Opinion ID: 2602047
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Interviews of Prospective Grand Jurors

Text: (2) On May 18, 1994, the Orange County Superior Court selected 19 individuals from a roster of 29 nominees to comprise the 1994-1995 grand jury (§ 895). Section 896 requires that the superior court personally interview each prospective grand juror to ascertain whether they possess the qualifications required by section 893. [4] As part of the appellate record completion process, defendant sought to augment the record with transcripts of the superior court's interview and selection of the grand jury. Neither the interviews nor the selection process were recorded. [5] Defendant argues this constitutes reversible error. We disagree. Section 190.9 requires that all proceedings be reported in a case in which a death sentence may be imposed. The Court of Appeal concluded in Dustin that section 190.9 applies to grand jury proceedings in death penalty cases where indictments are returned. ( Dustin v. Superior Court, supra, 99 Cal.App.4th at p. 1322.) That case is unlike this one. There, the Court of Appeal considered a defendant's pretrial claim that the prosecutor violated section 190.9 by ordering the court reporter to leave while he gave his opening and closing statements to the grand jury. (99 Cal.App.4th at pp. 1314-1315.) Even assuming Dustin was correctly decided, section 190.9 cannot reasonably be interpreted to apply before a case even exists. Defendant did not commit his crimes until September 1994, he was not arrested until October 1994, and the case was not presented to the grand jury until January 1995. The case could not have been said to exist in May 1994 when the 1994-1995 grand jury was interviewed, selected, and empaneled. Section 190.9 does not impose a duty to record the personal interviews of prospective grand jurors. Nor is there a constitutional violation, as defendant has failed to establish that the absence of the sought record prejudices his ability to prosecute his appeal. ( People v. Alvarez, supra, 14 Cal.4th at p. 196, fn. 8.)