Opinion ID: 1202924
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Conduct of Prosecuting Attorney During Voir Dire Examination

Text: [1] Defendant contends that the deputy district attorney was overly zealous in questioning the prospective jurors. He primarily objects to the examination of the jurors about their opinions on capital punishment and to the discussion of their responsibility for imposing the death penalty if warranted by the facts of the case. However, a prosecutor in a case where the death penalty may be imposed clearly has the right to ascertain the views of the potential jurors (see People v. Hoyt, 20 Cal.2d 306, 318 [125 P.2d 29]; People v. Rollins, 179 Cal. 793, 795-796 [179 P. 209]) so that he can intelligently exercise his challenges against those whose consciences would preclude them from imposing this penalty. (See Pen. Code, § 1074, subd. 8; People v. Riser, 47 Cal.2d 566, 573-576 [305 P.2d 1].) [2] Defendant also deems portions of the prosecutor's explanation of the law applicable to the case to have been prejudicial. However, the prosecutor properly used such explanation as a basis for hypothetical questions to determine whether the jurors would follow the instructions of the court ( Kramm v. Stockton Electric R.R. Co., 22 Cal. App. 737, 746-747 [136 P. 523]) and to ascertain their state of mind on the issues to be presented. ( People v. Knight, 44 Cal. App.2d 887, 891-893 [113 P.2d 226].) [3] Defendant challenges the prosecutor's remarks, to the effect that he represented all of the people of this state and not just the victims or police, as being calculated to impress the jurors with the importance of his position and to cause them to give undue weight to his actions. However, it was entirely proper for this public officer to inform the panel of his functions. In effect, he did little more than to state general theories underlying criminal prosecutions. [4] In any event, since defendant failed to object to any of the alleged improper conduct during the deputy district attorney's examination of the veniremen, he cannot now complain for the first time as, upon objection, any danger that the jury might have misunderstood their duty could have been corrected by proper instructions. ( People v. Brice, 49 Cal.2d 434, 437 [317 P.2d 961]; People v. Guasti, 110 Cal. App.2d 456, 465 [243 P.2d 59].)