Opinion ID: 900247
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Failure to Read All Instructions at Close of Evidence

Text: [¶ 9.] A judge has the duty to fully instruct the jury on the applicable law. State v. Eagle Star, 1996 SD 143, ¶ 15, 558 N.W.2d 70, 73. Furthermore, the instructions must be given orally. SDCL 23A-25-4 states: Before final argument the court shall read its instructions to the jury .... (emphasis added). SDCL 15-6-51(a) provides in part: After the close of evidence and prior to argument the court shall charge the jury. In charging the jury the court shall instruct as to the law of the case.... The court, on its own motion or upon the motion of any party, after the jury is selected and sworn, but prior to opening statements, may in its discretion, give general and preliminary instructions to the jury on the conduct of the trial, but not on substantive legal issues. (emphasis added). [¶ 10.] In Eagle Star, we noted that [p]rior to hearing all the evidence presented, the trial court is not in a position to fully instruct the jury on the applicable law. Eagle Star, 1996 SD 143, ¶ 19, 558 N.W.2d at 74. Preliminary instructions serve to inform jurors of their function, the presumption of innocence, the burden of proof and other preliminary matters aimed at making the trial more understandable. Id. ¶ 20 (footnote omitted). The use of preliminary instructions, however, never relieves the court of its duty to comprehensively inform jurors of the law at the close of the evidence. Id. (citing SDCL 23A-25-4; United States v. Ruppel, 666 F.2d 261, 274 (5thCir.1982), reh'g denied, 671 F.2d 1378 (5thCir.1982), cert. denied, 458 U.S. 1107, 102 S.Ct. 3487, 73 L.Ed.2d 1369 (1982), reh'g denied, 458 U.S. 1132, 103 S.Ct. 17, 73 L.Ed.2d 1402 (1982)). That jurors will remember instructions given at the beginning of a case may presume too much. [¶ 11.] Reading a complete set of instructions after the evidence ensures that the jury hears and considers all the applicable law before deliberations. Moreover, reading aloud aids understanding if the court reads the instructions intelligibly. See Veda R. Charrow & Myra K. Erhardt, Clear & Effective Legal Writing 32 (1986)(discussing the importance of drafting jury instructions in a style appropriate for oral comprehension); David Mellinkoff, Legal Writing: Sense & Nonsense 88-89 (1982)(emphasizing that instructions should speak directly to the jurors). Repetition by first hearing the instructions and then reading them enhances recall as well as comprehension. See Saul M. Kassin & Lawrence S. Wrightsman, The American Jury on Trial: Psychological Perspectives 146 (1988)(Preliminary instructions... are not a substitute for the final charge, but a supplement to it. There is no reason why juries should not be charged twice, in order to ensure the information processing advantages afforded on each occasion.) [¶ 12.] Nelson asks us to stamp as error the failure to read to the jury at the end of the case the instructions on the presumption of innocence and the burden of proof. Our statutes are clear on this point: [T]he court shall read its instructions to the jury at the close of the evidence and before final argument. SDCL 23A-25-4. We interpret the word shall as a mandatory directive conferring no discretion. SDCL 2-14-2.1. `This [C]ourt assumes that statutes mean what they say and that the legislators have said what they meant.' Mid-Century Ins. Co. v. Lyon, 1997 SD 50, ¶ 9, 562 N.W.2d 888, 891 (quoting In re Famous Brands, Inc., 347 N.W.2d 882, 885 (S.D.1984)). In addition, we bear the responsibility for making the rules of practice and procedure for South Dakota courts and, when called upon to do so, we review proceedings to guarantee that each criminal defendant receives due process according to law. SD Const. Art. V, § 12. [¶ 13.] When a court materially deviates from the statutory procedures it is bound to uniformly and fairly administer, we must say the court erred. Thus, the first element of the plain error test is established. As for the second element, this case was tried seven months after Eagle Star was handed down; trial courts were therefore informed that they must read all jury instructions at the close of the evidence. As the word plain means clear or obvious, we believe the error here was plain. Olano, 507 U.S. at 734, 113 S.Ct. at 1777. Thirdly, the error must affect substantial rights. This is a more difficult question because although the burden of proof and presumption of innocence instructions were not read to the jury for a second time, the jury received all the written instructions. To qualify for jury duty, one must be able to read, write, and understand the English language. SDCL 16-13-10. We must presume, therefore, that the jurors could read the instructions for themselves. Yet, we cannot assume they actually read all the instructions in the jury room, even if each one was given a copy. See State v. Norris, 10 Kan.App.2d 397, 699 P.2d 585, 588 (Kan.App.1985)(divergence in literacy and reading comprehension may leave some jurors less instructed). Instruction of the jury is one of the most fundamental duties of the court and it is only through their oral delivery that the court can be assured that each member of the jury has actually received all of the instructions. Id. at 588. [¶ 14.] The State, relying on Eagle Star, argues that overwhelming evidence of Nelson's guilt was presented; thus, even if the trial court had properly read instructions on the presumption of innocence and reasonable doubt, the jury would have returned a guilty verdict. See, e.g., United States v. Davila-Nater, 474 F.2d 270 (5thCir.1973), reh'g denied, 474 F.2d 1348 (5thCir.1973); Griffith v. State, 264 Ga. 326, 444 S.E.2d 794 (Ga 1994)(better rule to read comprehensive instructions at end of case, but error in failing to repeat preliminary instructions was harmless). The Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution and Art. VI, § 2 of the South Dakota Constitution provide that no citizen can be deprived of liberty without due process of law. These tenets stand unqualified and hold fast, even when evidence is overwhelming. See e.g., State v. Johnson, 173 Ariz. 274, 842 P.2d 1287, 1289 (Ariz 1992), vacated, 173 Ariz. 274, 842 P.2d 1287 (Ariz 1992)(overwhelming evidence will not relieve courts of their obligation to ensure that judicial process is properly accomplished). Each person is constitutionally entitled to a fair trial. This [C]ourt has consistently held that a defendant is not guaranteed a perfect trial, `but every accused, innocent or guilty, is entitled to a fair trial.' State v. Pellegrino, 1998 SD 39, ¶ 25, 577 N.W.2d 590, 600, reh'g denied, May 22, 1998 (quoting State v. Raymond, 540 N.W.2d 407, 410 (S.D.1995), appeal after remand, 1997 SD 59, 563 N.W.2d 823). [¶ 15.] Most courts having wrestled with this question deem it serious error to fail to repeat preliminary instructions at the end of the evidence. We take particular guidance from a line of Arizona cases, all considering criminal appeals from the same trial judge. In State v. Jackson, 139 Ariz. 213, 677 P.2d 1321 (Ariz.Ct.App.1983), the Arizona Court of Appeals reviewed a drug possession conviction in which the trial court read preliminary instructions to the jury, including the burden of proof instruction and a definition of reasonable doubt. Id. at 1324. When the judge charged the jury, however, she did not re-instruct on the prosecutor's burden of proving each element beyond a reasonable doubt. Id. As in this appeal, however, the jury received a copy of the preliminary instructions. Id. The court found that the trial court committed error, but not reversible error. Id. at 1325. [¶ 16.] In State v. Kinkade, 140 Ariz. 91, 680 P.2d 801 (Ariz 1984), appeal after remand, 147 Ariz. 250, 709 P.2d 884 (Ariz 1985), the Arizona Supreme Court reviewed a defendant's first-degree murder and armed robbery convictions. As was the situation in Jackson, the trial court preliminarily instructed the jury on reasonable doubt. Id. at 804. The judge, however, did not re-read the instruction to the jury at the end of the trial. Id. Once again, the Arizona Supreme Court held that the failure to re-read the instruction was error, but not fundamental error. Id. at 804-05. [¶ 17.] Eight years later, the Arizona Supreme Court reviewed another criminal case from same trial judge, who apparently continued her practice of not re-reading preliminary instructions. Johnson, 842 P.2d at 1288. The defendant was charged with first-degree burglary and two counts of aggravated assault. Id. at 1287. Again, the trial judge instructed the jury at the beginning of the proceedings on the presumption of innocence and the burden of proof. Id. At the close of the evidence, the judge did not repeat the preliminary instructions, leaving the jury with only the preliminary definition of reasonable doubt. Id. In addition, the judge, after the prosecution asked for a modification of the special verdict form, gave an erroneous oral instruction to the jury on the burden of proof. Id. at 1288. This instruction was never reduced to writing and given to the jurors, unlike the preliminary instructions and final instructions. Id. No longer able to sustain this trial judge's continued disregard for the rules, the court reversed the convictions. Id. at 1290. In a strong opinion, the court reiterated the long-standing principle that failure to re-read the preliminary instructions at the close of the evidence, including those on the burden of proof and reasonable doubt, was error. Id. at 1289. This conduct descended to prejudicial error because the trial judge not only failed to re-read the preliminary instructions, but she also gave an erroneous oral instruction. Id. Those two errors, acting together, constituted reversible plain error. Id. [¶ 18.] Finally, in State v. Romanosky, 176 Ariz. 118, 859 P.2d 741 (Ariz 1993)(en banc), the Arizona Supreme Court again faced a criminal appeal alleging the same error by the same judge. Id. at 742. The defendant was convicted of armed robbery and felony-murder. Id. at 741-42. The Court was asked to decide whether the failure of the trial court to instruct the jury on reasonable doubt at the end of the evidence was reversible error. Id. at 742. The trial court had read a preliminary instruction stating that the prosecutor had to prove every element of the crimes beyond a reasonable doubt. Id. But the judge did not define the crimes for the jury until the end of the trial and did not re-instruct on the reasonable doubt standard at the close of the evidence. Id. Failure to re-instruct the jury on the burden of proof, the Arizona Supreme Court held, was reversible error. Id. at 743-44. As noted in Johnson, 173 Ariz. at 276, 842 P.2d at 1289, the failure to give a reasonable doubt instruction at the end of the case is not necessarily obviated by furnishing written copies of instructions to jurors, or by the fact that lawyers have argued the instructions in summation. This trial involved over 25 witnesses. The instructions received by the jury on the first day of trial included only a statement of the basic principle of reasonable doubt without any reference to defined elements of defined crimes. The crimes themselves were undefined until the end of the case, and the jury was not told at the end of the case that the reasonable doubt standard applied to each element of the defined crimes. From our reading of the record, defendant's only defense was the doctrine of reasonable doubt. The attenuated instruction given at the start of the case was insufficient, given the paramount importance of the doctrine of reasonable doubt. We cannot say the error was harmless in this capital case. Id. Because we ought to consider error within the totality of a trial, before deciding whether the failure to re-read critical instructions at the end of the case affected substantial rights, we will next examine the court's decision to allow thirteen jurors to deliberate.