Court Opinion

ID: 9612028
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 04:03:06.687321+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:44:26.926184
License: Public Domain

CURTIS, J., Dissenting.
I dissent. No possible injury was sustained by the defendant by reason of the presence in the juryroom of the alternate juror during the deliberations of the jury. It is presumed that she obeyed the instructions of the court, and if so, the verdict was not in any way influenced by her or by her presence in the juryroom during the deliberations of the jury. There is no evidence that the alternate juror disobeyed the instructions of the court, but even if she did disobey such instructions and did participate in such deliberations, she did no more than she would have had a perfect legal right to do had one of the regular jurors become unable to act and the alternate juror was ordered to take her place. If her participation in the deliberations of the jury after she became a regular juror would not have been prejudicial to defendant, it is difficult to understand how *624these very same acts prejudiced the defendant when they were performed by her as an alternate juror. It may have been error to permit the alternate juror to be present during the deliberations of the jury, but as the defendant sustained no injury thereby, the judgment should not be reversed for such error.
Seawell, J., concurred.