Opinion ID: 435300
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: supplemental jury charge

Text: 46 Appellants Murray, Brantley, Washington and Zeigler argue that they were denied their right to have an Article III judge rule on their objections to a supplemental jury charge given by a U.S. Magistrate in the district court's absence. 47 After the jury retired to deliberate, the trial court asked counsel if they had any objection to the magistrate receiving the verdict. The trial judge explained that he could not be in court that evening, but would return in the morning. There were no objections. The judge instructed counsel that if the jury requested recharging, the counsel should get together on it, if you can. If you cannot, then they will just have to remain in there until I get up here.... Again, if there is any question of law see if you can't agree on it and find it where it is here and decide what needs to be done. And, I will check back with you in the course of the evening. 21 R. 37-38. 48 Later in the course of the evening, the magistrate informed counsel that the jury had requested a supplemental instruction and that he had made a response. He then had the clerk read the response and invited counsel to put their objections in the record. Apparently the magistrate then left the courtroom. Counsel put no objection in the record to the magistrate's having given the instruction. 23 Apparently, the trial judge did not return until after the verdict was rendered the next day. 49 On appeal, appellants rely on United States v. De la Torre, 605 F.2d 154 (5th Cir.1979). In De la Torre, the court held that [i]t is the defendant's right to have an Article III judge rule on his counsel's objections and requests for instructions to the jury, at least absent waiver of that requirement by counsel. Id. at 156. 50 Under the circumstances of this case, we think that counsel waived the requirement. The trial court's clear instructions were that if counsel could not agree to a supplemental charge, the charge should not be made. Although the record indicates that the magistrate was at fault in not following these instructions, counsel neither objected nor made any effort to draw this error to the magistrate's attention. Although the magistrate left the courtroom after advising the attorneys of the supplemental charge, presumably he remained in the courthouse awaiting jury requests and the verdict and thus was available to hear any motions the attorneys might have made regarding the instruction. Nor did the attorneys attempt to locate the trial judge. Defense counsel had ample time to raise the issue at least with the magistrate inasmuch as the verdict was not rendered until late the next afternoon. 51 Even if there was no waiver and the defendants' right to have an Article III judge rule on the objections to the supplemental charge was violated, the error was harmless. As stated supra, note 27, we have reviewed the objections to the supplemental charge and find no merit in them. See United States v. Boswell, 565 F.2d 1338, 1341-42 (5th Cir.) (finding harmless error under similar circumstances), cert. denied, 439 U.S. 819, 99 S.Ct. 81, 58 L.Ed.2d 110 (1978).