Court Opinion

ID: 9456265
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-04 19:47:06.881154+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:34:54.569302
License: Public Domain

GOLDBERG, Circuit Judge
(dissenting) :
I respectfully dissent. The original opinion which now becomes the minority *834one is changed in the following particulars:
Delete the second full paragraph on p. 1026 of 429 F.2d and insert the following:
“Implicit in these cases is the assumption that when jury misconduct is alleged in the defendant’s motion for new trial, the trial judge has a duty to take the following actions: (1) He must first consider whether or not the alleged jury misconduct, if it did occur, would be clearly not prejudicial. If he concludes that it would be clearly not prejudicial, he must then spell out his findings with adequate specificity for meaningful appellate review. (2) If he cannot conclude that it would be clearly not prejudicial, he must then conduct a full investigation to ascertain whether or not the alleged jury misconduct occurred. If he concludes that it did occur, he must grant the motion for new trial; if he concludes that it did not occur, he must once again spell out his findings with adequate specificity for meaningful appellate review.”
Delete the first full paragraph on p. 1031 of 429 F.2d and insert the following:
“In light of the foregoing, I would remand to the district court with the following directions: (1) The court shall consider whether or not the alleged jury misconduct, if it did occur, would be clearly not prejudicial to McKinney; and, if the court determines that it would be clearly not prejudicial, the court shall enter fact findings adequate to explain fully its denial of the motion for new trial. (2) If the court cannot conclude that the alleged misconduct would be clearly not prejudicial to McKinney, the court shall then hold an evidentiary hearing to determine whether the discussion alleged by McKinney actually took place during the jury’s deliberations. With regard to this issue, if the court finds that the alleged jury misconduct did take place, the court shall grant the motion for new trial. If the court determines that the alleged discussion did not take place, the court shall enter fact findings adequate to explain fully its denial of the motion for new trial.”