Opinion ID: 1098032
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Muhammad's absence from sidebar

Text: During voir dire, the trial court had informed the jurors that if they wanted to answer any questions confidentially, the court would hold sidebar conferences with the jurors and counsel. Several potential jurors requested sidebar conferences to answer questions concerning whether their previous experiences with law enforcement officers or the court system would affect their ability to be impartial jurors. In addition, two jurors were questioned at a sidebar conference concerning whether their views on capital punishment would prevent them from following the law in making a sentencing recommendation pertaining to whether the death penalty should be imposed. Although Muhammad was in the courtroom during these sidebar conferences, he was not present at the bench. Muhammad had the opportunity to consult with his attorneys before the exercise of peremptory challenges and was present for the exercise of the challenges. At trial, no objection was raised to this procedure, but Muhammad now claims the sidebar conferences violated his constitutional right to be present at critical stages of the proceedings, which include jury selection, as well as his procedural right to be present pursuant to Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.180. Criminal defendants have a due process right to be physically present in all critical stages of trial, including the examination of prospective jurors. See Snyder v. Massachusetts, 291 U.S. 97, 106, 54 S.Ct. 330, 78 L.Ed. 674 (1934), overruled in part on other grounds by Malloy v. Hogan, 378 U.S. 1, 84 S.Ct. 1489, 12 L.Ed.2d 653 (1964). In Francis v. State, 413 So.2d 1175, 1178 (Fla.1982), we recognized that the process of exercising challenges to members of the jury constitutes a critical stage of the proceedings where a defendant has a right to be present. We found reversible error in Francis because the defendant did not have an opportunity to consult with his counsel while peremptory challenges were being exercised and the defendant did not subsequently waive the right to be present or ratify the procedure. See id. During the proceedings at issue here, the jurors were being questioned concerning their ability to serve on this particular jury, for example, whether the jurors had prior experiences with the law enforcement agencies involved in this case. For that reason, we reject the State's reliance on cases stating that the questioning of jurors during the general qualifications process does not constitute a critical stage of the proceedings requiring the defendant's presence. See Wright v. State, 688 So.2d 298 (Fla.1996). We have previously explained the difference: It is important to understand the distinction between the general qualification of the jury by the court and the qualification of a jury to try a specific case. In the former, the court determines whether prospective jurors meet the statutory qualification standards or whether they will not qualify because of physical disabilities, positions they hold, or other personal reasons. The general qualification process is often conducted by one judge, who will qualify a panel for use by two, three, or more judges in multiple trials. Counsel or a defendant does not ordinarily participate in this type of qualification process, although neither is excluded from doing so. Remeta v. State, 522 So.2d 825, 828 (Fla. 1988). Rather than involving the general qualifications of jurors, jurors were being questioned here to determine whether they were competent to serve on this particular jury. This constituted a critical stage of the proceeding and Muhammad had a right to be present. We explained in Francis that the exercise of peremptory challenges permits rejection [of jurors] for real or imagined partiality and is often exercised on the basis of sudden impressions and unaccountable prejudices based only on the bare looks and gestures of another or upon a juror's habits and associations. Francis, 413 So.2d at 1179. [4] As correctly observed in Matthews v. State, 687 So.2d 908, 910 (Fla. 4th DCA 1997), [l]ogic mandates that for a defendant to intelligently participate in jury challenges, the defendant must be present for the questioning of the jurors. A defendant is entitled to more than second hand descriptions of the prospective jurors' responses to questions during voir dire, and thus a defendant who requests the court to permit him to participate should be allowed to obtain as much first hand information as feasible to facilitate his ability to participate in the selection of a jury. United States v. Washington, 705 F.2d 489, 497 (D.C.Cir. 1983). In State v. Melendez, 244 So.2d 137, 139 (Fla.1971), defense counsel consented to the continued examination, challenging, and empaneling of the jury even though the defendant was physically absent from the courtroom. This Court held that no error occurs when the defendant is represented by counsel who waives the presence of the defendant and the defendant later ratifies the action of counsel. See id. at 139-40. Similarly, in Goney v. State, 691 So.2d 1133, 1135 (Fla. 5th DCA 1997), the defendant was not physically present at the sidebar conference where the questioning of jurors took place. However, the Fifth District found that the defendant had ratified the actions of counsel in selecting the jury when the trial court asked for the record whether he had talked with counsel and was satisfied with the jury. [5] See id. In contrast to these cases, this Court in Francis held that fundamental error occurred when the defendant was not voluntarily absent from the proceedings where peremptory challenges were exercised, and neither knowingly and intelligently waived his right to be present, nor subsequently ratified the selection of the jury. 413 So.2d at 1178. Unlike the defendants in both Francis and Melendez, Muhammad was in the courtroom, although not present at the bench conference where examination of the jurors was taking place. The majority of the examination took place in open court where Muhammad was present, giving Muhammad the opportunity to observe the demeanor of the jurors. Cf. Goney, 691 So.2d at 1136. Further, his defense lawyer consulted with him concerning the selection of the jurors. Most importantly, after the selections were made, Muhammad gave an affirmative answer to the trial court's question whether Muhammad had enough time to discuss these choices with your lawyer. Accordingly, because Muhammad ratified the procedure and accepted the jury, we do not find that reversible error occurred in this case. See Melendez, 244 So.2d at 139; Goney, 691 So.2d at 1135. In addition to the protection of the Due Process Clause, Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.180(a)(4) provides that the defendant shall be present during the examination, challenging, empaneling, and swearing of the jury. This Court interpreted rule 3.180(a)(4) in Coney v. State, 653 So.2d 1009, 1013 (Fla.1995), as requiring the defendant to be present at the immediate site where challenges are being exercised, rather than merely being present in the courtroom. Though Coney involved the exercise of peremptory challenges outside the immediate presence of the defendant, rule 3.180(a)(4) applies equally to the examination of jurors. In Carmichael v. State, 715 So.2d 247, 248-49 (Fla.1998), this Court made clear that the Coney decision was based on our interpretation of the procedural rule rather than an absolute constitutional right to be present at the bench conference when peremptory challenges are exercised. In addition, this Court held that Coney errors must be preserved for appellate review through a specific objection. [6] See Carmichael, 715 So.2d at 249. In this case, no objection was raised and therefore the procedural protections of Coney are waived.