Court Opinion

ID: 9736212
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 18:47:14.382649+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:27:05.059994
License: Public Domain

Mr. JUSTICE STOUDER, concurring in part and dissenting in part: Jury deliberations in the case at bar began at 2:50 p.m. on October 25, 1979. Slightly more than one hour later the jurors asked the following questions of the trial judge: “Is there a legal reason why Howard could not testify in this trial? Are transcripts available?” To the first of these questions the trial judge responded that there was a legal reason why Howard did not testify. In response to the second question, the trial judge merely said “No.” Both of these answers were given outside the presence of and without consultation with the defendants, their counsel, or the prosecuting attorney. The defendants contend that the cumulative effect of the trial judge’s responses to the jury’s questions and the giving of those responses outside the presence of counsel and the defendants constitutes reversible error. It is the State’s position that the defendants’ failure to include as error in their joint motion for a new trial any of these contentions except the trial judge’s response regarding the failure of Howard to testify has resulted in a waiver of these issues. In addition, the State points out that none of these alleged errors was objected to during trial. I note that the responses in question were given outside the presence of defendants and counsel, a situation which would seem to render meaningful objection at trial moot since any prejudicial effort upon the jury would already have occurred. It is well established that consideration of issues on review is waived if the appellant has failed to properly preserve the alleged errors in a post-trial motion. (People v. Whittaker (1978), 56 Ill. App. 3d 430, 373 N.E.2d 20.) Even alleged errors of constitutional magnitude can be so waived. (People v. Precup (1978), 73 Ill. 2d 7, 382 N.E.2d 227.) However, a reviewing court has the authority to consider the alleged error if it is determined to be plain error substantially affecting justice and the fairness of the proceeding or if the interests of justice require review. (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1979, ch. 110A, pars. 451 (c) and 615 (a).) In the instant case, the majority has concluded that the defendants waived the issue of the judge’s response concerning the availability of transcripts, and that the possibility of prejudice from the judge’s answer to the question regarding Howard’s testimony was too remote to warrant reversal. I must respectfully dissent, because I believe the cumulative effect of the errors alleged by the defendant substantially affected the fairness of the trial. The sixth amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees every criminal defendant the right to be present in the courtroom at every stage of his trial and the right to be represented by counsel at every such stage. (See Illinois v. Allen (1970), 397 U.S. 337, 25 L. Ed. 2d 353, 90 S. Ct. 1057.) The Illinois Constitution has also long recognized that every person charged with an offense has a right to be present in person and participate at every stage, part and proceeding of his prosecution which affects his substantial rights, from the time of his arraignment to his final sentence and that he has the right to counsel throughout the proceedings. Ill. Const. 1970, art. 1, §8; People v. Beck (1922), 305 Ill. 593, 137 N.E. 454; People v. Noble (1969), 42 Ill. 2d 425, 248 N.E.2d 96. The presence of the defendant is assured so that the defendant knows all that occurs in his case and can object and act in the way he thinks best to secure his rights and protect himself. The right to be present covers the period of communications between the court and a deliberating jury. People v. Lewis (1979), 73 Ill. App. 3d 361, 386 N.E.2d 910. In spite of the constitutional pronouncements regarding the defendant’s right to be present at all stages of his trial, the rule has emerged in Illinois that judgments will not be reversed when it is apparent no injury resulted from a communication to a jury either by the court or by a third person outside the presence of defendant or his counsel. (People v. Rettig (1972), 50 Ill. 2d 317, 278 N.E.2d 781; People v. Tilley (1952), 411 Ill. 473, 104 N.E.2d 499; People v. Brothers (1932), 347 Ill. 530,180 N.E. 442.) The critical inquiry then becomes whether defendants were prejudiced when the trial judge responded to the two jury questions outside the presence of defendants or their counsel. In People v. Rohwedder (1967), 78 Ill. App. 2d 211, 223 N.E.2d 1, a judge not connected with the case, apparently as a favor to the trial judge who had left the building during jury deliberations, caused the jury to be brought before him for inquiry as to whether the jury needed additional time to deliberate. This was done in the absence of defendants and their attorneys and without prior consultation with them. The appellate court reversed the defendants’ convictions and remanded for a new trial, citing to People v. Beck and finding that the judge’s inquiry was a critical stage of defendants’ trial and as such they had a right to be present along with counsel. In People v. Harmon (1968), 104 Ill. App. 2d 294, 224 N.E.2d 358, after the jury has retired to deliberate, the bailiff advised the judge that the jury had a legal question. In response, the judge told the bailiff to advise the jury that legal questions would be resolved by the court. This response was made outside the presence of the defendant and his counsel and was considered by the appellate court sufficiently prejudicial to require reversal of the conviction. In the case at bar questions were asked concerning the testimony of a co-indictee and the availability of transcripts for purposes of reviewing testimony. These questions concerned crucial matters in defendants’ trial so that injury to the defendants may be presumed from the trial judge’s decision to respond outside the presence of defendants or their counsel. In addition, the answers given to the jury’s questions compound the injury to the defendants. The first question asked was whether there was a legal reason why co-indictee Howard could not testify. In replying to that question, the trial judge said there was a legal reason why Howard did not testify. From this response the jury might have inferred a number of things: that Howard’s testimony would not corroborate the defendants’ testimony; that Howard was exercising his right to remain silent so as to avoid implicating himself; that Howard had already been convicted; that Howard was unavailable to testify because he was incarcerated or sick or simply out of town. Any of these inferences, though admittedly speculative, could have been prejudicial to the defendants. The second question asked concerned the availability of transcripts. To this question the judge simply responded, “No.” The summary rejection of the jury’s request suggests that the judge erroneously believed he had no discretion regarding the jury’s request for transcripts. Because the decision on whether or not to grant a jury’s request for a review of testimony rests in the discretion of the trial court (People v. Pierce (1974), 56 Ill. 2d 361, 308 N.E.2d 577), error occurs when the trial court refuses to exercise discretion under the erroneous belief that it has no discretion. People v. Queen (1974), 56 Ill. 2d 560, 310 N.E.2d 166. In a case factually similar to the case at bar, the Illinois Supreme Court reversed and remanded for a new trial where the judge responded to a jury request for the testimony of three witnesses by saying “No.” The court held that the answer disclosed a belief by the trial court that it did not have discretion to consider the request. (People v. Autman (1974), 58 Ill. 2d 171, 317 N.E.2d 570.) As in Autman, the defendants here should receive a new trial. The second issue raised by the defendants concerned the giving of the jury instruction describing the permissive inference of guilt flowing from the unexplained, exclusive possession of recently stolen property. They contend the giving of this instruction violated their right to due process of law in that it deprived them of the presumption of innocence and shifted the burden of persuasion to the defense. Although I am in agreement with the majority opinion that the jury instruction issue was waived by the defendants due to their failure to object to the instruction at trial or in their post-trial motion, and that the issue is not cognizable under Supreme Court Rule 451(c), I cannot agree that it is unlikely that the instruction was an error. My objections to the application of the instruction given in a factual situation such as that in the case at bar were stated in my dissenting opinions in People v. Housby (1980), 82 Ill. App. 3d 537, 403 N.E.2d 62, and People v. King (1979), 78 Ill. App. 3d 879, 397 N.E.2d 905. I reaffirm my position as expressed in those opinions regarding the use of the disputed instruction. For the above reasons I concur in part and must respectfully dissent in part and would reverse and remand for a new trial.