Opinion ID: 2150043
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Refusal to Ask Voir Dire Questions.

Text: During voir dire the trial court limited each side to twenty minutes of questioning for each configuration of fourteen jurors, in addition to the court's general voir dire questioning. When defendant submitted a list of tendered questions for voir dire, the court declined to ask those questions. We first observe that this court has frequently upheld limitations of twenty minutes per side during voir dire examinations. [11] However, since 1987 the trial court's conduct in this regard has been governed by Indiana Trial Rule 47(D): Examination of Jurors. The court shall permit the parties or their attorneys to conduct the examination of prospective jurors, and may conduct the examination itself. The court's examination may include questions, if any, submitted in writing by any party or attorney. If the court conducts the examination, it shall permit the parties or their attorneys to supplement the examination by further inquiry. The court may impose an advance time limitation upon such examination by the parties or their attorneys. At the expiration of said limitation, the court shall liberally grant additional reasonable time upon a showing of good cause related to the nature of the case, the quantity of prospective jurors examined and juror vacancies remaining, and the manner and content of the inquiries and responses given by the prospective jurors. The court may prohibit the parties and their attorneys from examination which is repetitive, argumentative, or otherwise improper but shall permit reasonable inquiry of the panel and individual jurors. As we understand what happened in this case, defendant tendered a list of questions to the trial court for the court to ask because defendant found the twenty minute limit too restrictive. While Trial Rule 47(D) certainly permits this approach, defendant was also entitled to a liberal grant of additional time for questioning upon making the showings required by the rule. Because the State was seeking the death penalty and because the trial court refused to ask defendant's tendered questions, defendant would have been entitled to more than twenty minutes of voir dire per configuration had he requested more time in accordance with Trial Rule 47(D). However, defendant does not contend that Trial Rule 47(D) was violated and so has shown no error.