Opinion ID: 2626390
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: General Adequacy of Questioning

Text: Defendant asserts that other deficiencies in death qualification prevented him from adequately questioning prospective jurors, and deprived him of federal due process guarantees. For instance, defense counsel objected to the breakneck speed of voir dire, and asked the trial court to slow down by about 15 percent. Defendant also claims the court made too few inquiries, as evidenced by its use of four standard questions and by its rejection of two proposed defense questions. [14] Defendant did not frame his complaints about the pace and scope of voir dire below in terms of a due process violation. However, assuming without deciding that this federal claim has been preserved (see People v. Yeoman (2003) 31 Cal.4th 93, 117-118, 133, 2 Cal.Rptr.3d 186, 72 P.3d 1166 ( Yeoman ) [federal constitutional claim not waived when legal standard and relevant facts are essentially the same as state law claim timely raised at trial] ), no constitutional or other error occurred. Recent decisions of this court have emphasized the importance of meaningful death-qualifying voir dire. We have reminded trial courts of their duty to know and follow proper procedure, and to devote sufficient time and effort to the process. (See People v. Stewart, supra, 33 Cal.4th 425, 454-455, 15 Cal.Rptr.3d 656, 93 P.3d 271; People v. Heard (2003) 31 Cal.4th 946, 966-967, 4 Cal.Rptr.3d 131, 75 P.3d 53.) At bottom, both the court and counsel must have sufficient information regarding the prospective juror's state of mind to permit a reliable determination as to whether the juror's views [on capital punishment] would `prevent or substantially impair' the performance of his or her duties. ( People v. Stewart, supra, 33 Cal.4th at p. 445, 15 Cal.Rptr.3d 656, 93 P.3d 271.) Otherwise, reversible error can occur. (E.g., id. at pp. 446-452, 15 Cal. Rptr.3d 656, 93 P.3d 271 [over defense objection, court erroneously excused five prospective jurors for cause based on inherently ambiguous responses to legally flawed questionnaire]; People v. Heard, supra, 31 Cal.4th at pp. 964-966, 4 Cal. Rptr.3d 131, 75 P.3d 53 [over defense objection, court erroneously excused one prospective juror for cause based on ambiguous answers to imprecise and incomplete oral examination].) Nonetheless, the trial court has broad discretion over the number and nature of questions about the death penalty. We have rejected complaints about hasty ( People v. Navarette, supra, 30 Cal.4th 458, 487-488, 133 Cal.Rptr.2d 89, 66 P.3d 1182) or perfunctory voir dire. ( People v. Hernandez (2003) 30 Cal.4th 835, 855, 134 Cal.Rptr.2d 602, 69 P.3d 446.) We also have found no error where the court relied heavily on three, four, or five general questions tracking language from Witherspoon, supra, 391 U.S. 510, 88 S.Ct. 1770, and Witt, supra, 469 U.S. 412, 424, 105 S.Ct. 844. (E.g., People v. Hernandez, supra, 30 Cal.4th at pp. 855-856, 134 Cal. Rptr.2d 602, 69 P.3d 446; People v. Navarette, supra, 30 Cal.4th at p. 487, 133 Cal.Rptr.2d 89, 66 P.3d 1182; People v. Cunningham (2001) 25 Cal.4th 926, 973-974, 108 Cal.Rptr.2d 291, 25 P.3d 519; People v. Tuilaepa (1992) 4 Cal.4th 569, 586, 15 Cal.Rptr.2d 382, 842 P.2d 1142.) These cases found voir dire to be adequate because the court and/or counsel asked additional questions to clarify ambiguous responses and to reliably expose disqualifying bias. Such is the case here. Both the court and counsel posed follow-up questions where necessary to glean prospective jurors' views on penalty. Defendant cites no instance in which the trial court (1) erroneously retained a prospective juror who should have been excused for cause, (2) erroneously excused for cause a prospective juror who should have been retained, (3) decided any challenge for cause absent sufficient information to do so, or (4) allowed a biased juror to serve in the case. Hence, defendant has not shown that the pace or scope of death qualification including rejection of two defense questionsconstituted an abuse of discretion or violated his constitutional rights.