Court Opinion

ID: 9459555
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-04 21:23:50.807523+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:36:12.911228
License: Public Domain

JOHN W. PECK, Circuit Judge
(concurring) .
While the better practice clearly requires that a trial judge include in a jury voir dire interrogation inquiries designed to determine the prospective jurors’ willingness and capacity to extend to the defendant his constitutional presumption of innocence, there is no absolute requirement that he do so. When he does not do so on his own motion, the better practice even more clearly dictates that such an inquiry should be undertaken upon request of defense counsel, but where as here the trial judge asked and received assurance that the prospective jurors would accept the charge of the court on the law as it applied to the evidence, irrespective of their own views concerning such law, and where as here the instructions to the jury contained a full and accurate explanation of presumption of innocence and burden of proof, in my opinion the failure to make the requested inquiry did not constitute a sufficient abuse of discretion to require reversal. However, in my view the refusal of the trial court to grant a continuance under the circumstances related in the majority opinion constituted a further abuse of discretion, and in combination the two refusals sufficiently prejudiced the appellant’s rights as to require a vacation of the judgment. I accordingly concur in the result reached in the majority opinion.