Court Opinion

ID: 9528701
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 03:43:13.4986+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:27:13.969583
License: Public Domain

GARRARD, Judge,
concurring.
I concur as to Issues II and III. While I concur in the result reached on Issue I, I strongly disagree with the implications of the majority rationale.
Groff claims error in the court’s refusal to grant his request that oral argument be taken down by the court reporter and in the prosecutor’s comments during that argument.
His complaint is divisible into two contentions.
First he contends he was prejudiced by the argument actually made. The majority view correctly finds that we cannot treat the merits of this contention since no effort was made to comply with Indiana Rules of Procedure, Appellate Rule 7.2(A)(3)(c) and no transcript of the argument has been presented on appeal.
His second contention, however, asserts prejudicial error in the court’s refusal to direct that the argument be recorded by the court reporter.
Relying upon the statute which sets forth the duties of court reporters, IC 35-15-23-1, the majority concludes there is no duty, and therefore no right, to have the final arguments of counsel recorded for purposes of appeal.1
I disagree, although I conclude that in this case Groff’s right to have the argument recorded was waived when he made no request or objection until the prosecutor’s argument was well under way.
Indiana has long held that the right to be heard by counsel as afforded by Article 1, Section 13 of our constitution includes the right to have counsel address the jury in final argument. Lynch v. State (1857), 9 Ind. 541.
Thus, our statutes for both civil (IC 34-1-21-1) and criminal trials (IC 35-1-35-1) accord parties the right to present final argument to the jury through their attorneys.
It is unnecessary to record here the variety of instances where reversible error may result from improper argument. For criminal trials see generally West's Indiana Digest, Criminal Law, § 613 et seq. It clearly may do so, and AR 7.2 provides that the record for appeal shall contain “the transcript of the evidence and proceedings at trial.”
It seems indisputable that, at least for purposes of generalizing, verbatim recording of an argument will be more accurate than the recollections the parties are able to muster to provide a statement pursuant to AR 7.2. I feel a litigant is clearly entitled to that accuracy, and I would hold that upon reasonable request by either party the court has no discretion to dispense with having the final argument taken down so as to be available for consideration in a subsequent motion to correct errors on appeal.
I do agree that apart from request, recording the final argument can be dispensed with, and I acknowledge the practice of a substantial segment of the trial bar in this regard. Thus, where as here no request was made prior to the commencement of the argument, I feel that the right was waived.
For this reason I concur.

. Interestingly, CR 5 which authorizes the use of recording equipment by the reporter refers to recording the evidence and “any other oral matters occurring during the hearing in any proceeding.”