Opinion ID: 2613515
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Questioning Jurors on Race Issues

Text: Defendant argues on appeal that the trial court erred by failing to inquire during voir dire as to the jurors' racial attitudes, prejudices, or biases. The state argues that defendant waived this issue by failing to object at the time of the alleged error and also by failing to sufficiently argue this claim on appeal. We agree with the state. Defendant argues that his proposed jury voir dire questionnaire, which was not utilized, sufficiently voiced his objection to the court's decision not to ask the jury questions about race. The purpose of a contemporaneous objection requirement is to allow for an immediate remedy for potentially improper or unconstitutional activities. Harris, 157 Ariz. at 36, 754 P.2d at 1140. This principle applies with full force to matters arising during the jury selection process. Id. Implicit in this rule is the need to bring to the attention of the trial judge the specific activity (or lack of activity) complained of so that the judge may effect an immediate remedy. When the judge denied the motion to provide the jury with defendant's written questionnaire, he indicated that he would incorporate some of the proposed questions into his selection procedures, and he would give the attorneys the opportunity to raise any other concerns or questions they might have during the questioning procedure. The judge completed his questioning without asking the jurors any questions about race issues. Defendant then passed the panel of jurors without ever objecting to the court's failure to question the jurors about race. See State v. Walton, 159 Ariz. 571, 581, 769 P.2d 1017, 1027 (1989) (holding that defendant cannot object to the [jury] panel once he has approved it) (citations omitted), aff'd, 497 U.S. 639, 110 S.Ct. 3047, 111 L.Ed.2d 511 (1990). Only the last four questions [5] in defendant's three-page questionnaire addressed race. Because the race questions constituted such a de minimis portion of the questionnaire and because defendant failed to object contemporaneously to the absence of such questions, the questionnaire and the court's concomitant denial did not bring to the court's attention the defense's objection sufficiently to allow the court an opportunity for immediate remedy. Furthermore, defendant failed to support his argument on appeal with any citations to authority. Mere assertions of error are insufficient to persuade us. The issue is waived.