Opinion ID: 852908
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Procedure for Removal after Deliberations Begin

Text: The State contends that Riggs did not develop a record establishing prejudice to him from the removal. We agree a thorough record is necessary to establish grounds for removal. But it is not up to the parties to show prejudice as to the outcome. Unjustified removal is structural error, just as much as denial of the right to an impartial jury. As the United States Supreme Court put it in Gray v. Mississippi, 481 U.S. 648, 668, 107 S.Ct. 2045, 95 L.Ed.2d 622 (1987), some constitutional rights [are] so basic to a fair trial that their infraction can never be treated as harmless error. The right to an impartial adjudicator, be it judge or jury, is such a right. Moreover, to establish that the right is not infringed, the trial court must establish the record to support removal of a deliberating juror, just as a record is required to establish bias of a prospective juror. Lindsey v. State, 260 Ind. 351, 357-59, 295 N.E.2d 819, 823-24 (1973). Finally, it is important to note that removal of a deliberating juror raises several issues not present in striking a juror in voir dire. Steps may also be required in addition to establishing the grounds for removal. The inquiry into the need to remove a juror may result in the juror's continuing to serve on the panel, so the trial court must avoid questioning that may affect the juror's judgment. See Commonwealth v. Connor, 392 Mass. 838, 467 N.E.2d 1340, 1346 (1984). Moreover, the trial court must be careful not to convey improper messages, either verbal or silent, to the other jurors, who may infer that the juror was dismissed because of his or her view of the case. Id. Here, the trial court judge asked each juror, in the presence of the full jury, whether the removal of the juror would in some way interfere with the juror's ability to reach a fair and impartial verdict, to which each responded no. This general inquiry did not focus sufficiently on the problem of the potential effect of the removal on the jury. A juror might well conclude that the removal of Wallace implied disagreement with Wallace's views on the merits of the case. Removal should be accompanied by an instruction that removal in no way reflected approval or disapproval of the views expressed by the juror.