Court Opinion

ID: 9597570
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 01:00:25.963705+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:03:34.408451
License: Public Domain

McMurray, Judge,
concurring specially.
I concur in the judgment of reversal but not all that is said in the opinion. I specifically do not agree that the lower court erred in refusing to reinstruct the jury, "even after he had been informed that the jury had reached a verdict.” I, of course, agree that when the jury requests the court to re-charge them on any point, it is the court’s duty to do so. See Edwards v. State, 233 Ga. 625, 626 (212 SE2d 802). But here we do not even know the issue or question of law upon which the jury desired re-instruction. The admitted facts show that the judge advised the jury that as soon as he had a suitable opportunity he would consider their request for instruction. Approximately twenty minutes later and before the trial judge could consider the jury’s request and respond thereto the jury advised him they had reached a verdict. The case of Cooper v. State, 103 Ga. 63, 65 (29 SE 439), cited by the majority simply does not support it in the statement of law in Division 1 that "it remained the duty of the judge to reinstruct, even after he had been informed that the jury had reached a verdict.” At that moment in time the trial judge was not even aware of what question of law the foreman of the jury wanted to communicate about with the court. The bailiff testified, "he wanted to ask the judge a question of law,” and that is all that is available as to any such question of law. The jury may have changed its mind or through discussion with one another clarified any problem and elected to proceed to verdict. There simply was no duty on the part of the judge to inquire further of the jury as to any requested instructions that they may have wanted during their deliberations when the jury announced it had reached a verdict. Here the jury was polled after their verdict was reduced to writing and returned in open court. Not a single member of the jury repudiated the verdict which had been previously reached in the jury by all. I do not feel that the facts in this case support any reasoning that the *782trial judge had refused to reinstruct the jury.