Opinion ID: 2738560
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Trial Court’s Treatment of Defense Counsel

Text: The defendant next contends that the trial court’s reprimand of defense counsel in open court prejudiced his right to a fair trial. The exchange about which the defendant complains occurred after defense counsel first questioned Sergeant Mullins about the presence at the crime scene and during the defendant’s police interview of a camera crew from the television show, The First 48, and then asked Sergeant Mullins the following question about a cameraman who was recording the trial: Q. . . . That guy is from A and E, isn’t he, The First 48? We’re still continuing the story, aren’t we? A. As far as I know, yes, sir. Q. We’re filming the rest of the show; right? Before Sergeant Mullins answered the question, the trial court interrupted, stating: THE COURT: [F]or the record, the Supreme Court of the State of Tennessee has authorized cameras in the courtroom. This Court allows one camera in the courtroom and all media outlets feed off of the one camera. That camera and the TV station associated with that is the lead camera that’s in the courtroom. Every media outlet and every channel is peeling off of one camera. That is one that has been authorized by the Supreme Court to be here. [DEFENSE COUNSEL]: I understand. THE COURT: This Court is not authorizing a television show or to be part of a television show. They are following the rules that the Supreme Court says. So let’s make sure the record is clear that this is not a TV show and this is not being produced as a TV show and it’s not being edited as a TV show. This is a trial. [DEFENSE COUNSEL]: Can I ask him who the producer that’s running the camera works for? THE COURT: No, sir. [PROSECUTOR]: I’m going to object to relevance. -6- THE COURT: That camera is in this courtroom and you know that camera is in this courtroom under the rules of the Supreme Court of Tennessee. They are one of a party of media outlets that are using that feed. So let’s don’t talk about this being part of a TV show. You want to ask questions, let’s ask relevant questions. [DEFENSE COUNSEL]: I am asking questions about this. THE COURT: This is not apart [sic] of a television show . . . . Let’s move on to something that’s relevant. Defense counsel continued by questioning Sergeant Mullins about the presence of a camera and the crew from The First 48 during the time the defendant was interviewed by police. The trial court again interrupted, informing defense counsel that it believed Sergeant Mullins had previously answered that question. The State requested a bench conference, and the trial court denied the request: That he was not present when that interview was conducted so let’s move into areas that he’s aware of, okay. I’ve allowed this to go for a long way, and I know where you’re going and I understand why you’re going there. He’s already testified he wasn’t present when that interview was conducted. He doesn’t know who was in there. During a subsequent jury-out hearing, co-counsel objected to the trial court’s “calling down” defense counsel when he was questioning a witness. The trial court explained that defense counsel had accused the court of being part of a television show. The court stated, “And that’s when I said enough. This is not part of a TV show. This is a court of law.” The trial court agreed that in the future, it would not “call [defense counsel] down” in the jury’s presence but would call them to the bench instead. The court thereafter apologized to defense counsel “for losing [its] temper.” When the jury returned, the trial court then offered the following apology to the jury: All right. Ladies and gentlemen, first, let me apologize to you for losing my temper. I’ve already apologized to the lawyers. You need to understand that – and I know you do, this is an adversarial proceeding. But within that adversarial proceeding there [are] certain rules of decorum that we all must operate under, me included. I’ve worked with these lawyers for many years. -7- Sometimes I lose my temper and it’s inappropriate. I should not do that. I should not do it in the manner in which I sometimes lose my temper. So I’ve apologized to them. I apologize to you. I will say to you, you cannot, should not, nor would it be proper for you to in any way hold [the defendant] or anybody else responsible for my lack of being able to maintain my own cool. So I say that to you with all d[ue] respect. I hope you accept my apology. “[A]ll litigants are entitled to the ‘cold neutrality of an impartial court’ and have a right to have their cases heard by fair and impartial judges.” Wright v. Pate, 117 S.W.3d 774, 778 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2002) (quoting Kinard v. Kinard, 986 S.W.2d 220, 227 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1998)). Cannon 3(A) of the Code of Judicial Conduct provides that a trial judge should be “patient, dignified, and courteous to the litigants, jurors, witnesses and lawyers” during the course of a trial, and instructs the trial judge to perform his or her judicial duties without bias or prejudice. Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 10.1 While the trial judge is extended broad discretion in controlling the course and conduct of the trial, the trial judge must refrain from expressing “any thought that might lead the jury to infer that the judge is in favor of or against the defendant in a criminal trial.” State v. Cazes, 875 S.W.2d 253, 260 (Tenn. 1994); State v. Harris, 839 S.W.2d 54, 66 (Tenn. 1992). It is apparent that defense counsel’s cross-examination of Sergeant Mullins about the presence of the camera crew and the fact that the trial was being filmed for possible use in a future television show came across to the trial court as an attack on the integrity and formality of the trial process, which led to the court’s reprimand to counsel. While we can understand and sympathize with the trial court’s frustration, we agree that the court should have avoided reprimanding defense counsel in the presence of the jury. We do not, however, believe that the trial court’s remarks, when viewed in the context of the entire trial, deprived the defendant of his constitutional right to a fair trial. The remarks constituted a brief portion of a multi-week trial; the trial court apologized to both defense counsel and the jury for the remarks; and the trial court appropriately instructed the jury that it was not to consider its comments against the defendant. We, therefore, conclude that, considering the record in its entirety, the error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. See State v. John D. Joslin, No. 03C01-9510-CR-00299, 1997 WL 583071, at -43 (Tenn. Crim. App. Sept. 22, 1997), perm. app. denied (Tenn. Nov. 9, 1998) (holding that while the trial court’s remark was improper, the error was “harmless beyond a reasonable doubt”). 1 The Code of Judicial Conduct was revised, effective July 1, 2012. Because the trial occurred prior to the effective date of the revisions, we refer to the Code that was in effect at the time of the trial. -8- The defendant also complains that his right to a fair trial was violated by the fact that the trial court continued to interject during defense counsel’s cross-examination of Sergeant Mullins, instructing defense counsel to repeat or rephrase questions and refusing to allow defense counsel to ask certain questions. The record, however, demonstrates that the trial court merely asked defense counsel to repeat or rephrase questions that were unclear and refused to allow counsel to repeatedly ask the same questions. By doing so, the trial court was fulfilling its duty to ensure that the proceedings “move[d] along in an orderly and systematical manner.” State v. Evans, 838 S.W.2d 185, 195 (Tenn. 1992). We conclude, therefore, that the defendant is not entitled to relief regarding this issue.