals decision in this case and thereby reaffirm our recent and controlling Washington precedent, In re Pers. Restraint of Woods, 154 Wash.2d 400, 416, 114 P.3d 607 (2005). Additionally, United States Supreme Court precedent is consistent with our conclusion and confirms that this issue is appropriate for state court resolution. [9]
¶ 19 The United States Supreme Court has analyzed two cases with different facts that are relevant to our constitutional analysis. In Williams, 425 U.S. at 530, 96 S.Ct. 1691, the State forced a defendant to wear an orange prison jumpsuit in front of the jury. The court held this action was inherently prejudicial and denied defendant due process. A contrasting opinion, Holbrook v. Flynn , held that the courtroom presence of four uniformed and armed state troopers, who sat directly behind the defendants for the duration of the trial, did not deny defendants due process. 475 U.S. at 571, 106 S.Ct. 1340. These two cases can be used as bookends to demonstrate the range of impermissible and permissible courtroom behavior. Note that both cases involved direct action by the state, unlike the private spectator buttons at issue in the instant case. ¶ 20 When courtroom conduct is challenged as inherently prejudicial to the defendant, we must determine whether `an unacceptable risk is presented of impermissible factors coming into play' to affect the jury. Flynn, 475 U.S. at 570, 106 S.Ct. 1340 (quoting Williams, 425 U.S. at 505, 96 S.Ct. 1691). A reviewing court must consider the courtroom scene presented to the jury and determine whether it was  so inherently prejudicial as to pose an unacceptable threat to defendant's right to a fair trial. Flynn, 475 U.S. at 572, 106 S.Ct. 1340 (emphasis added). As the language indicates, some small risk of inherent prejudice is not automatically fatal as long as inherent prejudice does not pose an unacceptable threat to the outcome. [10] ¶ 21 In Flynn, the United States Supreme Court held that the presence of the uniformed and armed state troopers did not deny due process because of the wider range of inferences that a juror might reasonably draw from the officers' presence. Id. at 569, 106 S.Ct. 1340. Here, picture buttons worn by the spectators more closely resembles the circumstances in Flynn than those in Williams. The natural reaction of grieving for a family member or friend is one of the wider range of inferences that can be derived reasonably from a picture button in the spectator gallery. Id. Many immediate analogues come to mind; the common tradition of wearing black clothing or armband to mourn resonates as the most obvious. The jury would understand this as a sign of loss, but not automatically find it inherently prejudicial or as urging conviction of defendant. ¶ 22 Another important distinction in this case is the difference between the prejudicial effect of State or litigant behavior versus restrictions necessary on private spectator behavior. [11] Our courtrooms are constitutionally required to be open to the public, thereby eschewing a tightly controlled, sterile trial environment in favor of open public access. See WASH. CONST. art. I, § 22; U.S. CONST. amend. VI. ¶ 23 United States Supreme Court cases have considered various state actions, such as requiring a defendant to appear in court wearing shackles or prison clothes or positioning armed and uniformed state troopers in the courtroom. [12] The Court has never held or even suggested it is a constitutional violation to allow picture buttons to be worn in the courtroom by private citizens. The Court has instead expressly allowed state appellate courts to determine and follow their own constitutional precedent regarding spectator buttons. See Carey v. Musladin, ___ U.S. ___, 127 S.Ct. 649, 166 L.Ed.2d 482 (2006). We do so today. ¶ 24 Lord claims that the mere presence of picture buttons in the courtroom denied him a fair trial. He does not argue, nor does the record support, that he suffered actual prejudice. Instead, he asserts that the buttons were an inherently prejudicial factor. See Reply Br. of Appellant at 9. Lord based his argument on Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals cases that are neither controlling nor persuasive. The Washington State Supreme Court has the same duty and authority as a federal circuit court to apply the United States Constitution and United States Supreme Court opinions in criminal matters. U.S. CONST. art. VI, § 2; see also 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d)(1). [13] ¶ 25 Lord first cites Norris v. Risley, 918 F.2d 828, 830 (9th Cir.1990), overruled in part by Musladin, ___ U.S. ___, 127 S.Ct. 649, 166 L.Ed.2d 482, where spectators wore buttons with the phrase Women against Rape  for the entire trial, sold refreshments outside the courtroom, and had contact with jurors in the elevator and restrooms. The actions of those spectators were held to be inherently prejudicial because the wording on the buttons implied the defendant was guilty. Id. at 830. ¶ 26 The circuit court opinion in Norris is otherwise distinguishable. Here, we do not have buttons with an overt message underlined with a bold red stroke. Instead, the photographs here had no words and portray an ambiguous message that would be reasonably understood as a show of sympathy and support for the victim's family. In-life photographs of the victim are not considered inherently prejudicial in Washington, and photos of victims are often admissible, discussed infra. The Lord buttons were removed by the trial judge after the third day of a 31 day trial. This is also in contrast with Norris where supporters wore the Women Against Rape  buttons throughout the trial, inside and around the courtroom, including the elevator the jury used. ¶ 27 Lord also argued that Musladin v. LaMarque, 427 F.3d 647, 651 (9th Cir.2005) vacated sub nom. Carey v. Musladin, ___ U.S. ___, 127 S.Ct. 649, 166 L.Ed.2d 482 supported his claim. In Musladin, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on a habeas corpus review had reversed a decision by California courts that allowed courtroom spectators to wear buttons bearing a photograph of the deceased. Id. at 648. Three members of the victim's family wore buttons similar to those worn in the instant case, throughout multiple days of the trial, and in plain view of the jury. Id. ¶ 28 The United States Supreme Court vacated the Ninth Circuit Court decision in Musladin. See ___ U.S. ___, 127 S.Ct. 649, 166 L.Ed.2d 482. The Court held that the California State Court of Appeals decision allowing spectator buttons was an appropriate interpretation of established law as determined by the United States Supreme Court and that a federal circuit court may not overturn such a state court decision. This ruling confirms that this court appropriately follows our own carefully considered jurisprudence. See, e.g., Woods, 154 Wash.2d 400, 114 P.3d 607. ¶ 29 It is separately notable that two Supreme Court justices writing in Musladin favorably cited this court's decision in Woods, and also cited the Washington Court of Appeals opinion below in State v. Lord, as reasonable state court applications of established constitutional precedent regarding spectator conduct. Musladin, 127 S.Ct. at 654; see also id. at 658 (Souter, J., concurring).
¶ 30 Washington law is clear on this matter. We have recently ruled that silent displays of affiliation by trial spectators, which do not explicitly advocate guilt or innocence, are permissible. Woods, 154 Wash.2d at 416, 114 P.3d 607. In Woods, the defendant complained of black and orange remembrance ribbons worn by spectators during a murder trial. Id. at 417. Woods objected to the presence of the ribbons. The trial judge allowed them, with the caveat that the judge could provide a jury instruction, if necessary, to mitigate any prejudicial effects. Id. In that case, we applied the Supreme Court's decision in Flynn as the controlling law and upheld the conviction. Id. at 416-18, 114 P.3d 607. We reaffirm this holding. ¶ 31 In Woods, we also found the ribbons were distinguishable from the printed buttons in Norris because the ribbons did not contain any inscription. They were simply ribbons that the wearers indicated they wore in memory of the victims. Id. at 417, 114 P.3d 607. ¶ 32 The picture button in this case, like the ribbons in Woods, did not bear any message regarding guilt or innocence. Id. The facts before us are directly analogous to Woods. The holding in Woods was also informed by our exhaustive review of numerous states' treatment of trial spectators who silently signal their affiliation. Though not binding, this court did summarize many foreign cases that were consistent with our analysis: Many courts have used the Holbrook [ Flynn ] standard and have found that no inherent prejudice exists so as to taint the defendant's right to fair trial from the wearing of buttons or other displays. See, e.g., Buckner v. State, 714 So.2d 384, 389 (Fla.1998) (spectators holding up victim's picture was not inherently prejudicial); Pachl v. Zenon, 145 Or.App. 350, 929 P.2d 1088, 1093 (1996) (spectators wearing buttons with inscription Crime Victims United was not prejudicial and counsel was not ineffective for failing to challenge the issue); State v. Braxton, 344 N.C. 702, 477 S.E.2d 172, 177 (1996) (spectators wearing badges with victim's picture on them was not prejudicial). In most cases involving violent crime, there is at least one grieving family present at the trial and the presence of such persons should not come as any surprise to the jury members. See, e.g., State v. Richey, 171 W.Va. 342, 298 S.E.2d 879, 889 (1982) (We must assume that a jury has the fortitude to withstand this type of public scrutiny, and cannot presume irreparable harm to the defendant's right to a fair jury trial by the presence of spectators who may have some type of associational identity with the victim of the crime.). Woods, 154 Wash.2d at 418, 114 P.3d 607. ¶ 33 Thus, this court has previously decided where picture buttons and ribbons fall along the spectrum of permissible courtroom behavior. Cf. Flynn, 475 U.S. at 571, 106 S.Ct. 1340. Using Woods as our guide, we reaffirm that there is no per se inherent prejudice [to] the defendant's right to fair trial from the wearing of buttons or other displays. 154 Wash.2d at 418., 114 P.3d 607. ¶ 34 Moreover, this court has also held in other decisions that jury viewing of in-life photographs of the victim is not inherently prejudicial, especially in a case where the jury will see crime scene photographs of the victim. State v. Pirtle, 127 Wash.2d 628, 651-53, 904 P.2d 245 (1995); State v. Furman, 122 Wash.2d 440, 452, 858 P.2d 1092 (1993) (`In-life' pictures are not inherently prejudicial, particularly where as here the jury has seen `after death' pictures of the victim's body. (footnote omitted) (quoting State v. Rice, 110 Wash.2d 577, 599-600, 757 P.2d 889 (1988), cert. denied, 491 U.S. 910, 109 S.Ct. 3200, 105 L.Ed.2d 707 (1989))). In the instant case, both crime scene and in-life photographs were admitted into evidence and seen by the jury. Because the buttons in controversy carried an in-life photograph of the victim, they were not inherently prejudicial. Therefore, there was no unconstitutional infringement of defendant's right to a fair trial. [14] ¶ 35 Finally, Lord did not make a motion for mistrial or for a curative jury instruction. Such inaction has been held to constitute waiver, unless manifest constitutional error is found. See State v. Hoffman, 116 Wash.2d 51, 93, 804 P.2d 577 (1991) (Reversal is not required if the error could have been obviated by a curative instruction which the defense did not request.). Moreover, a mistrial would be appropriate only if an error or misconduct is so prejudicial that it could not be cured, and thus, the defendant did not receive a fair trial. State v. Hopson, 113 Wash.2d 273, 284-85, 778 P.2d 1014 (1989); see also State v. Weber, 99 Wash.2d 158, 165; 659 P.2d 1102 (1983) (A mistrial should be granted only when `nothing the trial court could have said or done would have remedied the harm done to the defendant.' In other words, a mistrial should be granted only when the defendant has been so prejudiced that nothing short of a new trial can insure that defendant will be tried fairly.) (quoting State v. Gilcrist, 91 Wash.2d 603, 612, 590 P.2d 809 (1979) (quoting State v. Swenson, 62 Wash.2d 259, 280, 382 P.2d 614 (1963))). A defendant generally cannot decline to ask for a mistrial or jury instruction, gamble on the outcome, and when convicted, reassert the waived objection.