Opinion ID: 772927
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The District Court's Reasonable Doubt Instruction

Text: 9 Sogomonian argues that the district court's instruction to the jury on reasonable doubt was unconstitutional for four reasons. First, Sogomonian claims that, by equating a reasonable doubt with a fair doubt, the trial court created confusion as to the definition of reasonable doubt. Second, appellant suggests that the reasonable doubt instruction was unconstitutional because it told jurors that they would not be determining whether Sogomonian was guilty or not guilty. Third, Sogomonian argues that the district court eviscerated the presumption of innocence, applied unfair pressure to the jurors, and diluted the government's burden of proof when it told jurors that they were obligated to explain their views to each other and to the court. Finally, Sogomonian argues that, as a whole, these deficiencies in the district court's instruction create a reasonable likelihood that the jury was misled and confused by the instructions. 10 With respect to reasonable doubt instructions, the Supreme Court has held that so long as the court instructs the jury on the necessity that the defendant's guilt be proved beyond a reasonable doubt, seeJackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 320 n.14 (1979), the Constitution does not require that any particular form of words be used in advising the jury of the government's burden of proof. Cf. Taylor v. Kentucky, 436 U.S. 478, 485-86 (1978). Rather, 'taken as a whole, the instructions [must] correctly conve[y] the concept of reasonable doubt to the jury.' Holland v. United States, 348 U.S. 121, 140 (1954). Victor v. Nebraska, 511 U.S. 1, 5 (1994). When considering the district court's reasonable doubt instruction, this Court does not engage in an inquiry of harmless error review. United States v. Doyle, 130 F.3d 523, 536 (2d Cir. 1997). Instead, this Court must assess only the charge, taken as a whole, in order to determine whether there is a reasonable likelihood that the jury misinterpreted the reasonable doubt instruction.... Here, therefore, we need only decide whether there is a reasonable likelihood that the jury misunderstood the reasonable doubt standard. Id. (emphasis in original). In addition, this Court must focus on the cumulative effect of the definitions of reasonable doubt given by the district court. SeeGaines v. Kelly, 202 F.3d 598, 606 (2d Cir. 2000). Considering the district court's reasonable doubt instruction and the jury charge as a whole and considering the potential cumulative effect of the alleged errors, we hold that there is not a reasonable likelihood that the jury misinterpreted or misunderstood the reasonable doubt instruction. Therefore, we hold that the district court's reasonable doubt instruction was constitutional. 11