Court Opinion

ID: 9699407
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 20:22:43.28073+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:20:49.847070
License: Public Domain

Halpern, P. J. A. D.
(temporarily assigned), dissenting. I am in complete accord with Judge Conford’s dissent -that defendant’s confession was involuntary and, therefore, join him in Point I.
I also agree with Judge Conford that if B. 1:8-2 (d) is facially valid1 it was unconstitutionally applied in this case. However, as I have strong reservations as to its facial validity, I deem it advisable to supplement Judge Conford’s views on this subject without discussing the conflict which exists in other jurisdictions referred to by the majority and Judge Conford in their opinions.
It is essential that we note at the outset that N. J. S. A. 2A:74-2, and its predecessor statutes, permitted a trial judge, in his discretion, to impanel a jury not to exceed *42814, in civil and criminal 'cases, and for “good cause” excuse any of them from service provided the number was not reduced to less than 12. At the end of his charge, a method of selecting 12 to decide the case was provided. No provision is made in the statute for substituting a juror after deliberations had commenced. When the statute was finally amended in 1975 (after this case had been completed), insofar as it has any bearing here, the only change made was to increase the eligible number of alternate jurors to such number as the trial judge deemed appropriate. It is B. l:8-2(d) which was in effect when the instant case was tried. The Eule authorized a trial judge, in his discretion, to substitute an alternate after submission of the case to the jury if “* * * a juror dies or a juror is discharged * * * because he is ill or otherwise unable to continue * * *.”2
If B. 1:8-2 (d) made no provision for substitution of jurors after the jury’s deliberations had commenced, as is the case in the federal courts, it unquestionably would be facially valid.3 The statute and B. l:8-2(d) were undoubtedly adopted as a practical method to avoid the danger of a mistrial through death, illness or incapacity of a juror to continue as well as to preserve the time, efforts and expenses of the court, the attorneys, the litigants and all *429others involved in a protracted trial. The constitutionality of the statute was upheld in State v. Dolbow, 117 N. J. L. 560, 564 (E. & A. 1937), appeal dismissed 301 U. S. 669, 57 S. Ct. 943, 81 L. Ed. 1334 (1937). Until the jury retires to deliberate on its verdict, if there is good cause to excuse a juror, no statute or rule of law is violated, nor is there any conceivable prejudice to a defendant or the State. However, once the jury begins deliberations and an alternate is substituted the possibilities of prejudice resulting are unlimited. As an example, we need consider only what happened in the instant case in addition to the deficiency found to exist by Judge Conford.
Following the trial judge’s charge, the 12 jurors were chosen (improperly, but not prejudicially, as indicated in the majority opinion), sworn and retired to deliberate. The trial judge then had two court attendants sworn to guard the four alternates. He explained to the alternates why they were to be sequestered and said “* * * we will take you upstairs and we will have to keep you up there without talking to anyone until the deliberations have been concluded.”4 Significantly, he failed to instruct them not to discuss the case with each other. We would be naive to believe that at a time when the alternates thought they probably would have no further connection with the case they did not express their personal views on the guilt or innocence of defendant and the possible verdict to. be rendered. Therefore, I am convinced that when the alternate became a member of the panel of 12, he brought with him the views of the other three alternates. As indicated, we have no way of knowing what went on during the original jury’s deliberations, or what was discussed when the alternate joined them. It is the danger of contamination which must be guarded against and which is to be condemned *430as a denial of due process when we are required to speculate if a verdict is tainted. In my view, defendant in this ease was tried by either 13 or 16 jurors contrary to N. J. Const. (1947), Art. 1, par. 9 and B. 1:8-3(d). When an individual’s freedom is at stake, a court should not be required to speculate whether he received a fair trial in accordance with law and due process.
Another problem which deserves our considered judgment, since the issue involved is novel, is whether the circumstances surrounding the trial judge’s decision to excuse the juror were sufficiently compelling to justify his action. The only colloquy that ensued between the juror who was excused and the trial judge follows:
JUROR NUMBER 11: Question. May I be dismissed from this jury because I appear to be too nervous and nervousness is affecting my judgment of this case? I want to be honest. Except I am nervous. I have to be honest. It is affecting my judgment and if you don’t mind, I would like to be replaced with someone.
THE COURT: Don’t you think you can render a fair verdict?
JUROR NUMBER 11: No, I don’t.
When a juror seeks to be excused after deliberations have begun, it is the trial judge’s duty to exert every reasonable effort to avoid the consequences that would necessarily flow from a granting of the request. The trial judge must make careful inquiry into the substance of the request. Admittedly, he must approach the issue with extreme caution and delicacy to avoid a mistrial or tainting the jury’s deliberations. Formally, such inquiry would be made out of the jury’s presence, but in the presence of all counsel and defendant. See the discussion concerning the extent to which the trial judge should examine the juror’s reasons for wanting to be excused. State v. Trent, 157 N. J. Super. 231 (App. Div. 1978). Here, the juror’s reason for asking to be excused was “* * * I appear to be too nervous and nervousness is affecting my judgment * * * and if you don’t mind, I would like to be replaced *431with someone.” The trial judge asked only one question before excusing him “Don’t you think you can render a fair verdict?”
It is my view when the request was made compelling circumstances did not exist for excusing the juror, and that defense counsel’s motion for a mistrial, based on the existing record, should have been granted. I assume every juror in a murder case is concerned and nervous to some degree, but that does not warrant excusing him from his sworn duty. Should we be compelled to speculate why and to what extent this juror suddenly became nervous after a four-day trial and about 90 minutes of deliberation? Must a trial judge accept his bald statement that he is nervous and wants to be replaced? No judge should have to do so because of the many speculative reasons that come quickly to mind. As an example only, he alone may have wanted to acquit or convict defendant and his fellow jurors took a contrary position and were pressuring him to adopt their views. Certainly, if this were the fact, excusing him would be unwarranted. Or, could it be one of the deficiencies of B. 1:8-3 (d) that a juror, knowing that alternates were waiting in the wings, took what he considered an easy way out? Or, perhaps, the other 11 jurors suggested it to him. In short, since we must speculate as to his reason, the trial judge’s action in excusing him under the existing circumstances was a mistaken exercise of discretion.
Finally, I am unable to agree that error did not result from the failure of the alternate juror to hear the supplemental charge. The majority admits the alternate jurors should have been brought into the courtroom to hear the supplemental charge, but decide that no prejudice resulted.
The difference between first and second degree murder, and the elements to be proven in connection therewith, are probably the most important parts of the charge. In reality, it is the most difficult part of the charge for the jury to understand. The trial judge in charging the jury on this subject utilized verbatim the suggested charge prepared by *432the Supreme Court’s Committee on Model Jury Charges. The transcript of this portion of the charge consists of six typewritten pages in the record. In contrast, in answering the jury’s inquiry that he “clarify the definition between first and second degree murder” he merely excerpted portions of his original charge (about two and one-half transcribed pages) and suggested if they needed additional clarification to ask for it..
I know of no case in the annals of the law, nor have any been brought to my attention, where absent a waiver a verdict was held valid if all the jurors rendering the verdict did not hear the trial judge’s entire instructions. No sound reason is presented which should impel us to adopt a new principle of law, and discard what has been a principle of justice so deeply rooted as to be deemed a fundamental and required practice, when to do so is based on pure conjecture. The trial judge’s deliberate failure to repeat his supplemental charge to the alternate, in the face of the requirement of B. l:8-2(d), defense counsel’s request for him to do so and the denial of the motion for a mistrial, deprived defendant of a fair trial and due process of law.
Accordingly, for the reasons expressed, I would reverse the conviction and order a new trial.

ln view of our conclusion that the confession was invalid it is unnecessary to pass upon the facial validity of R. l:8-2(d).

The issue of whether the rule is invalid because it deals with substantive law rather than practice and procedure, was not raised or argued and need not be decided. See Winberry v. Salisbury, 5 N. J. 240 (1950), cert. den. 340 U. S. 877, 71 S. Ct. 123, 95 L. Ed. 638 (1950).

Fed. R. Crim. P. 24(c) provides that once a case is submitted to the jury alternates must be discharged. It is significant that a proposal had been made that the federal rules be amended to allow for a substitution procedure. However, after being submitted to the Supreme Court for comment, the Court questioned the committee as to whether it was satisfied as to the constitutionality of such provision, and the proposal was withdrawn. See, Orfield, “Trial Jurors in Federal Criminal Cases,” 29 F. R. D. 43, 46 (1962).

At the outset of the trial, before any testimony was taken, the trial judge instructed the jury not to discuss the testimony among themselves until after he had charged the jury.