Opinion ID: 165241
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Participation of the Child Advocate

Text: 16 Webber argues that the participation of the child advocate violated his Fourteenth Amendment due process right to a fair trial by creating an improper two-against-one situation which affected the jury's guilt determination and, to the extent the OCCA concluded this error was harmless, the OCCA applied the harmless error test in an objectively unreasonable manner. 17 On direct appeal the OCCA determined that the child advocate's appointment was improper under the statute because D.B. was over 18 at the time the charges against Webber were filed and that her participation at trial exceeded the bounds of the statute. Webber v. State, No. F-95-778 (Okla.Crim.App. June 20, 1997) (unpublished). The OCCA reversed the counts (1-3) associated with D.B. Although Webber argued federal and state due process grounds on direct appeal, the OCCA's reversal was apparently based primarily on the Oklahoma statute. The opinion included only an oblique reference to due process. 2 Id. Without stating whether the error was premised on a violation of the state statute or due process, the OCCA further held that the participation of Sousa was harmless with respect to the determination of guilt on the remaining twenty-two counts of conviction. The OCCA, however, did modify Webber's sentence on each of the remaining counts on the grounds that the child advocate's participation in the trial may have influenced the jury when they assessed punishment. Id. The OCCA did not conduct any analysis regarding whether the error was structural or trial error. 18 From the OCCA's opinion it is not clear whether the OCCA reached the merits of Webber's federal due process claim with regard to the participation of the child advocate, including whether there was a federal due process violation at all, whether the error was structural or trial error, and whether the error was harmless under Chapman v. California, 386 U.S. 18, 87 S.Ct. 824, 17 L.Ed.2d 705 (1967). The question of whether the OCCA reached the merits need not be decided, however, because Webber's claim fails with or without according the state court's decision AEDPA deference. Thus, for purposes of this decision, we will assume, without deciding, that the state court did not reach the merits of Webber's federal due process claim regarding whether participation of the child advocate was a due process violation, whether such a violation was structural or trial error, and whether the error was harmless under Chapman. We, therefore, exercise our independent judgment in deciding the claim. Battenfield v. Gibson, 236 F.3d 1215, 1220 (10th Cir.2001). In so doing, we review the legal conclusions of the district court de novo and its factual findings for clear error. Id. We will further assume, without deciding, that Sousa's participation did amount to a violation of Webber's Fourteenth Amendment due process right to a fair trial. 19 Webber argues that the error flowing from Sousa's extensive participation in Webber's trial is structural in nature. Structural errors are errors that affect the entire framework within which the trial proceeds, rather than simply an error in the trial process itself. Arizona v. Fulminante, 499 U.S. 279, 310, 111 S.Ct. 1246, 113 L.Ed.2d 302 (1991). In contrast, trial error is error which occurred during the presentation of the case to the jury, and which may therefore be quantitatively assessed in the context of other evidence presented in order to determine whether its admission was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. Id. at 307-08, 111 S.Ct. 1246. 20 Webber relies heavily on Young v. United States ex rel. Vuitton et Fils S.A. in which a plurality of the Supreme Court concluded that the appointment of a private prosecutor is structural error not subject to harmless error analysis. 481 U.S. 787, 810, 107 S.Ct. 2124, 95 L.Ed.2d 740 (1987) (plurality opinion). 3 The situation in Young, however, was qualitatively different than what happened in Webber's case. In Young, the defendant was accused of violating an injunction against infringing Louis Vuitton's trademark and Vuitton's own lawyers were appointed by the court to prosecute the contempt charge. Id. at 791, 107 S.Ct. 2124. Vuitton's lawyers, unlike the child advocate, were the government's sole representatives, had a relationship with Vuitton, and had a direct personal interest in the outcome of the case which would be to the advantage of their client, beyond simply vindicating the public's interest in justice. See id. at 805-06, 107 S.Ct. 2124 (suggesting the lawyers may have had a desire to obtain information for a pending defamation case and various other civil claims). In a case where a prosecutor represents an interested party... the ethics of the legal profession require that an interest other than the Government's be taken into account. Id. at 807, 107 S.Ct. 2124. As such, the Supreme Court was concerned about the appearance of impropriety that results from the inherent conflict of interest and opportunity for abuse. Id. at 811, 107 S.Ct. 2124. The concerns of the Supreme Court in Young are not present in Webber's case because the child advocate, an officer of the court, had no personal or continuing interest in the case nor did she have a pre-existing relationship with any of the parties. 21 Furthermore, this court has held that the participation of a privately-retained attorney in a state criminal prosecution does not violate the defendant's right to due process under federal law unless the private attorney effectively controlled critical prosecutorial decisions. Erikson v. Pawnee County Bd. of County Comm'rs, 263 F.3d 1151, 1154 (10th Cir.2001). While it does not include a structural error analysis, the Erikson decision sheds light on the question of whether the improper presence and participation of a child advocate should be considered a structural or trial error. Mr. Erickson filed a § 1983 suit alleging, in part, a violation of his federal due process rights because private defendants, the attorneys who represented the families of two men killed by Erikson, participated in the state prosecution of Erickson. Id. at 1153. As in Erikson, Sousa was not involved in decisions regarding whether to prosecute, what targets of prosecution to select, what investigative powers to utilize, what sanctions to seek, plea bargains to strike, or immunities to grant. Id. at 1154 (quotation omitted). Because her level of participation did not amount to controlling prosecutorial decisions, any improper involvement on Sousa's part cannot be said to be so fundamental and pervasive that [it] require[s] reversal without regard to the facts or circumstances of the particular case. Delaware v. Van Arsdall, 475 U.S. 673, 681, 106 S.Ct. 1431, 89 L.Ed.2d 674 (1986). 22 Moreover, contrary to Webber's suggestion, the involvement and participation of Sousa is manifestly different than those errors that are considered structural. See, e.g., Vasquez v. Hillery, 474 U.S. 254, 263-64, 106 S.Ct. 617, 88 L.Ed.2d 598 (1986) (plurality opinion) (excluding members of defendant's race from the grand jury); McKaskle v. Wiggins, 465 U.S. 168, 177 n. 8, 104 S.Ct. 944, 79 L.Ed.2d 122 (1984) (denial of self-representation at trial); Waller v. Georgia, 467 U.S. 39, 49-50 & n. 9, 104 S.Ct. 2210, 81 L.Ed.2d 31 (1984) (denial of public trial); Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335, 344-45, 83 S.Ct. 792, 9 L.Ed.2d 799 (1963) (denial of right to counsel); Payne v. Arkansas, 356 U.S. 560, 567-68, 78 S.Ct. 844, 2 L.Ed.2d 975 (1958) (coerced confession); Tumey v. Ohio, 273 U.S. 510, 535, 47 S.Ct. 437, 71 L.Ed. 749 (1927) (biased judge). Concluding that an error is structural is the exception and not the rule and if the defendant had counsel and was tried by an impartial adjudicator, there is a strong presumption that any other errors that may have occurred are subject to harmless-error analysis. Rose v. Clark, 478 U.S. 570, 578-79, 106 S.Ct. 3101, 92 L.Ed.2d 460 (1986). The fact that Sousa was present throughout the trial and that any error could be described as on-going or continuous, does not automatically give rise to a structural error outside the bounds of harmless error analysis. In the case before us, Webber was tried by an impartial judge and jury, was represented by counsel, and had a full opportunity to present his case. The constitutional error, if any, that resulted from the improper appointment and participation of Sousa was, therefore, trial error. 23 Trial error is subject to harmless error analysis. Fulminante, 499 U.S. at 307-08, 111 S.Ct. 1246. Because, as discussed above, we are assuming that the OCCA did not address the merits of Webber's federal claim, including whether any error was harmless, AEDPA deference will not be accorded the state court's harmlessness determination. Consequently, the appropriate harmless error standard to be applied on habeas review is from Brecht v. Abrahamson, 507 U.S. 619, 638, 113 S.Ct. 1710, 123 L.Ed.2d 353 (1993). Herrera v. Lemaster, 301 F.3d 1192, 1199 (10th Cir.2002) (applying Brecht when the state court did not apply the Chapman harmless error standard). 4 The Brecht standard requires reversal only if [the error] had substantial and injurious effect or influence in determining the jury's verdict. 507 U.S. at 631, 113 S.Ct. 1710 (quotation omitted). If a court reviewing a habeas petition is in grave doubt as to the harmlessness of an error that affects substantial rights, it should grant relief. O'Neal v. McAninch, 513 U.S. 432, 445, 115 S.Ct. 992, 130 L.Ed.2d 947 (1995). 24 This court recognizes that the involvement of Sousa may have had an impact on Webber's trial, but the effect or influence in determining the jury's verdict did not rise to the level of substantial and injurious. The testimony from the victims was extremely damning and provided a strong basis for a finding of guilt. The involvement of Sousa was marginal in comparison to the participation of the prosecutors. Additionally, the OCCA appropriately remedied the impact of the error on Webber by modifying the sentences with regard to the remaining counts. See Carbray v. Champion, 905 F.2d 314, 317-18 (10th Cir.1990).