Opinion ID: 2644969
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Motion to Settle the Record

Text: For his ninth point on appeal, Billy asserts that the circuit court erred by not ruling on his motion to settle the record as to portions of the bench conference regarding his challenge to Juror Pyles for cause. In Jacobs v. State, 327 Ark. 498, 939 S.W.2d 824 (1997), we stated that the trial court has an affirmative duty to see that the court reporter performs satisfactorily in order to provide an adequate record for appeal. “When life sentences are involved, the record must be sufficient to review all errors prejudicial to the defendant under Supreme Court Rule 4-3(h), which necessitates that the appellant abstract all rulings adverse to him.” McGehee v. State, 328 Ark. 404, 413–14, 943 S.W.2d 585, 590 (1997). Here, in reviewing the record, we hold that Billy’s ninth point lacks merit. Billy fails to show how any inaudible portions of the record affected the merits of his claim. The record and the supplemental record demonstrate Billy’s challenge to Pyles for cause after she told them she worked at the sheriff’s office part-time. It further demonstrates that Pyles specifically stated that she could be fair and impartial despite her position as a 911 operator for the State. Also, as discussed in the previous point on appeal, Billy’s claim regarding Juror Pyles fails because he did not challenge Juror Blevins for cause. Thus, the inaudible portions of the record have no bearing on the merits of Billy’s claim. Therefore, we affirm the circuit court 38 Cite as 2013 Ark. 497 on this point.