Opinion ID: 2105209
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Error Was Committed When the Trial Judge Commented on the Evidence in Violation of Article IV, 19 of the Delaware Constitution.

Text: Article IV, § 19 of the Delaware Constitution prohibits a trial judge from commenting on the evidence. This prohibition applies equally to the judge's instructions to the jury and to comments made by the judge in the course of the trial. Seeney v. State (Del.Supr.) 211 A. 2d 908. The plaintiff called an expert witness to testify as to the question of damages, i. e., the amount of verdict which would, if prudently invested, compensate a widow for the loss occasioned by the death of her husband. On cross-examination, the expert witness was asked whether or not the Federal Government was a large investor in mortgages. In a running colloquy between counsel and the court, comments were made concerning the safety of investments in mortgages, risk element in different types of mortgages and investment in bonds. The Highway Department argues that in the course of all this, the trial judge commented upon the evidence, presumably the soundness of certain types of investment. We have read the colloquy and are frank to say that we cannot be sure whether the trial judge in fact commented upon the evidence or was merely trying to find out the purpose of the cross-examination. However, he, himself, seems to have thought that he possibly had made an improper comment for he instructed the jury to ignore his remarks. In addition, the trial judge in his final instructions to the jury told it that it was the sole judge of the evidence, and that it was to ignore any comments by him or counsel in deciding what the facts were. Under the circumstances, therefore, if error was committed on this issue, i. e., damages, it was nonprejudicial standing alone. Seeney v. State, supra.