Opinion ID: 1930879
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 39

Heading: whether the trial court erred in sealing the jury panel list in this action from dooley.

Text: ś 136. In this assignment, Dooley argues that the trial court committed error by unilaterally sealing the jury list from both him and the State without any notice or opportunity for a hearing. He also asserts error in the trial court's failure to allow a juror questionnaire and an individual voir dire of the jury panel. ś 137. The jury panel may be sealed under specified conditions. Miss.Code Ann. § 13-5-32 (Rev.2002) provides as follows: The names of jurors drawn from the jury box shall be made available to the public unless the court determines in any instance that this information in the interest of justice should be kept confidential or its use limited in whole or in part. ś 138. In Valentine v. State, 396 So.2d 15, 17 (Miss.1981), this Court expanded the requirements of § 13-5-32 by holding that, before sealing a venire list, the trial court must give notice and a hearing to the defendant. Valentine, 396 So.2d at 17. Those guidelines were not followed in the case at bar. Instead, during a pretrial hearing, the trial court announced that it intended to seal the venire list because, I don't want any improper contact with any proposed juror from anybody. ś 139. Interestingly, the Court in Valentine did not reverse based on the trial court's error in sealing the venire list. Moreover, Dooley has not cited to any case in which the appellate courts of this State have ever reversed a criminal case on these grounds, nor has he argued or demonstrated any prejudice resulting from this error. He simply argues that the trial judge committed an error in sealing the members of the jury panel from the Appellant. United States v. Clay, 159 F.Supp. 2nd 1357 (M.D.Ala.2001). ś 140. As previously noted, Clay is distinguishable from the case at bar. [12] A substantial factor in Clay was the potential issue for race discrimination in the construction of venire lists. United States v. Clay, 159 F.Supp.2d 1357 (M.D.Ala.2001). The procedure at issue in Clay was held to be a violation of the Jury Selection and Service Act. [13] The trial judge's actions here did not create any such potential for race discrimination. Moreover, this case involves state, not federal law. Since Clay is distinguishable from the case at bar, and Dooley has cited no other authority, and has failed to show that sealing of the venire panel list prejudiced him in any way, this error does not form the basis for reversal. ś 141. This assignment is without merit.