Opinion ID: 1133490
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Size and nature of the community

Text: {65} The size and nature of a community are factors that can promote or dissipate the probability of prejudice resulting from pretrial publicity. See Mu'Min, 500 U.S. at 429, 111 S.Ct. 1899 (suggesting that a much publicized murder trial would not stand out in the metropolitan Washington statistical area, which has a population of over 3 million, and in which, unfortunately, hundreds of murders are committed each year). Taos County, according to the 1990 census, had little more than 23,000 residents. Judge Blackmer stated that the residents of this small community were very aware of the two trials in this case: [The first] trial and the presence of television cameras inside and outside the courtroom, and the presence of news persons from radio and television and print media were widely known in this small town and in this small-population county. . . . Venue Order, slip op. at 2 (Finding of Fact 3). Implicit is the court's reasonable assumption that a large community would be less likely to be corrupted by sensational publicity about a trial. {66} The trial court observed that after the first trial, comments by the attorneys, parties, and family members appeared in the news adding to the public excitement and opinions and knowledge and information about this case in that small-population city and County. Id. at 3 (Finding of Fact 5). This potential for bias could only have been exacerbated by the public controversy after the second hung jury. Judge Armijo, in her dissent in the Court of Appeals opinion below, outlined the evidence mentioned by the trial court relating to the impact of the trial on the small population of Taos. House Dissent, 1998-NMCA-018, ķķ 104-07, 124 N.M. 564, 953 P.2d 737. We will not reiterate the evidence she has summarized, but we agree with her conclusion that [t]here was sufficient evidence in the record to support the trial court's findings regarding the nature and size of the Taos community. Id. ķ 107. {67} House claims that the State, with its prejudicial statements to the press, deliberately attempted to spoil the forum. He argues that because the State brought about the conditions which made necessary the change of venue, its motion for a venue change should have been denied. See Martin v. Beto, 397 F.2d 741, 747-48 (5th Cir. 1968) (evaluating whether state action spoiled venue and denied defendant a fair trial). However, as the publicity cited in the facts of this case demonstrates, the State was no more skillful than the defense in airing its opinions in the media, and if prejudice resulted from such publicity, no evidence exists that one party was more culpable than the other.49 {68} We are concerned that, in discussing this issue, the trial judge inserted his own impressions of the citizens of Taos: This Judge has presided over trials and hearing in Taos County and selected Juries there. . . . From this Judge's FINE experiences with Taos county jury selections and juries, the Court notes that Taos area citizens/jurors are close-knit, know and socialize with each other well, exchange news and information and points of view openly and freely, and have a great deal of personal respect and consideration for each other and their opinions and of view. Thus, they are more likely to share and learn of and know about this case and its facts, and the opinions and points of views [sic] of those who served in the two juries in this case. Venue Order, slip op. at 5 (Finding of Fact 9). In the past, we have expressed disapproval of trial judges who base a venue decision on their own opinions and impressions. In Alaniz we reversed a conviction in part because the trial judge based his denial of a venue change upon personal impressions similar to those expressed by the judge in this case: (The court doesn't feel that these men cannot get a fair trial in Lincoln County. On the other hand, he thinks they can get a fair trial as they can get in any county. The Court is somewhat familiar with the people in Lincoln County, having dealt with them six or seven years, and as far as the influence of the Nalda family, they have quite a bit of influence in one portion of the county, around Corona, but Capitan, Picacho, San Patricio, Green Tree, Ruidoso, there I would say that half of the people never heard of the Nalda family. I am going to overrule the motion.) Alaniz, 55 N.M. at 319, 232 P.2d at 986 (quoting trial record). We held that the trial judge's opinion in Alaniz did not constitute evidence contradicting the material statements of fact in the defendant's motion for a change of venue and, absent evidence to the contrary, the venue change was mandatory. Id. {69} In the case at hand, the judge's observations do not substantively distinguish Taos County from any other community in New Mexico and do not constitute substantive reasons for a venue change. See Deats, 80 N.M. at 79, 451 P.2d at 983 (noting that our venue statutes function to prevent the trial court from overruling a venue motion on the basis of its own knowledge of local conditions). We agree with the suggestion of the majority below regarding this matter, and disagree with the dissent's contrary conclusion. We believe that the judge's personal experiences in Taos were not appropriate evidence upon which to base a venue change. House Majority, 1998-NMCA-018, ķķ 39-40, 124 N.M. 564, 953 P.2d 737. But see Mu'Min, 500 U.S. at 427, 111 S.Ct. 1899 (indicating that a local judge is in a better position than an appellate court to evaluate the effect of publicity because [t]he judge of that court sits in the locale where the publicity is said to have had its effect and brings to his evaluation of any such claim his own perception of the depth and extent of news stories that might influence a juror); House Dissent, 1998-NMCA-018, ķķ 96, 106, 124 N.M. 564, 953 P.2d 737 (approving judge's reliance on his personal impressions). However, in the context of the other overwhelming evidence in favor of a venue change, this indiscretion is inconsequential.