Court Opinion

ID: 9789206
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 01:30:29.457328+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:37:20.583378
License: Public Domain

GOLDEN, J.,
concurring.
[125] I write separately because I view slightly differently Sanchez's second issue alleging, first, prosecutorial misconduct in the waning minutes of the prosecutor's rebuttal summation and, second, trial court error in the trial court's curative jury instruction relating to that instance of alleged prosecutorial misconduct.
[126] The record reveals that in the waning minutes of the prosecutor's rebuttal summation, the prosecutor stated, in an effort to respond to Sanchez's counsel's summation remark that he was speaking for Sanchez, that the jury "get[s] to speak for [the vie-tim]. ... [¥Jou have the opportunity to speak for [the victim]." Sanchez's counsel objected, stating that the ground of the objection was "the prosecutor is asking the jury to impose a community standard and speak for the victim." Sanchez's counsel moved for a mistrial The trial court denied the motion, agreed that the comment was improper, *537doubted "that it's that prejudicial," and stated "it can be rectified" either by the prosecutor or the trial court. Sanchez's counsel stated that he would "rather have the mistrial ... [blut I want the Court to rectify it.... And nothing can rectify it in my mind, but you have the best chance of doing it, because you can tell the jury to completely disregard that last statement and that it was improper." The trial court replied, "I think I have to. T' make it very brief, and then you [the prosecutor] can finish." The trial court then instructed the jury to disregard the prosecutor's incorrect statement that the jury was to speak for the victim and "you are here to speak for the community in making a decision in this process and not speak for any individual."
[127] In Sanchez's appellate brief, he asserts that "the trial court's instruction did nothing to rectify the situation, and indeed, prejudiced [Sanchez] further.... Instead, the trial court re-emphasized that the jury was there to 'speak for the community' which is not correct at all." Sanchez's assertion here fails for several reasons. For one thing, he cites no pertinent authority and makes no cogent argument in support of the particular ground of objection made by Sanchez's trial counsel. Perhaps appropriate trial objections should have been that the prosecutor had misstated the law of the jury's duty, which was contained in jury instructions 1 and 3 read to the jury; 1 that the prosecutor had appealed improperly to the prejudices of the jury; or had diverted the jury from its duty to decide the case on the evidence. ABA Standards for Criminal Justice, Prosecution Function and Defense Function, Standard 3-5.8, at 106 (3d. ed.1993).
[128] For another thing, and more importantly, Sanchez fails to tell us what, if anything, his trial counsel did after the trial court gave its curative jury instruction. Did his trial counsel object again? He does not say. The record reveals, of course, that his trial counsel, a veteran criminal defense lawyer, did not object to the curative jury instruction. Because he didnot object to it, on appeal Sanchez should be making a plain error argument. But, of course, he does not. Because he does not, we should not consider his argument.
[129] Finally, even examining Sanchez's presentation of the issue of the trial court's allegedly erroneous curative jury instruction, I find he has abjectly failed to support his presentation with either pertinent authority or cogent argument.

. For example, Instruction No. 3 reads in pertinent part: "Remember that you are not advocates, but jurors. The final test of the quality of your service will lie in your verdict, not in the opinions any of you may hold as you retire. You will contribute to efficient judicial administration if you arrive at a just and proper verdict. There can be no triumph except in the ascertainment and declaration of justice."