Opinion ID: 586970
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Excusal of the Juror for Just Cause.

Text: 19 The appellants contend that the district court's decision to excuse Juror Number 8 and to proceed with eleven jurors was reversible error. The appellants argue that the district court had a duty to inquire of the juror whether he was actually biased against the Government in this criminal matter because of the false arrest and rough treatment of his girlfriend by law enforcement officers. 20 We review a district court's decision to excuse a juror after deliberations have commenced for abuse of discretion. United States v. Tabacca, 924 F.2d 906, 913 (9th Cir.1991). Under the abuse-of-discretion standard, we must affirm unless we are left with the definite and firm conviction that the court committed a clear error of judgment in reaching its conclusion after weighing the relevant factors. United States v. BNS, Inc., 858 F.2d 456, 464 (9th Cir.1988). We cannot simply substitute our judgment for that of the district court. Id. 21 Rule 23(b) provides as follows. 22 Even absent [a stipulation between the parties], if the court finds it necessary to excuse a juror for just cause after the jury has retired to consider its verdict, in the discretion of the court a valid verdict may be returned by the remaining 11 jurors. 23 Fed.R.Crim.P. 23(b). Rule 23(b) is designed to remedy situations where one of the jurors is seriously incapacitated or otherwise found to be unable to continue service upon the jury. Fed.R.Crim.P. 23 advisory committee's note. It is particularly pertinent when the trial has been a lengthy one and consequently the remedy of mistrial would necessitate a second expenditure of substantial prosecution, defense, and court resources. Id. 24 In United States v. Dischner, 960 F.2d 870 (9th Cir.1992), we held that the district court did not abuse its discretion in excusing a juror who had broken her shoulder and would be unable to return to deliberations for over a week. Id. at 880. We noted that [e]xcusing a juror is generally appropriate when the trial is lengthy and waiting for the juror will result in a substantial or potentially uncertain delay. Id. at 881. 25 In Tabacca, the trial had lasted two and a half days. 924 F.2d at 913. The government called three witnesses. Id. at 915. After a day and a half of deliberations, the jury sent a note stating that it was deadlocked. Id. at 913. The court excused the jury for a three-day weekend. Id. When the jury returned, the court learned that a juror could not come to the courthouse to participate in the jury's deliberations because his wife had taken his car keys and he had no other means of transportation. Id. The jury returned a verdict approximately two hours after reconvening with eleven members. Id. 26 We held that the district court had abused its discretion because the brief two and a half day trial did not involve a substantial expenditure of resources. Id. at 915. We also found it significant that the juror would be available the following day. Id. We reasoned that an additional day's delay in a trial of short duration would be unlikely to induce dulled memories on the part of the jurors, even if they had taken a three-day weekend. Id. 27 In this matter, the district court excused a juror after nine days of trial because it determined that the juror could no longer be fair and impartial after he was informed during jury deliberations of alleged police misconduct involving his girlfriend. Our research has not disclosed any other case in which a juror was excused during deliberations because he or she received extrajudicial information, unrelated to the criminal proceedings, which might prejudice the juror against a party. The closest case we have discovered involving the excusal of a juror who received extrajudicial information is United States v. Ruggiero, 928 F.2d 1289 (2nd Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 112 S.Ct. 372, 116 L.Ed.2d 324 (1991). In Ruggiero, the district court received a note from the jury on the sixth day of deliberations which sought court guidance because one juror refused to vote. Id. at 1293. Later that day, the court received a second note that stated that a juror refused to discuss the case. Id. The court then questioned Juror 9 in chambers. Id. The juror stated that the jury's notes were inaccurate. Id. at 1294. The juror explained he had discussed the case with his fellow jurors, but they were trying to persuade him to vote one way or the other. Id. He stated that he voted on my conscious [sic]. Id. The court permitted Juror 9 to return to the jury room. Id. 28 Later that day, Juror 9 sent a note to the court which stated that the jury had talked about the fact that he could go to jail. Id. He also mentioned that his residence is known and he was concerned about his family. Id. at 1295. The juror also wrote that he simply can't be persuated [sic] or forced to vote against my belief and conscience. Id. 29 The court again called Juror 9 into chambers in the presence of counsel. Id. The court assured the juror that he would not go to jail and that no one knew where he lived. Id. The juror returned to the jury room. Id. 30 The next morning, the judge received a note from the jury indicating that although the jury had informally reached a unanimous decision, it could not return a verdict due to the fears of one juror relating to alleged threats he received prior to deliberations. Id. 31 Juror 9 was again questioned by the court. Id. The juror stated that he had encountered two men in his driveway the evening before the case was submitted to the jury. Id. He was not directly threatened. Id. The men told him that he was a juror in the Gene Gotti trial. Id. Juror 9 explained that he had not initially informed the court of the encounter because he was not then frightened. Id. The juror initially stated that he had questioned some of the testimony and he was not one hundred percent sure of the counts and the accusations. Id. at 1296. He explained that some aspects of his vote were motivated by fear, but not completely. Id. 32 The court examined the juror further to determine unequivocally whether the juror was voting out of fear. Id. The juror stated that he was voting out of fear. Id. at 1297. The Government moved for the dismissal of the juror pursuant to Rule 23(b). Juror 9 was excused for good cause over defense objection. Id. 33 On appeal, the Second Circuit upheld the trial court's decision to excuse the juror. The court stated that it would be rash indeed to second guess the conclusion of the experienced trial judge, based in large measure upon personal observations that cannot be captured on a paper record, that Juror No. 9 was disabled by fear from continuing to participate in the jury's deliberations. Id. at 1300. 34 Based on his evaluation of the juror's response to his questions, the trial judge in this matter concluded that the juror's claim that he was not affected by reports of his girlfriend's physical abuse and false arrest was not truthful. The Supreme Court has recognized that the determination of impartiality, in which demeanor plays such an important part, is particularly within the province of the trial judge. Ristaino v. Ross, 424 U.S. 589, 595, 96 S.Ct. 1017, 1020, 47 L.Ed.2d 258 (1976); see also Patton v. Yount, 467 U.S. 1025, 1038, 104 S.Ct. 2885, 2892, 81 L.Ed.2d 847 (1984) (holding that trial court's determination of prospective juror's credibility is largely based on demeanor and is entitled to special deference). 35 The appellants assert that the court erred as a matter of law in failing to ask the juror if he could be fair and impartial. We disagree. A juror's assurance that he or she can render a fair and impartial verdict is not dispositive. Murphy v. Florida, 421 U.S. 794, 800, 95 S.Ct. 2031, 2036, 44 L.Ed.2d 589 (1975). A trial judge is required to make an independent assessment of a juror's ability to render a fair and impartial verdict. See United States v. Ramos, 861 F.2d 461, 464-66 (6th Cir.1988); cert. denied, 489 U.S. 1071, 109 S.Ct. 1353, 103 L.Ed.2d 820 (1989) (affirming the district court's decision to excuse a juror despite the juror's assurances that his wife had not disclosed the substance of her conversation with the defendant and his wife); United States v. Gabay, 923 F.2d 1536, 1542-43 (11th Cir.1991) (district court did not err in removing a juror accused of discussing the defendant's guilt before deliberations began even though juror denied such discussions had occurred). 36 The appellants further assert that the district court's reasons for excusing Juror Number 8 are not supported by the record. They contend that Juror Number 8's answers demonstrated he was indifferent to the fate of his girlfriend, and not that he was biased against law enforcement. 37 While some of Juror Number 8's statements expressed his indifference to the fate of his girlfriend, the district court's finding that it had serious doubts on [Juror Number 8's] ability to concentrate on the deliberations in this case and/or on his ability to be a fair and impartial juror is supported by the record. Juror Number 8 expressed a concern that the police might want to arrest him. Juror Number 8's girlfriend was charged with a serious offense. Juror Number 8 stated that his neighbor told him that the police had physically mistreated his girlfriend and that he believed the charges against her were false. These facts, combined with Juror Number 8's defensive demeanor and failure to be forthcoming, constituted just cause for excusing Juror Number 8 because he might not be able to be fair to both parties. 38 The appellants argue that the discharge of the juror was prejudicial because the jury continued deliberating while the court questioned Juror Number 8. They also assert that the district court's decision to dismiss Juror Number 8 was based in part on the jury's note accusing Juror Number 8 of being nonobjective and threatening. 39 The record does not support these contentions. The jury deliberated for several hours before Juror Number 8 was excused. After Juror Number 8's removal, the jury continued to deliberate for an additional two and a half days. 40 The record shows that the court instructed the remaining jurors to take recess from their deliberations while Juror Number 8 was outside of their presence. There is no evidence that would support an inference that the jurors continued their deliberations while Juror Number 8 was being questioned by the court. 41 Appellants have also failed to demonstrate that the district court's decision to excuse the juror was influenced by the jury's last note regarding Juror Number 8's conduct during deliberations. The trial judge expressed his intention to excuse Juror Number 8 before receiving the note from the jurors. At the time Juror Number 8 was excused, the district court explained that the jury's note had not influenced its decision to excuse Juror Number 8. In its subsequent comments, the court observed that the jury's note concerning Juror Number 8's behavior confirmed its conclusion that the juror was biased. The court stressed again, however, that the note had no bearing on its Rule 23(b) decision. 42 The district court's decision to proceed with an eleven-person jury promotes the underlying purpose of Rule 23(b). This case involved 9 days of trial, over 1800 pages of testimony, approximately 25 witnesses, and over 120 exhibits. A retrial in this matter would have involved a substantial expenditure of tax dollars and the consumption of judicial resources. The district court did not abuse its discretion in excusing Juror Number 8 for just cause based on the fact that he received information that appeared to bias him against law enforcement in this criminal case. 43