Opinion ID: 370999
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: The voir dire incident

Text: 45 Lastly, the appellant contends that he was denied a fair and impartial trial because the entire jury panel had been prejudiced against him due to a prospective juror's remarks during voir dire. The asserted error arose during the trial court's inquiry into a prospective juror's prior experience with law enforcement. While having no immediate family experience, the juror indicated that her husband's cousin had been in law enforcement. The record reflects the following colloquy between the court and the potential juror (I R. 33): 46 The Court: Well, that is rather remote. But if it would having any bearing upon your deliberations, we would like to know about it. 47 Juror: I am afraid it would, sir. 48 The Court: You think it might? 49 Juror: Yes. 50 The Court: Tell us who he is. 51 Juror: He was a narcotics agent in Texas and he was killed. 52 The Court: Oh, he was, and he may have discussed the things that he does as an enforcement officer around the home, around your home, rather, and you think that might tend to influence your deliberations? 53 Juror: Yes. 54 The judge excused this juror. Promptly after the incident, the trial court gave a cautionary instruction to the jury panel 20 and sought to determine if all the jurors could ignore the statement when rendering a verdict. After obtaining an affirmative answer from the jurors, the trial court continued the voir dire and impanelled a jury. After the swearing in of the jury, the appellant registered his objection to the entire jury panel and asked for its dismissal. 55 In support of his motion appellant argued, and says on this appeal, that it would be impossible for the trial court to determine how much prejudice was caused by the juror's statements and that the possibility of any prejudice arising from the statement, no matter how slight, required a dismissal of the jury. II R. 56; Brief of Appellant at 20. The Government argued at trial, and contends here, that the cautionary instruction cured any possible prejudice which may have arisen due to the improper remark. II R. 57; Brief of Appellant at 30. 56 The trial judge said that assuming the jurors were honest in saying they would base their verdict on the evidence and would not be influenced by the remark, he was going to deny the motion. The court stated that he frankly felt that if they had voted within some ten minutes after the incident, he felt they could not have put it out of their minds and would have been influenced by what the juror said; that as time elapsed, they were more likely to forget the statements; that by tomorrow maybe they will have forgotten it; and that any further instruction on the incident would probably do more harm than good. II R. 58. 57 The trial court has broad discretion in conducting the voir dire examination. United States v. Colabella, 448 F.2d 1299, 1303 (2d Cir.). The ruling on a motion to dismiss or for a mistrial based on improper statements during voir dire is within the sound judicial discretion of the trial court. Moreover, the court's ruling will not be disturbed, absent a clear showing of abuse of that discretion. See e. g., United States v. Wade,467 F.2d 1226, 1229 (8th Cir.); Cf. United States v. Evans, 542 F.2d 805, 815 (10th Cir.) (within discretion of trial court to grant mistrial motion based on disruptive incidents at trial), Cert. denied, 429 U.S. 1101, 97 S.Ct. 1124, 51 L.Ed.2d 550; McBride v. United States, 409 F.2d 1046, 1048 (10th Cir.) (within discretion of trial court to grant mistrial motion based on improper testimony by witness). The trial court is in the best position to judge the effect which improper statements might have upon a jury and the sincerity of the jurors' promises to disregard it. See United States v. Wade,supra, 467 F.2d at 1229; Cf. McBride v. United States, supra, 409 F.2d at 1048. When a motion to dismiss the jury panel is grounded on the contention that an improper statement has prejudiced the jury against him, the question is whether 'there was an impingement upon the right of the appellant to be tried before a fair and impartial jury.'  United States v. Evans, supra, 542 F.2d at 815; See also Bailey v. United States, 410 F.2d 1209, 1215 (10th Cir.), Cert. denied, 396 U.S. 933, 90 S.Ct. 276, 24 L.Ed.2d 232. 58 Defendant relies on State v. Woodard, 134 Vt. 154, 353 A.2d 321. There a sitting juror overheard the defendant make a telephone call during which he said that I'm hung unless I have an alibi or I'm hung and I've got to have an alibi. The juror then heard the testimony of two more witnesses before reporting the incident and being excused. In reversing the conviction, the court held that the defendant did not have to show actual influence on the jury because the circumstances went to the integrity of the jury and to a possible infringement on defendant's right to an untainted jury. Cf. United States v. Beasley, 464 F.2d 468, 470 (10th Cir.). We feel that such potential of prejudice by a sitting juror during trial is a distinguishable case. 59 Here we cannot say that the trial court abused its discretion in denying the motion. In addition to a cautionary instruction to the jury, See generally Brown v. United States, 380 F.2d 477, 479 (10th Cir.), Cert. denied, 390 U.S. 962, 88 S.Ct. 1062, 19 L.Ed.2d 1158; the court questioned the jurors in order to be satisfied that the statement had no prejudicial impact upon them. II R. 35. See generally United States v. Colabella,supra, 448 F.2d at 1302-03; United States v. Evans, supra, 542 F.2d at 815. The trial court's assessment is entitled to great weight. McBride v. United States, supra, 409 F.2d at 1048. Finally we note that the jury's ability to render a fair verdict is indicated by its acquittal of the appellant on the conspiracy count. See generally United States v. Evans, supra, 542 F.2d at 815; Bailey v. United States, 410 F.2d 1209, 1215 (10th Cir.), Cert. denied, 396 U.S. 933, 90 S.Ct. 276, 24 L.Ed.2d 232. 60 The remaining contentions of appellant require no further discussion. We are satisfied that no reversible error is demonstrated and the judgment is 61 AFFIRMED.