Opinion ID: 1057782
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: views on capital punishment

Text: In assignments of error 77, 78, and 88, Lawlor asserts that the court erred by preventing him from asking specific members of the venire “[D]o you have strong feelings in favor of the death penalty?” or “[W]hat are your views about the death penalty?” Lawlor asserts that the Supreme Court of the United States identified such questions as constitutionally protected in Morgan. That assertion is not accurate. Rather, in Morgan the Supreme Court merely reiterated its earlier holding in Witt, 469 U.S. at 424, and Adams v. Texas, 448 U.S. 38, 45 (1980), that a potential juror may be questioned to determine whether his views “would prevent or substantially 12 impair the performance of his duties as a juror in accordance with his instructions and his oath.” 504 U.S. at 728 (internal quotation marks omitted). Thus there is no statutory or constitutional right to ask Lawlor’s questions. Cf. Code § 8.01-358. Accordingly, we have held that a party is not entitled to ask potential jurors their views on the death penalty. Burns, 261 Va. at 329, 541 S.E.2d at 887 (citing Mackall, 236 Va. at 251, 372 S.E.2d at 766). The relevant inquiry is whether the juror would adhere to them in disregard of the jury instructions and in violation of his or her oath. Witt, 469 U.S. at 420 (“[A] juror may not be challenged for cause based on his views about capital punishment unless those views would prevent or substantially impair the performance of his duties as a juror in accordance with his instructions and his oath.” (quoting Adams, 448 U.S. at 45) (emphasis in Witt)). The court therefore did not abuse its discretion by excluding Lawlor’s questions.