Court Opinion

ID: 9859054
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 18:32:04.76929+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T10:05:45.945056
License: Public Domain

ALBIN, J.,
dissenting.
On the charges arrayed against him, Johnny Davenport faced a sentence of life imprisonment. The trial court acknowledged that Davenport “steadfastly” invoked his right to counsel and granted his request to proceed pro se. The Sixth Amendment and Article I, paragraph 10 of the New Jersey State Constitution conferred on Davenport the right to represent himself—to decide his own fate in the courtroom, however unschooled in the law and ill-suited he was to do so. Faretta v. California, 422 U.S. 806, 807, 95 S.Ct. 2525, 2527, 45 L.Ed.2d 562, 566 (1975); State v. Crisafi, 128 N.J. 499, 508-09, 608 A.2d 317 (1992). The right of self-representation reflects the preeminent value our system of justice places on the dignity of the individual, including the accused whose individual autonomy is respected in matters concerning life and liberty. The accused in a criminal trial is granted “the right to make his defense” because “it is he who suffers the consequences if the defense fails.” Faretta, supra, 422 U.S. at 819-20, 95 S.Ct. at 2533, 45 L.Ed.2d at 572-73. In exercising that right, Davenport was entitled to control and present his defense and to participate in a meaningful way in every stage of the proceedings. In the presentation of his defense, Davenport had the right to make his own legal arguments without the filter of an intermediary, including standby counsel assigned to him by the court.
The trial court denied Davenport the opportunity to represent himself at seventy-nine sidebars, fifty-eight during jury selection and twenty-one during trial, at which important legal decisions were made without his voice being heard. Moreover, the court barred Davenport from sidebars without ever articulating the *311security reasons for doing so or exploring alternative means that would have permitted Davenport to participate in the matters discussed at sidebar. In my opinion, the trial court impermissibly infringed on Davenport’s right to “make his defense” and to project to the jury that he alone was in control of his legal fate. Despite the overwhelming evidence of his guilt, I would reverse Davenport’s conviction because he did not receive the trial guaranteed to him by our federal and state constitutions. I, therefore, respectfully dissent.
Faretta v. California, supra, firmly established that a defendant has a constitutional right to represent himself. Faretta recognized that “although [the defendant] may conduct his own defense ultimately to his own detriment, his choice must be honored out of ‘that respect for the individual which is the lifeblood of the law.’ ” Id. at 834, 95 S.Ct. at 2541, 45 L.Ed.2d at 581 (quoting Illinois v. Allen, 397 U.S. 337, 350-51, 90 S.Ct. 1057, 1064, 25 L.Ed.2d 353, 363 (Brennan, J., concurring)). In McKaskle v. Wiggins, 465 U.S. 168, 178, 104 S.Ct. 944, 951, 79 L.Ed.2d 122, 133 (1984), the Supreme Court made clear that a pro se defendant must have a meaningful opportunity to participate in his own defense, even if standby counsel is assigned to provide assistance. The right of self-representation encompasses the right of a pro se defendant “to have his voice heard.” Id. at 174, 104 S.Ct. at 949, 79 L.Ed.2d at 131. That right also allows him “to control the organization and content of his own defense, to make motions, to argue points of law, to participate in voir dire, to question witnesses, and to address the court and the jury at appropriate points in the trial.” Ibid, (emphasis added). Additionally, McKaskle plainly states that standby counsel, assigned to assist a pro se defendant, may not take control of the case without that defendant’s consent. Therefore, “[i]f standby counsel’s participation over the defendant’s objection effectively allows counsel to make or substantially interfere with any significant tactical decisions, or to control the questioning of witnesses, or to speak instead of the defendant on any matter of importance, the Faretta right is eroded.” Id. at 178, 104 S.Ct. at 951, 79 L.Ed.2d at 133. Moreover, “participation *312by standby counsel without the defendant’s consent should not be allowed to destroy the jury’s perception that the defendant is representing himself.” Ibid. That is so because “[t]he defendant’s appearance in the status of one conducting his own defense is important ... to affirm [his] individual dignity and autonomy.” Ibid.
Courts have addressed whether excluding a pro se defendant from sidebars is a violation of the Sixth Amendment right of self-representation. In one such case, the Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit reversed a pro se defendant’s conviction and granted a new trial based on his exclusion from thirty sidebars at trial. United States v. McDermott, 64 F.3d 1448, 1454 (10th Cir.1995). In McDermott, the trial court excluded the defendant because he “was not equipped to handle purely legal matters and bench conferences centered on them.” Id. at 1452. The Tenth Circuit concluded that the pro se defendant’s exclusion from sidebars was not “an insignificant incursion on his Faretta right.” Id. at 1454.
I begin with the assumption, accepted by our courts, that it is highly unlikely a pro se defendant will represent himself as effectively as a lawyer, who brings his training, experience, and detachment to the task. In that sense, it is difficult to conclude that a defendant would be disadvantaged or prejudiced by the assistance of skilled counsel. Therefore, a traditional harmless error analysis would never serve to vindicate the constitutional right of self-representation. “Since the right of self-representation is a right that when exercised usually increases the likelihood of a trial outcome unfavorable to the defendant, its denial is not amenable to ‘harmless error’ analysis. The right is either respected or denied; its deprivation cannot be harmless.” McKaskle, supra, 465 U.S. at 177 n. 8, 104 S.Ct. at 950 n. 8, 79 L.Ed.2d at 133 n. 8. We respect a defendant’s decision to represent himself, not because we believe it is a wise one, but because it is his choice and his life. Faretta, supra, 422 U.S. at 834, 95 S.Ct. at 2540-41, 45 L.Ed.2d at 581. Applying those principles to this case leads me to *313the irresistible conclusion that Davenport was denied his Faretta rights.
After granting Davenport the right to represent himself, the court, on its own, appointed standby counsel to serve as his “legal advisor.’.’ Based on Davenport’s pending charges and his failure to make bail, the trial judge ordered him to remain at counsel table throughout the proceedings. The trial court told Davenport that he would “not be allowed at sidebar” and advised him that “anything” that he had to say out of the presence of the jury would require removal of the jury from the courtroom or relaying the message to the court through standby counsel. Although Davenport agreed to follow the court’s instructions, he neither consented nor failed to object to “the courtroom protocol established by the trial court,” ante at 305, as suggested by the majority. Davenport pressed the point as far as decorum permitted without engaging in contumacious conduct, as is evident from the following colloquy:
Davenport: But I’m not a savage, I’m not a beast. I can control—
The Court: You’re in custody and you can’t go walking around this courtroom. Okay? I’m just telling you that right now.
The Court: It’s my order that you not walk around the courtroom. It’s as simple as that.
Davenport: Or they’re going to beat me up.
The Court: It’s as simple as that. You may not walk around the courtroom, you may not approach witnesses.
Davenport: Okay. I understand about approaching the witnesses.
The Court: And if you start moving around, there’s going to be a problem with the security. And I had the head of security here yesterday to explain the situation to you.
Davenport: Not to me.
The Court: We cannot have a prisoner walking around this courtroom. There’s not going to be—
Davenport: I’m a pro se litigant, I think that would—
The Court: You are also a prisoner in custody, and security comes first at this point.
Davenport: If I bailed out tomorrow, would it be different!?]
The Court: If you got bailed out tomorrow, it would certainly be different.
*314Davenport: Can you lower it?
The Court: No, sir.
Any further objection by Davenport would have been futile and likely considered by the court as contemptuous. Davenport adequately preserved his objection to the court’s order excluding him from the discussions at sidebar. Moreover, the court’s concern appeared more focused on Davenport’s bail and custodial status than whether he was truly a security risk. Davenport at no time before or during trial engaged in disruptive behavior.
At the majority of the fifty-eight sidebar conferences during jury selection, the trial court simply excused a potential juror. That, however, did not justify Davenport’s absence from those conferences, particularly in light of the court’s failure to consider any alternative to confining Davenport to counsel table. The potential jurors in the courtroom must have been left with the unmistakable impression that Davenport could not be trusted to approach sidebar and that he did not retain full control over his defense. The trial court could have eliminated the need for sidebars during the jury selection process by employing the technique of a “struck jury.” In that process, jurors as a group are given a general orientation and then each potential juror is questioned individually in the courtroom, but outside the presence of the other potential jurors. Accordingly, no sidebars are required. See, e.g., State v. Dixon, 125 N.J. 223, 245-47, 593 A.2d 266 (1991) (discussing “struck jury” process with approval). That procedure undoubtedly would have taken more time, but it would have preserved Davenport’s constitutional right to control his defense, both in fact and as perceived by those who were ultimately chosen as jurors.
Additionally, the court excluded Davenport from every sidebar conference during trial, twenty-one in all. The sidebar conferences, attended by standby counsel, ranged from logistical planning to procedural and substantive points of law, and included discussion of Davenport’s use of a grand jury transcript for impeachment purposes, his use of a police report during cross-examination, his solicitation of hearsay testimony, his request to *315ask an omitted question, his attempt to use a document to impeach a witness, the purpose and relevance of his questions, whether and how he might testify, his appreciation of the significance of his decision not to testify, a juror’s falling asleep during testimony, redacting exhibits, the timing of the admission of a photograph, and the substance of the jury charge. On only seven occasions did standby counsel leave sidebar to relay information to Davenport. Even though Davenport was seated but a few feet away during those sidebars, standby counsel repeatedly speculated as to his trial strategy instead of asking him.
At one sidebar conference, standby counsel and the court conferred on Davenport’s tentative decision not to testify and the strategic reasons for that decision. That conference, which was held at sidebar even though the jury was not in the courtroom, raises the additional question of whether standby counsel communicated privileged information to the court:
The Court: You see the problem is, I think he realizes that maybe [not testifying] is his point one on appeal. I think that’s what he does. And I’m really kind of concerned. Maybe we should never have asked him the question [of how he would testify without counsel representing him] anyway, but that’s the situation. I think you ... told me a couple of days ago that he really didn’t want to testify.
[Standby Counsel]: Yeah. To the best of my knowledge, early on[,] earlier last week he expressed to me that he wasn’t planning on testifying, you know.
The Court: Well, we discussed this after I told him he had to write the questions [for his direct examination],
[Standby Counsel]: This morning when you excused the jury he started talking about it a little more and he mentioned to me, well, you know, how can I possibly take the stand and you question me on scripted, on me—on my handwritten questions. It is going to take away from the sting, he said, of effective direct examination. And so, you know, that’s my concern. That’s why I’m not going to testify.
And we also talked about the fact that his prior convictions what would—what of that would come in. He wasn’t so concerned about that as much as he was about, you know, my—how would I be asking him questions. Whether it would be from a rehearsed script by him having written them out or would I be allowed to be, for lack of a better word, ad libing and using my own creative thought.
The Court: So I think this is a difficult question here. And I think I must have mentioned at least two or three times during this trial that he was supposed to *316have those things prepared. And if he had a problem with it, he should have mentioned it then.
[Standby Counsel]: Right.
The court eventually expressed concern that Davenport was not privy to the colloquy and summarized the sidebar conference for Davenport’s benefit. In a number of instances, the court and standby counsel conferred over legal issues at sidebar. Only later was Davenport advised of the contents of the discussions. The sidebar conferences involved critical, not just mundane, issues concerning the conduct of the trial.
What is regrettable is that Davenport’s exclusion from the legal discussions at the sidebar conferences was completely unnecessary. The court has broad discretion to address security concerns in the conduct of a trial. Before excluding a pro se defendant from sidebar conferences, however, the court should articulate the precise security problem and then consider measures to accommodate the pro se defendant’s constitutional right to participate in legal argument. The court could have withheld addressing some of the legal arguments and waited for an appropriate break to excuse the jury to discuss the issues directly with Davenport. The Court also could have considered the use of available technologies for including Davenport in the sidebar conferences. See, e.g., State v. Cook, 330 N.J.Super. 395, 415, 750 A.2d 91 (App.Div.) (affirming use of “wireless electronic listening system whereby [pro se capital defendant] could sit at counsel table with one of his attorneys while the other went to sidebar”), certif. denied, 165 N.J. 486, 758 A.2d 646 (2000). The court did nothing to accommodate Davenport’s constitutional right—to argue significant legal points raised at sidebar.
Davenport is now serving a life sentence as a result of his conviction at trial. That conviction was obtained while Davenport was denied an inestimable right—the right to have his own voice heard at critical points of the trial and to rise or fall on his own defense. I, therefore, dissent.
Justice LONG joins in this dissent.
*317For affirmance—Chief Justice PORITZ and Justices COLEMAN, VERNIERO, LaVECCHIA, and ZAZZALI—5.
Dissenting—Justices LONG and ALBIN—2.