Opinion ID: 2176137
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Exclusion of Prospective Jurors Lopez and Smith

Text: During voir dire, the trial judge propounded additional questions to the jurors who had indicated that they would find it very difficult to impose the death penalty. Juror Lopez responded that she was opposed to capital punishment under all circumstances. Thereafter, she was excused. Juror Smith expressed serious reservations about the death penalty and, in response to the judge's question, Are there any circumstances that you can think of where you might impose the death penalty, she replied, I can't think of any. When the judge excused Ms. Smith, Henry's counsel objected and sought to rehabilitate the juror by suggesting to the court: You can ask the jurors, for example, if they found the people that bombed that Pan Am flight, if they can impose the penalty in that situation, if they could discuss other situations. I think just the category because they say they can't impose the death penalty doesn't mean under all circumstances. They may admit to the Court that they could then follow the instructions as to the law in this case. Henry now claims that reversible error was committed by the trial judge. He asserts that it was an abuse of discretion to refuse to permit the defense to rehabilitate Lopez and Smith by additional inquiry into their ability to apply the law as instructed. We fully discussed the nature of and guidelines for voir dire in Bedford v. State, 317 Md. 659, 670-75, 566 A.2d 111, 116-19 (1989), and noted that there are no rigid rules governing the inquiry process. See also Bowers v. State, 298 Md. 115, 145, 468 A.2d 101, 117 (1983), appeal after remand, 306 Md. 120, 507 A.2d 1072, cert. denied, 479 U.S. 890, 107 S.Ct. 292, 93 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). It is not necessary to duplicate that discussion here. [T]his Court has determined that the nature and extent of [ voir dire ] lies solely within the sound discretion of the trial judge. Bedford, 317 Md. at 670, 566 A.2d at 116-17. Furthermore, Maryland Rule 4-312(d) states that after the court has questioned the potential jurors, it may allow the parties to supplement the examination with additional questions. There is no requirement that, once the court has determined that a juror should be excused for cause, it must allow a party to continue questioning that juror. In fact, the court may frame its own questions and not permit cross-examination by counsel[.] [T]he extent of the examination rests in the sound discretion of the court, and the purpose of the inquiry is to ascertain `the existence of cause for disqualification and for no other purpose.' Bowers, 298 Md. at 146, 468 A.2d at 117 (quoting McGee v. State, 219 Md. 53, 58-59, 146 A.2d 194, 196 (1959), in turn quoting Adams v. State, 200 Md. 133, 140, 88 A.2d 556, 559 (1952)); Emery v. F.P. Asher, Jr., & Sons, Inc., 196 Md. 1, 8, 75 A.2d 333, 336 (1950). Although a defendant has the right to prove a juror is biased, Dennis v. United States, 339 U.S. 162, 171-72, 70 S.Ct. 519, 523, 94 L.Ed. 734, 742 (1950), after the judge makes a finding of bias the defendant does not have the right to further examination to attempt to prove that the judge was wrong and the juror was not biased. The trial court did not commit reversible error by refusing to ask Ms. Smith the Pan Am question proposed by Henry's counsel. [1] The court may, in its discretion, refuse to ask questions that it deems are speculative or insufficiently tailored to the particular case at issue. See Bowers, 298 Md. at 146, 468 A.2d at 117. Henry seeks to bolster his argument with Rougeau v. State, 651 S.W.2d 739 (Tex. Crim. App. 1982); however, his confidence is misplaced. In Rougeau, the appellate court found that the trial judge had committed reversible error when he excused a juror who had expressed reservations about the death penalty without permitting defense counsel sufficient opportunity to rehabilitate the juror. The juror in Rougeau, however, is critically different from jurors Lopez and Smith in the instant case. In Rougeau, the juror clearly stated that she could render a verdict according to the law and the evidence presented, even if that resulted in the imposition of a death sentence. Id. at 741. Lopez and Smith could make no such statements. The trial court did not abuse its discretion by excusing Ms. Lopez and Ms. Smith from the jury.