Opinion ID: 6351652
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Illustrations of Reasonable Doubt

Text: ¶35 During voir dire, the prosecutor asked potential jurors if they could recognize, beyond a reasonable doubt, the American flag in the courtroom even though it was folded and not entirely visible. Vialpando, ¶ 54, 490 P.3d at 658. The prosecutor then asked a potential juror to pretend that she was on the gameshow Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and consider whether she could identify the flag for 16 the million-dollar question. Id. The majority reasoned that analogizing finding the defendant guilty to submitting an answer on a game show trivialized reasonable doubt. Id. at ¶ 55, 490 P.3d at 658. Additionally, the majority concluded that illustrating reasonable doubt with iconic images like the American flag could cause jurors to associate the standard with easily recognizable objects, thus easing the State’s burden. Id. at ¶ 56, 490 P.3d at 658.