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FAILURE TO ADEQUATELY QUESTION JUROR ABOUT HER ABILITY TO BE FAIR AFTER SHE INDICATED SHE DID NOT THINK A PERSON SHOULD RESPOND TO VIOLENCE WITH VIOLENCE REQUIRED REVERSAL (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing defendant’s conviction, determined the court did not sufficiently question a juror about her ability to be fair after she indicated she didn’t think a person should respond to violence with violence:

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Here, during voir dire, a prospective juror indicated in response to questioning by defense counsel that she felt “you are never in the right if you respond to aggression with physical violence” and should “always turn the other cheek,” and that it was possible her belief could influence how she would decide the case. When the Supreme Court followed up by asking the prospective juror if her “religious beliefs” affected her verdict when she previously served on a criminal jury, she stated “I’m an atheist.” The court did not inquire further into the prospective juror’s ability to render an impartial verdict.

Under the circumstances of this case, the prospective juror’s statements revealed a state of mind likely to preclude her from rendering an impartial verdict, and thus, it was incumbent upon the Supreme Court to ascertain that she would render an impartial verdict based on the evidence … . The court failed to obtain an unequivocal assurance from the prospective juror, who never indicated that “religious beliefs” might influence her decision, that she would render an impartial verdict based on the evidence despite her feelings about the use of violence … . Further, the court’s collective inquiry to the whole panel as to whether “everybody here” could be fair and impartial was insufficient to constitute an unequivocal declaration of impartiality from the prospective juror at issue … . People v Francois, 2017 NY Slip Op 08844, Second Dept 12-20-17

 

CRIMINAL LAW (FAILURE TO ADEQUATELY QUESTION JUROR ABOUT HER ABILITY TO BE FAIR AFTER SHE INDICATED SHE DID NOT THINK A PERSON SHOULD RESPOND TO VIOLENCE WITH VIOLENCE REQUIRED REVERSAL (SECOND DEPT))/VOIR DIRE (CRIMINAL LAW, FAILURE TO ADEQUATELY QUESTION JUROR ABOUT HER ABILITY TO BE FAIR AFTER SHE INDICATED SHE DID NOT THINK A PERSON SHOULD RESPOND TO VIOLENCE WITH VIOLENCE REQUIRED REVERSAL (SECOND DEPT))/JURORS (CRIMINAL LAW, VOIR DIRE, FAILURE TO ADEQUATELY QUESTION JUROR ABOUT HER ABILITY TO BE FAIR AFTER SHE INDICATED SHE DID NOT THINK A PERSON SHOULD RESPOND TO VIOLENCE WITH VIOLENCE REQUIRED REVERSAL (SECOND DEPT))

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