Court Opinion

ID: 9558449
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 17:09:53.145397+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:09:18.693546
License: Public Domain

Justice KOURLIS,
dissenting.
I respectfully disagree with the majority’s conclusions in this case and accordingly dissent. Here, the trial court concluded that juror Lewis had expressed a judgment about the case prior to deliberations, and that he evidenced an unwillingness to consider all of the evidence or follow the court’s instructions. Those reasons clearly are adequate for dismissal of a juror. Because the information came to light after the jury retired to deliberate, the trial court took a number of corrective steps designed to protect the jury’s mental processes and deliberations. In my view, those precautions were adequate to protect the defendant’s rights and the trial court did not err in replacing juror Lewis with an alternate juror.
I.
A.
I begin with the axiom that a trial judge is in the best position to determine whether a juror can be impartial. See, e.g., People v. Rhodus, 870 P.2d 470, 477 (Colo.1994). As appellate courts, we defer to the trial judge because of the unique factors that contribute to an assessment of fairness. Human dynamics, tone of voice, body language, and facial expression all play a part in evaluating *9credibility. Because those factors cannot come alive in a written transcript, only a trial judge is in a position to take them into account in measuring the capacity of a juror or prospective juror to be fair to both sides and to follow the court’s instructions. See id.; see also People v. Fuller, 791 P.2d 702, 706 (Colo.1990).
If a trial judge determines that a juror is unwilling or unable to deliberate impartially, the trial court should excuse the juror. See Morgan v. People, 624 P.2d 1331, 1332 (Colo.1981). A juror who refuses to follow the court’s instructions and fulfill his duties should be replaced with an alternate, even if deliberations have already begun. See People v. Metters, 72 Cal.Rptr.2d 294, 311 (Cal. Ct.App.1998) (holding that a judge properly excused a juror who formed an opinion and attempted to sway another panel member before deliberations began and who refused to deliberate), cert. granted, 75 Cal.Rptr.2d 684, 956 P.2d 1137 (Cal. June 10, 1998) (No. S069442); Dixon v. State, 524 N.E.2d 2, 4 (Ind.1988) (approving the substitution of an alternate for a juror who refused to deliberate); McKenna v. State, 96 Nev. 811, 618 P.2d 348, 349 (1980) (finding no error in the substitution of an alternate for a juror who could not follow instructions because she could not be impartial).
B.
When circumstances arise that call for removing a juror during deliberations, we recently delineated the steps a judge must take to secure the defendant’s continuing right to a fair trial. See Carrillo v. People, 974 P.2d 478 (Colo.1999). The procedures followed by the trial court in Carrillo in excusing a juror who had been unable to hear the evidence closely mirror the procedures undertaken by the trial court here. The trial courts in both cases specifically questioned the juror in camera to ensure that the cause of the juror’s dismissal “was not manufactured in response to undue pressure from the other jurors.” Id. at 492 (responding to concerns that a lone juror could feign illness or another excuse to avoid his decision-making responsibility). Both trial courts then conducted colloquies to determine whether the alternate juror followed the court’s instructions during the panel’s initial deliberations, and whether the seated panel could set aside their previous discussions and begin fresh deliberations. See id.
The facts of the present case arguably are more difficult to resolve than Carrillo because the reasons for juror Lewis’s dismissal were not beyond his control. However, this trial court went one step further than the Camilo trial court in ensuring a fair substitution of jurors. In Carrillo, the court failed to inquire whether the remaining jurors could be receptive to any attempts by the alternate juror to assert a nonconforming view. See id. (finding that a failure to make this inquiry, however, did not undermine the overall rebuttal of the presumption of prejudice to the defendant). In this case, the jury unanimously indicated not only that it could begin deliberating anew, but also that it could be receptive to any dissenting views by the alternate juror. Considering the amount of time that passed before the substitution,1 the precautions taken by the trial court in questioning the foreperson of the jury and instructing the other jurors, together with the length of time that the reconstituted jury deliberated, the presumption of prejudice to the defendant was overcome. See, e.g., People v. Burnette, 775 P.2d 583 (Colo.1989).
II.
A.
Despite the precautionary measures taken by the trial court, the majority concludes that the trial court should not have excused juror Lewis because of the danger of judicial interference in deliberations by inquiring into the mental processes of the jurors, or by dismiss*10ing a holdout juror who disagreed with the other jurors. See maj. op. at 6-7. In circumstances that call for the substitution of a juror during deliberations, courts certainly should be alert to the “lone juror” problem. In some instances, the removal of a lone holdout juror may create an inference that the trial court is speaking to the merits of the case. See Carrilo, 974 P.2d at 491. However, I find nothing in this record to support an inference that the trial court dismissed Lewis for any inappropriate reason.
That Lewis may have been the only juror to vote for an acquittal does not immunize him from dismissal, regardless of misconduct. See People v. Hightower, 77 Cal.App.4th 1123, 92 Cal.Rptr.2d 497, 519 (2000) (holding that a trial court could use its discretion to dismiss a juror for failure to impartially deliberate even though the juror was unconvinced of the defendant’s guilt); see also United States v. Barone, 114 F.3d 1284, 1308-09 (1st Cir.1997) (finding that the evidence showed the holdout juror was dismissed for other misconduct, and therefore, his removal was not error); United States v. Huntress, 956 F.2d 1309, 1313 (5th Cir.1992) (determining that the record contained no evidence of improper conduct regarding dismissal of a holdout juror). Trial courts must be vigilant to the possibility that a panel’s frustration over disagreements on the merits may color their description of deliberations, just as courts must take care not to subordinate their adjudicatory function to jurors’ desires. See Hightower, 92 Cal.Rptr.2d at 517. But unless the circumstances of the case indicate an improper motive, the mere possibility that the juror was excused for holding out does not dictate a mistrial. See id. In the absence of evidence in the record, a reviewing court should not assume that the trial court acted on impermissible grounds. See id. at 516.
If the trial court adequately addresses these hazards, we cannot agree ... that it is barred from removing a juror merely because the record raises a possibility that doubts by the questioned juror were a causative factor in the juror’s removal. Rather, if the court finds that a juror is unable or unwilling to perform his or her duties, the court may and must remove that juror whether or not the juror also entertains doubts about the sufficiency of the prosecution’s proof. Provided it performs its functions with circumspection and care, so as to avoid any improper influence on the deliberative process, the court commits no error by removing a juror whose doubts ... rest upon fixed categorical preconceptions which prevent him from weighing and deliberating over the evidence or following the court’s instructions.
Id. at 517-18.
The record indicates that the trial court excused juror Lewis because he clearly violated the court’s orders, not because he was a holdout juror endangering a verdict. There was evidence, both from the notes from the jury foreperson and from the in camera discussion with her, that juror Lewis prejudged the case before the deliberations began; and that he had attempted to engage other jurors in conversation about the case before deliberations. Lewis admitted to making statements to other jurors regarding a hung jury. The trial court reasonably found that these comments amounted to more than “an innocuous remark.” See maj. op. at 7. Further, the court learned of additional, consistent misconduct. Juror Lewis, according to the foreperson, was unwilling to listen to the viewpoints of the other jurors and unwilling to consider all of the evidence. These facts supported the trial court’s decision to remove juror Lewis, because a juror who cannot fully and fairly deliberate cannot serve.
The record demonstrates that the trial court in this case was cognizant of the “lone juror” problem, and directly addressed it. After interviewing the foreperson and Lewis, the trial judge determined that a “neutral reason” — Lewis’s statements before deliberations began — warranted dismissal of Lewis. The trial court concluded: “there is no occasion, from anything that we heard, that this jury wishes to isolate this person.” The judge further explicitly stated to the jury that no inference should be drawn from his decision to remove Lewis. This indicates that the trial judge considered the source of the allegations against Lewis and any impact *11of his dismissal on the reconstituted panel. Coupled with his directions to begin fresh deliberations, the record demonstrates that the judge sufficiently dealt with any appearance of a “lone juror” problem.
B.
The majority further concludes that the trial court erred in allowing the reconstituted jury to return a verdict because the judge’s investigation of Lewis’s misconduct imper-missibly inquired into the substance of the jury deliberations. See People v. Boulies, 690 P.2d 1253, 1256 (Colo.1984) (stating that jury deliberations should remain secret). I disagree with the majority’s conclusion that, on these facts, the scope of the trial court’s inquiry extended into any jury discussions on the merits of the charges.
The record demonstrates that the judge investigated only the allegations of juror misconduct. Before bringing the foreperson into chambers for questioning, the trial judge indicated how he would limit his inquiry:
It should be clear that the foreperson or foreman of the jury will be told up front by me that we are not interested, nor do I want to hear anything concerning opinions of guilt or innocence, or which witness to believe or what evidence to follow. I simply want to get a clearer position, if we have a situation where a juror can and ought to be removed, or whether there is simply a dead lock situation and require the jury to go back to the drawing board.
When the judge interviewed the foreperson, he specifically admonished her to limit her description of what took place in the jury room. “I want to make it clear we don’t want to get into any discussions now as to guilt or innocence or anything else concerning the deliberation process in regard to sufficiency of evidence or particular evidence or believes [sic] and so forth.”
The judge proceeded to question the foreperson briefly regarding Lewis’s refusal to deliberate and his attempt to influence other jurors before deliberations began. The judge did not make any inquiries into whether Lewis’s statements stemmed from a difference of opinion with the other jurors, and the foreperson did not offer any such information. I, therefore, disagree with the majority that when the trial judge questioned a juror’s ability to follow instructions that he necessarily reached into the jury’s deliberations. Trial judges have a responsibility to examine allegations of misconduct. See, e.g., People v. Fears, 962 P.2d 272, 283 (Colo.App. 1997). Here, the trial judge conducted a proper investigation under difficult circumstances. He adequately traversed the fine line a court must walk between making an adequate inquiry into misconduct, and not intruding into the substance of jury deliberations.'
The majority also recommends that the trial judge should have elicited more factual information about the misconduct, in part by interviewing other jurors regarding whether or not Lewis attempted to engage them in predeliberation discussions. In my view, the court made a sufficient inquiry when he questioned only the foreperson and relied upon her statements and the notes from the jury, in combination with Lewis’s own statements.
The majority also states that the court should have asked Lewis the dispositive question of whether he could follow the court’s instructions of law. In my view, such a question was conclusory at that point, and the trial judge was entitled to rely upon the information he already had received in drawing his own conclusion that Lewis’s conduct to that point in time demonstrated a patent unwillingness to follow instructions.
Judges can only rule on the case as it comes before them. Here, there can be no doubt that if the trial court had earlier learned of juror Lewis’s attempts to engage the other jurors in deliberations prior to the end of the presentation of evidence, or of Lewis’s prejudgment of the case, the court would have excused him and replaced him with another juror. The fact that the court did not learn of that misconduct until deliberations began heightened the need for care and attention to procedure, but did not change the result. The trial judge can only rule on the evidence of juror misconduct when he or she learns of it. Jurors are generally unwilling to report transgressions *12of another juror. Trial judges must be able to use their discretion to address juror misconduct during later stages of the proceedings without being compelled to grant a mistrial.
III.
Juries are the bulwark of our system of justice. They comprise the voice of the defendant’s peers, and the conscience of the community. For the jury system to deserve and earn the respect of society, jurors must follow the law as set out in the court’s instructions. If a juror states that he is unwilling to follow the court’s instructions, or if the juror demonstrates by his conduct an unwillingness to follow those instructions, then he cannot serve. See Morgan, 624 P.2d at 1332.
Because I would defer to the trial court’s findings and because the procedures the trial court used sufficiently protected the integrity of the jury process, I would affirm the court of appeals, and therefore, respectfully dissent.
I am authorized to state that Chief Justice MULLARKEY and Justice RICE join in this dissent.

. The majority presumes that the jury deliberated after sending out each question and receiving the judge’s answers because the record did not indicate otherwise. See maj. op. at 3. However, I believe that the record supports a conclusion that the jury was not engaged in full deliberations that included all jurors during this time. The foreperson specifically testified "there's no discussion. The person is really even unwilling to even participate in any type of a discussion. We can’t deliberate. We haven't been able to from the time we started.”