Opinion ID: 2555946
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Proposed Voir Dire Question

Text: We review the trial court's refusal to propound a requested voir dire question under our well-defined standards for voir dire. Voir dire is the primary mechanism through which the constitutional right to a fair and impartial jury, guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article 21 of the Maryland Declaration of Rights, is protected. Curtin v. State, 393 Md. 593, 600, 903 A.2d 922, 926 (2006). During this jury selection process, parties may disqualify a juror either for cause or by a peremptory strike. In Curtin, we explained the difference between these two challenges: Peremptory challenges[ [1] ] ... are challenges exercised without a reason stated, without inquiry, ... without being subject to the court's control and for either a real or imagined partiality that is less easily designated or demonstrable than that required for a challenge for cause.... Conversely, cause challenges permit rejection of jurors on a narrowly specified, provable and legally cognizable basis of partiality[.] Curtin, 393 Md. at 601-602, 903 A.2d at 927-928 (2006) (quotation marks and some citations omitted) (emphasis added). Maryland recognizes limited voir dire, which means parties can only ask questions related to a cause challenge. A party may thus propose questions designed to identify a juror's competency, impartiality, prejudice, or bias. See Handy v. State, 101 Md. 39, 43, 60 A. 452, 454 (1905). A party may not use voir dire to go speculat[ing], [inquiring], catechizing, or `fishing' for information on which it will base its peremptory challenges. Stewart v. State, 399 Md. 146, 162, 923 A.2d 44, 53 (2007). We allow the trial judge broad discretion in running voir dire. Moore v. State, 412 Md. 635, 644-46, 989 A.2d 1150, 1155-56 (2010). That discretion, however, is circumscribed by the defendant's right to have questions propounded to prospective jurors on their voir dire, which are directed to a specific cause for disqualification[.] Moore, 412 Md. at 644-46, 989 A.2d at 1155-56. A trial court, therefore, abuses its discretion when it refuses a question regarding a specific cause for disqualification. Id. at 654, 989 A.2d at 1160. Specific causes for disqualification are biases directly related to (1) the defendant, (2) the witnesses, or (3) the crime. See Dingle v. State, 361 Md. 1, 10, 759 A.2d 819, 824 (2000). This Court has identified mandatory questions in each of these three areas. First, we require questions regarding a juror's potential bias towards the defendant. See Hernandez v. State, 357 Md. 204, 232, 742 A.2d 952, 967 (1999) (whether jurors had bias towards criminal defendant's race ethnicity, or cultural heritage.); Casey v. Roman Catholic Archbishop, 217 Md. 595, 607, 143 A.2d 627, 632 (1958) (in a civil case involving a religious organization, whether jurors' religious beliefs would bias them against either party). Cf. Landon v. Zorn, 389 Md. 206, 222, 884 A.2d 142, 151 (2005) (not an abuse of discretion to refuse question regarding bias against a tort plaintiff ). Second, we require the trial court to ask proposed questions regarding bias towards witnesses and certain types of evidence. See Langley v. State, 281 Md. 337, 378 A.2d 1338 (1977) (juror deference to police witnesses); Bowie v. State, 324 Md. 1, 595 A.2d 448, (1991) (bias against Defense's witnesses). Cf. Corens v. State, 185 Md. 561, 45 A.2d 340 (1946) (not error to ask question regarding bias towards circumstantial, as opposed to direct, evidence in capital case). But see Stewart, 399 Md. at 165-66, 923 A.2d at 55 (not mandatory to ask, inter alia, whether a prospective juror would give greater weight and consideration to the arguments of the assistant state's attorney than to those of defense counsel). Third, and most relevant here, we have required in a series of cases that trial courts ask questions aimed at uncovering a juror's strong feelings towards the crime charged. In these cases, we have established limits to the trial judge's discretion regarding these questions, and they inform our result here today. In State v. Thomas, 369 Md. 202, 798 A.2d 566 (2002), we held that a trial court abused its discretion when it refused to ask whether the jury panel had strong feelings regarding narcotics laws. The defendant in Thomas proposed to ask the venire panel whether any member of the jury panel [had] such strong feelings regarding violations of the narcotics laws that it would be difficult for you to fairly and impartially weigh the facts ...., and the trial court refused. Id. at 204, 798 A.2d at 567. On appeal, we held that the question must be asked, reasoning that it is common knowledge that a significant segment of our society believes, as a matter of public policy, that the criminal laws relating to marijuana should be modified in one way or another[.] Id. at 211, 798 A.2d at 571. We explained further that evidence that voir dire questions on drug attitudes are effective in revealing strong feelings towards narcotics laws that may hinder a juror's ability to serve. Id. at 212, 798 A.2d at 572. Shortly after Thomas, we held that a trial court must ask a similar question regarding a charge of sexual molestation of a child. See Sweet v. State, 371 Md. 1, 806 A.2d 265 (2002). The defendant there unsuccessfully requested the trial court to ask whether the charges stir up strong emotional feelings in you that would affect your ability to be fair and impartial.... Id. at 9, 806 A.2d at 270-71. On appeal, we held that Thomas was controlling, and that the trial court abused its discretion in refusing to ask the strong emotional feelings question. To reach this conclusion, we interpreted the Thomas holding broadly, and did not engage in any bias analysis like that in Thomas: The Court's decision in petitioner's case is essentially controlled by our recent decision in Thomas [.] In that case, we held that it was an abuse of discretion for the trial court to refuse to ask the venire panel if any of them harbored strong feelings regarding violations of the narcotics laws in a trial in which the defendant was charged with possession and distribution of a controlled dangerous substance. We reasoned that the inquiry was directed at biases, specifically those related to Thomas's alleged criminal act, that, if uncovered, would be disqualifying when they impaired the ability of the juror to be fair and impartial. The rationale of Thomas in this regard is fully applicable to the instant case. Accordingly, we hold that the trial court abused its discretion in failing to pose petitioner's requested voir dire question, and petitioner is entitled to a new trial. Id. at 9-10, 806 A.2d at 271 (emphasis added) (some citations omitted). This passage demonstrates that after Thomas, this Court apparently did not believe it necessary to compare and contrast individual crimes to determine which could create disqualifying biases. In a third case, we held that a question directed at biases towards handguns was not mandatory, thus distinguishing it from Thomas and Sweet. See Curtin, 393 Md. at 600, 903 A.2d at 926. In Curtin, the defendant was alleged to have participated in an armed bank robbery, and charged with robbery and assault. During voir dire, the defendant unsuccessfully requested the following voir dire question: Does anyone have any strong feelings concerning the use of handguns that they would be unable to render a fair and impartial verdict based on the evidence? Id. at 597, 903 A.2d at 925. We held that the trial court's refusal of this question was permissible, distinguishing the case from Thomas and Sweet: Although Mr. Curtin alleges that his requested voir dire question comes within the strictures of Thomas and Sweet, we recognized in those cases that the charges of narcotics possession and child molestation in and of themselves could evoke strong feelings that could unduly bias a venireman. In the present case, however, Mr. Curtin was charged with armed robbery, use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence, first degree assault and conspiracy. We believe that ... Mr. Curtin's voir dire question was not mandated in this case merely because a handgun was used[.] Id. at 610, 903 A.2d at 932-33. Our holding in Curtin raised the question of whether we had narrowed Thomas and Sweet and embarked on a crime-by-crime approach to mandatory questions. Indeed, the majority opinion sparked a concurrence and a dissent, both of which expressed concern that Curtin signaled a new approach. In a concurring opinion, Judge Wilner wrote: It is obviously not reasonable to presume that [child sexual abuse and narcotics violations] are the only kinds of crimes about which public emotion may run high. Surely, there are others. Having found that those kinds of criminal activity may so enrage prospective jurors as to require specific voir dire questions to ferret out possible bias, what standard will the Court use to distinguish one crime from another? We have essentially taken judicial notice that some people may have particularly strong feelings about narcotics crimes. Is it not equally likely that some will have the same strong feelings about other crimesburglary, robbery, rape, arson, not to mention murder. Some may be incensed over gambling or prostitution, or wanton, vicious assault, or cruelty to animals, or fraud. If the question is phrased as herewhether the prospective juror has such strong feelings about the crime as to make it difficult (or impossible) to weigh the facts fairlywhat difference does it make what the crime is? Curtin, 393 Md. at 614, 903 A.2d at 934-35. (Wilner, J., concurring). Similarly, in dissent, Chief Judge Bell, joined by Judge Raker, urged the Court to adopt a mandatory question for all charged crimes: There is a lot to be said for Judge Wilner's concurrence in this case. It makes the point, and quite well, that this Court already has required voir dire questions designed to ferret out bias, arising from and/or based on certain charged offenses, that, in that regard, this Court already has embarked on and endorsed, an approach different from that espoused and touted as the approach our existing case law supports. Acknowledging our decisions in Thomas and Sweet, he recognizes the unreasonableness in presuming that the crimes at issue in those cases are the only kinds of crimes about which public emotion may run high. In addition, Judge Wilner concedes that the additional voir dire required to inquire into charged crime bias is not likely to be lengthy or cause undue trial delay.    We already have decided and agreed that certain crimeswe have specifically singled out child sexual offenses and narcotic offensesmay trigger sufficiently strong reactions in potential jurors as to make questionable their ability to render a fair and impartial verdict. If, in narcotics and child sex abuse cases, inquiry of the venire is required because we have determined those crimes to evoke strong emotional reactions which may amount to bias, why do we not recognize that there are other crimes that may evoke the same or more extreme reactions. It is unconscionable that we would inquire in some cases, those we have specifically recognized, but refuse to do so in those other cases, simply because it might take too long and perhaps because it may be too difficult to decide which cases fall into the Thomas and Sweet category. Under that regime, the Court is allowing two categories of cases to be targeted, while allowing the vast majority to go unchecked for possible bias. The answer is clear; we must require, as a matter of policy, trial courts to ask, in every criminal trial, whether the prospective juror has such strong feelings about the charged crime as to make it difficult or impossible to weigh the facts fairly. Curtin, 393 Md. at 616-19, 903 A.2d at 935-38. (Bell, C.J., dissenting) (citations omitted). This array of opinions has understandably led some to believe that we have engaged in a crime-by-crime approach to mandatory voir dire questions. See, e.g., Sanders v. State, 194 Md.App. 162, 177, 4 A.3d 1, 9-10 (2010) (stating that the Curtin majority, in declining to adopt Chief Judge Bell's suggestion of a mandatory question in all cases, embraced an approach which distinguishes among crimes). Here, the State has adopted this interpretation, and argued that we should not extend the holdings of Thomas and Sweet to the crime of murder, or violent death. A close reading of Curtin, however, demonstrates that the majority did not go so far as to embrace such an approach. To be sure, in the short passage quoted above, the Curtin Court suggested that it would rely on the inherent differences between the charged crimes at issue and those of Thomas and Sweet. Immediately after this passage, however, the Court amplified its reasoning. Adopting the approach of the intermediate appellate court, see Curtin v. State, 165 Md.App. 60, 884 A.2d 758 (2005), this Court explained: Appellant's defenses were based on theories suggesting that appellant was not a participant in the bank robbery or, alternatively, that there was no evidence that a real gun was in fact used.    In this case ... potential juror bias about handguns does not go so directly to the nature of the crime. Appellant was accused of robbing a bank with an accomplice who was brandishing a gun.... [N]o analysis or weighing of issues pertaining to the gun was required by jurors in this case, other than accepting or rejecting the State's evidence demonstrating that a gun was used in the commission of the crime. The proposition that a juror's strong feelings for or against handguns would necessarily preclude him or her from fairly weighing the evidence in this casewhere there was clearly no question relating to the reasonableness or justifiableness of the use of the gun under the circumstancesis based upon a transcendental line of reasoning with which we disagree.    Given the nature of the charges against appellant, a juror who had strong feelings for or against handguns could nonetheless be fair and impartial. Additionally, after balancing the judicial interest of probing into the likelihood of uncovering disqualifying juror partiality or bias with the interests of judicial efficiency and preservation of a court's limited resources, we are troubled by the precedential consequences of ... effectively requir[ing] a court to ask whether any prospective juror has strong feelings on handguns in every case in which the jury will receive evidence that a handgun was used in the commission of a crime. Curtin, 393 Md. at 611-12, 903 A.2d at 933. We held that the proposed voir dire question did not directly address a juror's ability to weigh the issues fairly or render an impartial verdict in this case. Id. at 612, 903 A.2d at 933 (quoting Curtin v. State, 165 Md.App. 60, 68, 884 A.2d 758, 763-764 (2005)). The Curtin court, therefore, was more concerned with the collateral nature of the handgun issue in that case than with any fundamental differences between the charged crimes. The majority, moreover, explicitly acknowledged that a strong feelings question could be appropriate in other cases involving handguns, citing favorably and repeatedly to Baker v. State, a Court of Specials Appeals case which held that a handguns instruction was required. See Baker v. State, 157 Md.App. 600, 613, 853 A.2d 796, 803 (2004) (where criminal defendant argued that he shot victim in self defense, meaning that the jury might have to decide whether appellant used reasonable force; thus, the trial court should have asked whether any prospective juror had strong feelings about handguns that would have affected his or her ability to weigh the issues fairly.) Additionally, since Curtin, we have signaled an intent to treat all criminal charges the same during voir dire. See Stewart, 399 Md. 146, 923 A.2d 44. In Stewart, we dealt with a court's refusal to ask a voir dire question as to whether the jury would give undue weight to the Assistant State's Attorney's arguments. In holding that this question was not mandatory, we also opined that crime-specific questions should be asked: Although we conclude that the trial judge did not abuse his discretion in declining to ask the proposed voir dire questions, we think it sound practice, and one trial judges should follow, to ask prospective jurors, when asked to do so, whether the fact that the defendant is charged with a particular crime would affect their ability to be fair and impartial in the case or whether they have such strong feelings about the crime charged that they could not be fair and impartial and decide the case based solely on the evidence presented. In the case before us, defense counsel did not request such an instruction. Id. at 167 n. 6, 923 A.2d at 56 n. 6. In this passage we implicitly recognized that any crime could give rise to a disqualifying bias in a prospective juror, our holding in Curtin notwithstanding. Curtin, therefore, is more properly understood as a reminder that a proposed voir dire question must be aimed at uncovering biases directly related to the crime, the witnesses, or the defendant. Indeed, this is how we recently characterized our opinion in Curtin, rejecting a broader interpretation forwarded by the State: If a response to a requested voir dire question would not further the goal of voir dire and uncover bias among prospective members of the jury, it need not be asked and the court will not abuse its discretion in not doing so. Curtin is illustrative.... The [ Curtin ] Court [] distinguished that question from other questions which were included during the voir dire which adequately addressed any potential issues of bias regarding the nature of armed robbery. Curtin, therefore, focused on whether the requested voir dire question would assist in the pursuit of uncovering bias and, in that way, assist the court and counsel in selecting an unbiased jury. Moore, 412 Md. at 662-63, 989 A.2d at 1165-66. (citations omitted). This discussion in Moore clarified that the Curtin question was not required because bias regarding armed robberya disqualifying biaswas adequately addressed. Any juror bias towards handguns, a collateral issue in the case, was not a disqualifying bias given the nature of the issues in that case. See also Costley v. State, 175 Md. App. 90, 926 A.2d 769 (2007) (when defendant was charged with murdering his mother-in-law, trial court not required to ask the jury questions about divorce or in-law problems). Curtin should therefore be limited to its facts. Our holding in Moore provides additional guidance, as that case resolved a similar dispute over the classes of witnesses that deserved a voir dire question. See Moore, 412 Md. 635, 989 A.2d 1150. In the line of voir dire cases involving bias towards certain witnesses, our initial decision came in Langley, 281 Md. 337, 378 A.2d 1338. In Langley, we addressed whether the following voir dire question was required: Is there anyone here who would give more credit to the testimony of a police officer over that of a civilian, merely because of this status as a police officer? Id. at 338, 378 A.2d at 1338 (emphasis added). We held that question was mandatory, and that it was reversible error for the trial court to have refused it. After our holding in Langley, much like in the cases following Thomas, we were asked to consider whether Langley applied broadly to questions regarding all of the State's witnesses, or whether it was a narrow holding addressed only at police officers. See Moore, 412 Md. at 635, 989 A.2d at 1150. In Moore, we considered the more general Defense-Witness question: Would any prospective juror tend to view the testimony of a witness called by the defense with more skepticism than witnesses called by the State, merely because they were called by the defense? Id. at 642, 989 A.2d at 1153. The State sought to limit the holding in Langley to apply only to police officers, reasoning that the Defense-Witness question was not a mandatory inquiry because previous cases listing mandatory voir dire questions had not expressly mentioned this question. Id. at 655-656, 989 A.2d at 1161. In responding to the State's argument, we first acknowledged that, [a]t first glance the holding in Langley may be viewed, and interpreted as, limited to witnesses who are police officers. Id. at 645, 989 A.2d at 1155. We then examined the cases cited in Langley, and their more broad propositions, and held: [I]t is apparent that the Langley Court, from the outset, understood that, although it was addressing police officer credibility and, thus, some of the cases were not directly on point, the underlying issue of prejudgment encompassed more than police officers, that many more occupations and categories potentially were implicated. To be sure, it was the nature of the issue and who the witnesses were that would determine which questions, about which occupations and categories, had to be asked to uncover prejudicial or disqualifying bias. Id. at 649, 989 A.2d at 1158. We thus stated, [t]he principles prescribed and enunciated by Langley and embodied in its holding cannot be, as we have seen, so narrowly interpreted or applied to police officers. Id. See also Bowie, 324 Md. 1, 595 A.2d 448 (interpreting Langley to require a Defense-Witness question). In this case, the State has similarly suggested that we adopt a narrow interpretation of our voir dire principles, and limit our precedents to their specific factual circumstances. As in Moore, we decline to do so. The State's approach fails to see the forest of our voir dire principles for the trees that are the factual circumstances of our initial decisions. Therefore, to the extent that this Court has not already done so, we recognize today that the potential for bias exists in most crimes, and thus we will require voir dire questions which are targeted at uncovering these biases. When requested by a defendant, and regardless of the crime, the court should ask the general question, Does any member of the jury panel have such strong feelings about [the charges in this case] that it would be difficult for you to fairly and impartially weigh the facts. This is a question targeted at uncovering a bias directly related to a crime, even if [t]he question does not involve any of the mandatory areas of inquiry that this Court has already identified. This holding is not a departure from a previous cases, but an approach on which we have already embarked. Curtin, 393 Md. at 613, 903 A.2d at 934. (Wilner, J., concurring). If a charge-specific question is generally required when proposed, the final issue here is whether the Shim's question is distinguishable from this general question, because he used the phrasing violent death of another human being, and not murder or the criminal charges in this case. The State argues that this phrasing is too broad, it is not directed enough to the murder charges in this case, but instead could uncover a spectrum of biases regarding other violent deaths, such as suicides and military deaths, that would not be disqualifying biases. We disagree. While violent death and murder are not perfectly synonymous, they are close enough. Here, the violent death of the victim, a mother of two, working two jobs, is the central event and only issue. A jury member with exceedingly strong feelings regarding violent death may be unable to render a fair and impartial verdict, and be subject to disqualification. The defendant is thus entitled to inquire into this potential bias. To hold differently, moreover, would make voir dire an exercise in semantics and a minefield for criminal defendants and the State. We decline to make such fine distinctions or create more uncertainty. A proposed voir dire question need not be in perfect form, and the court is free to modify the proposed question as needed. See Casey, 217 Md. at 606, 143 A.2d at 631 (We do not say, or even intend to intimate, that the court was required to propound the precise questions submitted. The form of the questions to be asked is clearly within the sound discretion of the court.). Cf. Gunning v. State, 347 Md. 332, 350, 701 A.2d 374, 382-83 (1997) (It should ... be noted that a trial judge is under no obligation to use the precise language suggested by counsel in submitting [a jury] instruction. The fact that counsel's formulation accurately states the law does not preclude the court from fashioning its own instruction, provided that the judicially-crafted instruction is accurate and `fairly covers' the requested instruction.); Bentley v. Carroll, 355 Md. 312, 329 n. 10, 734 A.2d 697, 706 n. 10 (1999) ([T]he particular jury instructions requested by Appellant probably should not have been given in the form presented; rather, the court should have crafted its own instructions adequately addressing the issues raised by Appellant that were appropriate for the jury's consideration.) More generally, a trial court should follow Judge Murphy's suggestion that it resolve a `doubtful' and/or `marginal' voir dire question in favor of the party who has requested that it be asked. Judge Murphy has further suggested, in two concurrences, that trial courts can avoid later problems with a simplified inquiry, in which the trial court should ask itself does this question probe for a condition that would be likely to impair a juror's ability to decide this case on the evidence presented? Curtin, 165 Md.App. at 78, 884 A.2d at 769, aff'd, 393 Md. 593, 903 A.2d 922 (2006) (Murphy, C.J., concurring), Moore, 412 Md. at 670, 989 A.2d at 1169 (Murphy, J., concurring). If the answer to that question is yes, states Judge Murphy, the question should be asked.