Opinion ID: 844217
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Use of Jurors Numbers

Text: Defendant contends the trial court erred in ordering, over defendant's objection, that the prospective jurors and trial jurors be referred to by number only. He contends that no exceptional circumstances justified use of a numbered jury, and that the use of jury numbers violated his rights to be presumed innocent, to a fair and public trial, to a reliable guilt and penalty verdict, and to be free from cruel and unusual punishment, requiring reversal of his convictions and death sentence. (U.S. Const., 5th, 6th, 8th & 14th Amends.; Cal. Const., art. I, §§ 1, 7, 15, 16, 17.) The prosecutor supported his request to refer to prospective jurors by number rather than name by informing the court that someone had telephoned a prosecution witness, Margaretta Gully, and offered her a bribe not to testify, and that there had been two written threats to unspecified witnesses. Defense counsel countered that the bribe was not a threat and did not amount to good cause to conduct the trial with a numbered jury, and that in any event these incidents had nothing to do with defendant. Defense counsel also argued that the use of numbers would increase the jurors' fears. The trial court ruled that numbers would be used for all prospective jurors but that counsel would have access to their names. In addition, the court informed the jurors that they were being given numbers to protect their privacy because of media interest in the trial. As defendant acknowledges, People v. Goodwin (1997) 59 Cal.App.4th 1084 [69 Cal.Rptr.2d 576] held that a procedure similar to the one used here was proper, even without a showing of a particular need to protect jurors' identities. In Goodwin, the Los Angeles County Superior Court had adopted a policy to refer to all potential and actual jurors by number in all criminal trials, in order to implement the requirement of Code of Civil Procedure section 237, subdivision (a)(2) that the names of jurors not appear in the transcript of a criminal case. ( Goodwin, supra, at p. 1089.) As in the present case, the court and counsel had access to the jurors' names. ( Ibid. ) The appellate court held that the procedure did not violate the defendant's right to a public trial because the trial was open and the jurors' faces were visible to anyone present. ( Id. at p. 1093.) In addition, any risk that the jury would speculate that the use of numbers related to the defendant's dangerousness was diminished because the trial court indicated it would admonish the jury that the procedure was required in all criminal cases and had nothing to do with the defendant. ( Id. at p. 1091, fn. 3.) (1) Defendant contends that Goodwin is inconsistent with federal law, which he argues requires extraordinary circumstances to justify an anonymous jury. We need not decide whether Goodwin was correctly decided because the procedure employed in the present case was proper even under the federal authorities upon which defendant relies. The federal cases hold that a trial court's decision to empanel an anonymous jury is entitled to deference and is subject to abuse of discretion review. ( U.S. v. Krout (5th Cir. 1995) 66 F.3d 1420, 1426; accord, U.S. v. Ross (11th Cir. 1994) 33 F.3d 1507, 1519.) Federal courts recognize two potential problems with an anonymous jury: (1) jurors may infer that the defendant is dangerous, thereby implicating the defendant's right to a presumption of innocence, and (2) the use of an anonymous jury may interfere with the defendant's ability to conduct voir dire and exercise peremptory challenges. ( U.S. v. Shryock (9th Cir. 2003) 342 F.3d 948, 971.) Consequently, federal cases permit an anonymous jury where (1) there are strong grounds for concluding that it is necessary to enable the jury to perform its factfinding function, or to ensure juror protection; and (2) reasonable safeguards are adopted by the trial court to minimize any risk of infringement upon the fundamental rights of the accused. ( U.S. v. DeLuca (1st Cir. 1998) 137 F.3d 24, 31; accord, U.S. v. Shryock, supra, at p. 971; U.S. v. Ross, supra, at pp. 1519-1520.) We find no abuse of discretion in the trial court's decision to order that the jurors be identified by numbers. The prosecutor informed the court that two witnesses had been threatened and one had been offered a bribe. These incidents provided reasonable grounds for concern that an attempt might be made to unlawfully interfere with the jurors' performance of their duties. Any interference with defendant's right to conduct voir dire was minimized because the jurors were not completely anonymouscounsel had access to the names of the jurors. Defendant contends that the procedure interfered with his ability to assist his counsel in jury selection because he was not personally allowed access to the jurors' names. Defendant argues that he might not have recognized a juror's face but might have recognized a name and realized he knew something about the juror or the juror's family that might cause the juror to be biased. Defendant's contention is speculative and in any event any minor interference with the conduct of voir dire that may have occurred was justified by the court's legitimate concerns for the safety and integrity of the jury. As to the presumption of innocence, federal cases have recognized that the danger that the jury might infer that the need for anonymity was attributable to the defendant's character is minimized when the trial court gives the jurors a plausible and nonprejudicial reason for hiding their identities. ( U.S. v. Ross, supra, 33 F.3d at p. 1520 [court explained it wanted to insulate the jury from contact from either side and that its decision did not reflect on the defense]; see U.S. v. Shryock, supra, 342 F.3d at p. 972 [trial court instructed the jury that the reason for their anonymity was to protect their privacy from curiosity-seekers]; U.S. v. Thomas (2d Cir. 1985) 757 F.2d 1359, 1365 [trial court's explanation that anonymity was to deter unwanted press attention minimized potential for prejudice to the defendants].) Here, the court's explanation that numbers were being used to protect the jurors' privacy in light of media interest in the case served to minimize the possibility of prejudice to defendant.