Court Opinion

ID: 9633511
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 11:49:50.577106+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:08:36.799813
License: Public Domain

Lockett, J.,
concurring: Occasionally an appellate court reaches inconsistent determinations in different cases. The rarest of all occasions is when an appellate court reaches inconsistent determinations in the same case.
*455Here, the majority examined the Kansas statutes relative to jury panels (K.S.A. 43-107 et seq.) and Kansas Supreme Court Standards Relating to Jury Use and Management (1990 Kan. Ct. R. Annot. 49). The majority decided that a Supreme Court Rule, which allows a district judge to delegate certain statutory duties to a jury coordinator or other designated administrator, is a proper delegation of judicial authority. And later, in the same opinion, it determined that a district court administrative order, which delegates to the Clerk of the District Court the statutory requirement for a written order from a judge before affidavits or sworn testimony in support of the probable cause requirement may be made available, is an improper delegation of judicial authority.
Let us compare the statutes and the court rules:
K.S.A. 43-155 provides:
“The public policy of this state is declared to be that jury service is the solemn obligation of all qualified citizens, and that excuses from the discharge' of this responsibility should be granted by the judges of the courts of this state only for reasons of compelling personal hardship or because requiring service would be contrary to the public welfare, health or safety; that all litigants entitled to trial by jury shall have the right to juries selected at random from a fair cross section of the community in the district wherein the court convenes; and that all citizens shall have the opportunity to be considered for service on juries in the district courts of Kansas.”
“STANDARD 6: EXEMPTION, EXCUSE, AND DEFERRAL
“(a) All automatic excuses or exemptions from jury service should be eliminated for all persons determined eligible under Standard 4.
“(b) Eligible persons who are summoned may be excused from jury service by a judge or duly authorized court official only if:
(i) their ability to receive and evaluate information is so impaired that they are unable to perform their duties as jurors,
(ii) their, service would be an extraordinary or compelling personal hardship to them, or to members of the public, or
(iii) they have been called for jury service during the preceding twelve months.
“(c) Requests by eligible persons for deferral of jury service for a reasonable period of time should be liberally permitted by a judge or duly authorized court official to minimize the inconvenience and financial sacrifice of jury service.” (1990 Kan. Ct. R. Annot. 51.)
K.S.A. 22-2302(2) provides:
“Affidavits or sworn testimony in support of the probable cause requirement of this section shall not be made available for examination without a *456written order of the court, except that such affidavits or testimony when requested shall be made available to the defendant or the defendant’s counsel for such disposition as either may desire.”
Administrative Order Number 205 of the Third Judicial District (adopted in 1985), apparently grants authority to the Clerk of the District Court to release affidavits upon request.
Each statute imposes a duty on the judge. K.S.A. 43-155 requires a judge to exercise judicial discretion when excusing jurors from their responsibility for reasons of compelling personal hardship or because the required service would be contrary to the public welfare, health, or safety. K.S.A. 22-2302(2) requires a judge to determine if affidavits or sworn testimony in support of probable cause is to be made available.
Judicial duty is the power to exercise judgment and discretion as distinguished from ministerial power involving no discretion. A judge is not a public official who can deputize another person to perform his or her official duties. Golden v. Mitchell, 107 Kan. 1, 4, 190 Pac. 785 (1920). A jury coordinator or other designated administrator cannot be deputized to exercise judicial discretion to excuse jurors from their responsibility for compelling personal hardship or where the service would be contrary to the public welfare, health, or safety. Judicial economy may not override the statutory requirements that a judge perform specified duties.
Because no judicial discretion is required, a judge may delegate the ministerial duty of excusing persons statutorily excused from jury duty. A jury coordinator may excuse (1) persons less than eighteen years of age; non-citizens of the United States; and persons who are not residents of the county in which they have been summoned to serve; (2) persons unable to read, write, and understand the English language to such a degree the person does not have the proficiency to fill out a jury questionnaire form prepared by the commissioner; persons under adjudication of incompetency; persons who within the 10 years immediately preceding have been convicted of or pled guilty, or nolo contendere, to a felony (K.S.A. 43-158); and (3) individuals who have served as jurors in the county within 1 year immediately preceding (K.S.A. 43-159).
I agree with the majority’s conclusion that the defendant’s statutory and constitutional rights to be present in person and by *457counsel at trial do not extend to the determination of excuses from jury service sought by individuals who have received summonses for jury duty but have not reported for service on the defendant’s case. The defendant is unable to show that the improper delegation of the judicial duty affected his constitutional right to a fair trial. Baker was afforded the opportunity to investigate, question, and have a judicial inquiry to determine if the release of the prospective jurors by the jury coordinator violated a statutory or constitutional right. Baker is not entitled to a new trial on this issue.
ALLEGRUCCI, J., joins the foregoing concurring opinion.