Opinion ID: 1604129
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Whether the Trial Judge Erred in Failing to Recuse Herself after an Ex Parte Conference with Scott's Attorney.

Text: ¶ 13. The standard of review to which this Court is bound on the issue of recusal is manifest error. Davis v. Neshoba County Gen. Hosp., 611 So.2d 904, 905 (Miss.1992) (e.g., Turner v. State, 573 So.2d 657, 677 (Miss.1990), Ruffin v. State, 481 So.2d 312, 317 (Miss.1985)). Further, impartiality is presumed, and the presumption must be overcome by the appellant in order for this Court to find manifest error. Jones v. State, 740 So.2d 904, 912 (Miss.1999). The question is whether or not a reasonable person, with knowledge of all the circumstances, would harbor doubts about the judge's impartiality. Id. (citing Davis, 611 So.2d at 905, accord Miss. Const. art. VI, § 165 (1890)). ¶ 14. With regard to this case, Scott and the Court of Appeals misplace their focus on what Scott's counsel told the judge in the ex parte hearing. The confession that Scott's counsel revealed to the trial judge, after every other remedy had been exhausted, was entirely consistent with the corroborating evidence, including the written confession that had been obtained when Scott was arrested in Marietta, the proposed testimony of the two officers who had obtained an earlier written confession, and all of the other evidence collected in this case. ¶ 15. In support of its holding, the Court of Appeals cites cases involving bench trials. In addition, the Court of Appeals' majority has bolstered its ruling with authority that carries no precedent in this jurisdiction. (E.g., Lowery v. Cardwell, 575 F.2d 727 (9th Cir.1978), Butler v. United States, 414 A.2d 844 (D.C.1980)). Not a single case cited by the Court of Appeals in support of its ruling involved a jury trial. As such, the facts herein are inapposite to those upon which the Court of Appeals seeks to rest its holding. This was not a bench trial; it was a jury trial. The trial judge applied the proper legal standard to admit the written confession and allowed the jury to weigh the evidence before it. The judge did not need to recuse herself and made no determination as to the truth or falsity of the confession, merely that it met the standard required for admission, that of being voluntary, intelligent, and knowing. Martin v. State, 854 So.2d 1004, 1007 (Miss.2003). ¶ 16. The Court of Appeals suggests that the trial judge was so persuaded by the attorney's revelation as to make the trial judge certain that Scott was guilty, which resulted in unfair prejudice at trial. If this contention was valid, the existence of a written confession would likewise be prone to persuade any trial judge that a defendant was guilty. This Court entrusts our judges with great discretion. Our trial judges are confronted daily with evidence that would tend to make defendants appear more culpable than not. We presume that our trial judges are aptly equipped to handle these issues and apply the law without fear of undue prejudice. See, e.g., Turner, 573 So.2d at 678 (Miss.1990). We have stated repeatedly that we will not overrule a trial judge's denial to recuse herself unless we find manifest error. ¶ 17. Our holding in Farmer v. State is illustrative. In Farmer, this Court held that a trial judge need not recuse himself because he had been the trial judge when a defendant previously had pleaded guilty. Farmer v. State, 770 So.2d 953, 956-57 (Miss.2000). It is not unusual for a judge to sit on successive trials following mistrials or to hear on remand a case where he previously has heard and ruled on the evidence.... Id. at 957 (quoting Garrison v. State, 726 So.2d 1144, 1151 (Miss.1998)). ¶ 18. Additionally, Scott places great emphasis on the alleged violation of the attorney-client privilege. Our law states that an attempt to utilize an attorney's service in furtherance of a crime, such as perjury, forfeits the protection of this rule. In Re Rules of Prof'l Conduct, 2005 Miss. LEXIS 723,  (Miss. Nov. 3, 2005). Scott's attorney did inform the trial judge that his client had confessed to the crime and intended to perjure himself. However, this revelation was unknown to the jury, and the trial transcript is devoid of anything that would indicate that either the judge or Scott, through his counsel, was prejudiced by this event. ¶ 19. The judge, while properly acting as gatekeeper, was the trier of fact as to admissibility of the evidence; however, the trial judge was not the ultimate trier of fact. The jury rendered the verdict based on substantial evidence, including Scott's testimony. The presumption of impartiality remains with nothing to rebut it. The standard of manifest error is not met, and there is no showing that the trial judge's failure to recuse herself had any effect on the jury's deliberations or verdict, as the jury was completely unaware of Scott's verbal confession and the ex parte hearing. ¶ 20. As the Court of Appeals' dissent cogently points out, had the trial judge recused herself, any judge who would have presided over the case would have read the record, discovered the ex parte hearing proceedings, and thus would have been placed in exactly the same position as the original trial judge. Scott, ___ So.3d at ___, (Roberts, J., dissenting). ¶ 21. Nothing in the trial transcript indicates that anything was ever said or even intimated about the alleged confession to Scott's own attorney or about Scott's attorney's misgivings about suborning perjury. Neither was there any showing that the judge in any way treated Scott in a prejudicial manner. Scott took the stand on his own behalf, and the jury had an opportunity to determine for itself whether or not Scott's written confession and testimony were genuine and credible. The jury never heard about the verbal confession to Scott's attorney. Therefore, the claim of manifest error by the trial judge for failing to recuse herself must fail. This Court reverses the Court of Appeals' judgment and reinstates the trial judge's refusal to recuse herself as within her just discretion.