State v. Bellamy
Opinions
ZARELLA, J.
The defendant, Brandon Montrell Bellamy, appeals from the judgment of the Appellate Court affirming his conviction, rendered after a jury trial, of two counts of murder in violation of General Statutes § 53a-54a (a), and one count each of assault in the first degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-59 (a) (5), criminal possession of a pistol in violation of General Statutes § 53a-217c (a), and carrying a pistol without a permit in violation of General Statutes § 29-35. The defendant claims that the Appellate Court incorrectly determined that he waived his unpreserved jury instruction claim under the rule established in
State
v.
Kitchens
,
I
We begin with the defendant's waiver claim. The defendant contends that the trial court's instruction on identification witnesses was deficient because it did not inform the jury that the certainty of a witness' identification does not mean that the identification is accurate, or that factors such as distance, lighting, a witness' emotional state and the time between the crime and the witness identification are also relevant in considering the accuracy of an identification. The state responds that defense counsel indicated that he understood and accepted the trial court's proposed instruction, and, therefore, the defendant's
claim is unreviewable under the waiver rule in
Kitchens
. We agree with the state that the defendant's claim is unreviewable.
On Monday, November 8, following conclusion of the evidence, the trial court stated for the record that it was going to meet with counsel in chambers for "a legal charging conference." The court explained: "[I]t's the actual law the court is going to give tomorrow as it relates to the charges themselves and any kind of law that would apply to this case based on identification witnesses, inconsistent testimony, etc., charges that need to go to the jury in order to complete the record of the case." The court added that it would try to incorporate any specific requests by counsel into the proposed charge. The court also indicated that it had given counsel copies of the court's proposed general and specific instructions. A brief recess followed, during which the court consulted with counsel in chambers.
After the recess, the court described the proceeding to follow as "our legal session for the charging conference." The court first observed that it had given counsel for both sides copies of the proposed general instructions. It then described certain changes unrelated to the identification issue that it intended to make in response to requests by counsel, adding that it also intended to change the instructions to read that it was the state's burden to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant had committed the charged crimes, to which defense counsel specifically assented. The court next discussed the proposed identification instruction, explaining: "With respect to identification, I did give an identification section in the charge which outlines on page 14 that the jur[ors] must be satisfied in making the identification, including some of the factors they can consider in this evidence. However, I'm going to expand that language to include ... language to the effect that, in every criminal prosecution, it is the state's responsibility to show that the defendant is the person who committed the offense, and if they are not satisfied of that evidence, then they cannot find the defendant guilty of any particular offense. I'm going to highlight that because, obviously, that is an issue in this case." The court also indicated its willingness to change language in the proposed instructions referring to the possession of a weapon, as suggested by defense counsel. After the court asked if there were any other exceptions, defense counsel responded: "Not at this time, Your Honor." The court replied: "Okay, I appreciate your coming back up, and, with that, because the charge is now complete, we can go right to the jury .... Okay?" Defense counsel simply responded: "Thank you, Your Honor." The court then adjourned for the day.
When the proceeding resumed the next morning, the court initially noted that it had conducted an on-the-record charging conference the previous day, during which it had made certain changes to the jury instructions suggested by counsel. The court also clarified that the jury instructions would contain no reference to lesser included offenses, and both counsel agreed that this was appropriate. After the court asked if there was "[a]nything else" of concern the parties wanted to discuss before the jury was brought into the courtroom, counsel responded: "Nothing from [the] defense, Your Honor." The jury then returned to the courtroom, and the court delivered its instructions.
The trial court's jury instructions addressed the issue of identification two different times. The court first addressed the identification issue indirectly when it instructed the jury regarding how to decide whether to believe a witness' testimony.
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ZARELLA, J.
The defendant, Brandon Montrell Bellamy, appeals from the judgment of the Appellate Court affirming his conviction, rendered after a jury trial, of two counts of murder in violation of General Statutes § 53a-54a (a), and one count each of assault in the first degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-59 (a) (5), criminal possession of a pistol in violation of General Statutes § 53a-217c (a), and carrying a pistol without a permit in violation of General Statutes § 29-35. The defendant claims that the Appellate Court incorrectly determined that he waived his unpreserved jury instruction claim under the rule established in
State
v.
Kitchens
,
I
We begin with the defendant's waiver claim. The defendant contends that the trial court's instruction on identification witnesses was deficient because it did not inform the jury that the certainty of a witness' identification does not mean that the identification is accurate, or that factors such as distance, lighting, a witness' emotional state and the time between the crime and the witness identification are also relevant in considering the accuracy of an identification. The state responds that defense counsel indicated that he understood and accepted the trial court's proposed instruction, and, therefore, the defendant's
claim is unreviewable under the waiver rule in
Kitchens
. We agree with the state that the defendant's claim is unreviewable.
On Monday, November 8, following conclusion of the evidence, the trial court stated for the record that it was going to meet with counsel in chambers for "a legal charging conference." The court explained: "[I]t's the actual law the court is going to give tomorrow as it relates to the charges themselves and any kind of law that would apply to this case based on identification witnesses, inconsistent testimony, etc., charges that need to go to the jury in order to complete the record of the case." The court added that it would try to incorporate any specific requests by counsel into the proposed charge. The court also indicated that it had given counsel copies of the court's proposed general and specific instructions. A brief recess followed, during which the court consulted with counsel in chambers.
After the recess, the court described the proceeding to follow as "our legal session for the charging conference." The court first observed that it had given counsel for both sides copies of the proposed general instructions. It then described certain changes unrelated to the identification issue that it intended to make in response to requests by counsel, adding that it also intended to change the instructions to read that it was the state's burden to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant had committed the charged crimes, to which defense counsel specifically assented. The court next discussed the proposed identification instruction, explaining: "With respect to identification, I did give an identification section in the charge which outlines on page 14 that the jur[ors] must be satisfied in making the identification, including some of the factors they can consider in this evidence. However, I'm going to expand that language to include ... language to the effect that, in every criminal prosecution, it is the state's responsibility to show that the defendant is the person who committed the offense, and if they are not satisfied of that evidence, then they cannot find the defendant guilty of any particular offense. I'm going to highlight that because, obviously, that is an issue in this case." The court also indicated its willingness to change language in the proposed instructions referring to the possession of a weapon, as suggested by defense counsel. After the court asked if there were any other exceptions, defense counsel responded: "Not at this time, Your Honor." The court replied: "Okay, I appreciate your coming back up, and, with that, because the charge is now complete, we can go right to the jury .... Okay?" Defense counsel simply responded: "Thank you, Your Honor." The court then adjourned for the day.
When the proceeding resumed the next morning, the court initially noted that it had conducted an on-the-record charging conference the previous day, during which it had made certain changes to the jury instructions suggested by counsel. The court also clarified that the jury instructions would contain no reference to lesser included offenses, and both counsel agreed that this was appropriate. After the court asked if there was "[a]nything else" of concern the parties wanted to discuss before the jury was brought into the courtroom, counsel responded: "Nothing from [the] defense, Your Honor." The jury then returned to the courtroom, and the court delivered its instructions.
The trial court's jury instructions addressed the issue of identification two different times. The court first addressed the identification issue indirectly when it instructed the jury regarding how to decide whether to believe a witness' testimony.
The defendant was convicted on all counts. On January 7, 2011, the court held a sentencing hearing. At the hearing, defense counsel initially argued in support of three postverdict motions the defendant had filed to arrest judgment, for judgment of acquittal, and for a new trial. In his argument, counsel stated that all three motions were based principally on the allegedly rapid speed with which the jury instructions had been delivered. Counsel specifically argued: "[I]t's not the content of the jury instructions. The jury instruction says we went through the charging conference. We conferred. We agreed on them. I didn't take any exceptions. The issue I had, Your Honor, was the speed with [which] the court went through the instructions to the jury." Counsel indicated that the speed of the instructions was important because it affected the jurors' ability to follow them. The court denied all three motions, reasoning that "the jur[ors] did have the benefit of the actual transcript of the court's instructions going in with them in their deliberative process."
Thereafter, the defendant appealed from the judgment of conviction.
On appeal to this court, the defendant contends that the Appellate Court incorrectly concluded that he waived his claim of instructional error. We disagree. In
Kitchens
, we stated: "[W]hen the trial court provides counsel with a copy of the proposed jury instructions, allows a meaningful opportunity for their review, solicits comments from counsel regarding changes or modifications and counsel affirmatively accepts the instructions proposed or given, the defendant may be deemed to have knowledge of any potential flaws therein and to have waived implicitly the constitutional right to challenge the instructions on direct appeal. Such a determination by the reviewing court must be based on a close examination of the record and the particular facts and circumstances of each case."
In the present case, all of the foregoing criteria were satisfied. The trial court gave both defense counsel and the state a copy of its proposed jury instructions four days before the charging conference. Two of the four days fell on a weekend, thus providing counsel with even more time to review the instructions. The court also solicited comments from counsel regarding modifications to the instructions during the in-chambers charging conference, during the proceedings in open court directly after the charging conference and on the following day immediately before instructing the jury. In addition, when the court discussed portions of the identification instruction on the record, defense counsel expressed no dissatisfaction with the instruction, although he commented on several other instructions. Counsel thus indicated that he had read and understood the instructions in their entirety and took no issue with any part, including the instruction on identification. Finally, defense counsel explicitly conceded during the sentencing hearing that he had agreed with the substance of the jury instructions before they were given and that his only objection was to the speed with which they had been delivered by the court. Accordingly, we conclude that the defendant implicitly waived his jury instruction claim under the rule articulated in Kitchens .
Notwithstanding these compelling facts, the defendant claims that he did not agree to the trial court's identification instruction. He contends that, in the absence of a marked copy of the jury instructions, there is no evidence in the record that defense counsel reviewed and approved of the precise language of the identification instruction. He also notes that, although the trial court stated during the on-the-record charging conference that it intended to broaden and expand on the language in the proposed instruction, there is no evidence that defense counsel had an opportunity to review and approve of the revised instruction before it was given. He thus argues that defense counsel's statement at the sentencing hearing that he agreed with the content of the jury instructions "cannot be reconciled" with the state's burden of establishing waiver by showing that counsel reviewed the precise language being challenged on appeal, especially in light of counsel's claim at the hearing regarding the speedy delivery of the instructions. We disagree.
We first observe that the waiver rule in
Kitchens
does not require that a copy of the proposed jury instructions be marked as an exhibit. It only requires evidence that the trial court gave the parties a "copy of the proposed jury instructions" and that the reviewing court's determination of implied waiver "be based on a close examination of the record and the particular facts and circumstances of each case."
State
v.
Kitchens
, supra,
Second, insofar as the defendant claims that he had no notice of the content of the final charge on witness identification because the court stated that it intended to "expand" that instruction, the defendant takes the trial court's language out of context and ignores the explanation that followed. What the court actually stated was that it intended to expand the language on page 14 of the proposed instructions "to include ... language to the effect that, in every criminal prosecution, it is the state's responsibility to show that the defendant is the person who committed the offense, and if [the jurors] are not satisfied of that
evidence, then they cannot find the defendant guilty of any particular offense. I'm going to highlight that because, obviously, that is an issue in this case." Accordingly, the trial court explained precisely how it intended to expand the language in the identification instruction and referred to the actual page on which the new language would be added. Furthermore, and as the Appellate Court noted, the only other change to the instructions even indirectly relating to witness identification was the court's addition of language instructing that the state had the burden to prove identity beyond a reasonable doubt;
State
v.
Bellamy
, supra,
As for the defendant's suggestion that defense counsel indicated during the sentencing hearing that he had trouble following the jury charge because of its speedy delivery, the record shows that counsel's reference to a speedy delivery at the hearing had nothing to do with his ability to understand, and thus object to, the instructions that were given. The record instead shows that counsel was referring to the jurors' possible inability to understand the instructions because of their speedy delivery. The defendant thus misconstrues counsel's argument at the sentencing hearing.
Finally, the cases on which the defendant relies are inapposite because their facts are distinguishable from the facts in the present case. See
State
v.
Davis
,
II
We next consider whether this court should overturn the waiver rule in
Kitchens
. The defendant contends that unpreserved claims of instructional error that satisfy the first two prongs of
Golding
should be considered by reviewing courts unless the error was induced or the claim was expressly waived by the challenging party. He specifically contends that
Kitchens
created an irrebuttable and incorrect presumption that all defense counsel who have had a meaningful opportunity to review draft jury instructions have knowledge of any and all constitutional errors contained therein, and that, through inaction or a silent record, all counsel are deemed under
Kitchens
to have waived a client's constitutional right to proper jury instructions for tactical reasons.
The state responds that the defendant misunderstands the meaning of the Kitchens waiver rule. The state argues that, when the trial court asks counsel to make an informed and binding judgment regarding whether to accept the jury instructions and counsel acquiesces, counsel waives the procedural right to object to the instructions on any of the multitude of possible grounds that counsel might presently be aware of or later perceive. Thus, "procedural waiver of the opportunity to object, by a professional who knew what was at stake, foreclosed any number of possible challenges that counsel might or might not have considered." The state further argues that this understanding of waiver comports with Connecticut's uncontroverted waiver doctrine and that overturning the rule would invalidate an entire body of waiver jurisprudence in this jurisdiction. The state maintains that the waiver rule in Kitchens is good policy because it gives parties an incentive to participate in the formulation of the jury instructions in a timely manner when errors can be corrected, thus promoting fair trials. We agree with the state.
We begin by noting that this court adopted the waiver rule in
Kitchens
in order to clarify the law and to encourage the formation of accurate jury instructions
consistent with the principles of fundamental fairness and the finality of judgments. To accomplish these objectives, the court explained that implied waiver may be found only after the trial court provides counsel with a written copy of the proposed instructions, allows counsel a meaningful opportunity to review them and solicits counsel's comments regarding proposed changes or modifications.
State
v.
Kitchens
, supra, 299 Conn. at 482-83,
In light of these considerations, we emphatically disagree with the notion that the implied waiver rule is fundamentally unfair because it is based on the presumption that counsel was aware of, and rejected as a matter of trial strategy, every conceivable challenge to the jury instructions. The rule is not unfair because, as the state correctly observed and we stated in
Kitchens
, what is waived is the procedural right to appeal any defect in the jury instructions. See id., at 483, 494,
Justice Palmer, writing for the court, explained in
Holness
that "[t]o conclude otherwise would require the trial court to canvass defense counsel with respect to counsel's understanding of the relevant constitutional principles before accepting counsel's agreement on how to proceed ... [and] there is nothing in our criminal law that supports such a requirement."
Our reasoning in
Kitchens
is also consistent with Connecticut and federal law governing a criminal defendant's waiver of other basic constitutional rights. These include the right to a jury trial; see,
e.g.,
State
v.
Rizzo
,
In sum, overturning
Kitchens
on the ground that waiver should be construed more narrowly would be inconsistent with
Holness
,
Brewer
and other cases in which we have indicated that counsel's approval of the jury instructions waives all potential claims of instructional error. We have observed, with respect to other errors during trial proceedings, that "[w]hat this court said over [100] years ago still remains true today. A defendant must avail himself of the opportunity to make an objection and if he does not avail himself of the opportunity, he must be [held] to a waiver of the objection. Otherwise he would be permitted to lie by and speculate upon the chances of a verdict, and that cannot
be tolerated." (Internal quotation marks omitted.)
State
v.
Evans
,
The defendant nonetheless takes issue with all four policy grounds on which the court in
Kitchens
relied in concluding that the waiver rule is justified, including (1) the presumption that counsel is competent, (2) the rules of practice that provide for counsel's participation in the crafting of instructions, (3) the rules of fairness that place responsibility with the trial court and counsel to ensure that the instructions are correct, and (4) the existence of habeas review as a potential safety net. See
State
v.
Kitchens
, supra, 299 Conn. at 486-89,
First, to the extent the defendant contends that the Kitchens waiver rule presumes counsel is omniscient, rather than competent, and that the rule does not allow for consideration of possible distractions, fatigue, discouragement or simple ignorance, the defendant misunderstands the rule, the meaning of competent counsel and the ability of counsel to identify errors before the instructions are given. As we previously discussed in greater detail, waiver in the context of jury instruction claims, jury trials, probable cause hearings, guilty pleas, and claims of ineffective assistance of counsel and double jeopardy does not contemplate knowledge by trial counsel or the defendant of every conceivable claim that might be raised on appeal. Trial counsel thus need not be omniscient under the waiver rule in Kitchens in order to provide a defendant with adequate representation.
Insofar as the defendant also suggests that the rule will unfairly penalize defendants because of inadvertent mistakes by counsel resulting from fatigue, distractions or other factors relating to the rapid pace of a trial, competent counsel do not defer consideration of jury instructions until the last minute, thereby increasing the possibility of committing inadvertent mistakes. Counsel necessarily must consider what the state will be required to prove and how the jury should be instructed well before commencement of the trial proceedings in order to prepare a defense. Thereafter, our rules of practice provide counsel with multiple opportunities to participate in the formulation of proper jury instructions based on counsel's professional assessment of what the jury needs to know to decide the case fairly. Viewed in this light, the rule in
Kitchens
merely encourages counsel to utilize these opportunities, thus enhancing the probability that the instructions will be accurate. We therefore reject the defendant's claim that the waiver rule sets an unattainable standard that requires more than competent counsel. In fact, the opposite is true. As Justice Katz observed in her concurring opinion in
Kitchens
, a review of Connecticut cases decided between 2000 and 2010 indicates that "the number of cases in which a defendant obtains reversal of his conviction on the basis of
Golding
review of instructional errors is negligible"; id., at 523,
The defendant next claims that, although the rules of practice provide for counsel's participation in the formulation of jury instructions, the degree of participation necessary for waiver to be found never has been clearly enunciated, thus creating confusion and no clear pattern among cases decided after Kitchens for future guidance. We disagree. The rules of practice, together with the waiver rule in Kitchens , provide exceptionally clear guidance as to how counsel may avoid waiver and successfully preserve a jury instruction claim. For example, the rules of practice provide that counsel may file a written request to charge; Practice Book §§ 42-16, 42-17 and 42-18 ; request an on-the-record charging conference; Practice Book § 42-19 ; obtain a summary of the substance of the proposed instructions at the close of evidence; Practice Book § 42-19 ; discuss modification of the instructions for purposes of correction or clarification; Practice Book § 42-24 ; and be given notice and the opportunity to make suggestions when the jury requests additional instructions following the start of deliberations. Practice Book § 42-27. The specificity of these rules suggests that counsel who fail to participate in formulating the jury instructions but have been given a meaningful opportunity to review them are on official notice that, unless they have objected to a particular instruction or a portion thereof, they have waived all future jury instruction claims. The rules of practice therefore serve the twin goals of providing the jury with accurate instructions and protecting the courts from expending limited resources on the adjudication of collateral attacks on the verdict that otherwise might have been avoided.
Finally, even if there may be no clear pattern among the cases decided following
Kitchens
, the lack of such a pattern is not because the rule itself has never been clearly enunciated; rather, it is because reviewing courts are required to determine whether the unique facts and circumstances in any given case support a finding of waiver. This is no different from the type of "facts and circumstances" analysis we conduct in other contexts;
State
v.
Davalloo
,
First, they ignore the significant fact that only a defendant is entitled to raise on appeal a claim that the jury instructions were incorrect. This means that, if the defendant is acquitted on the basis of instructions that misstate an element of the crime, the state may not appeal from the judgment on that ground but must accept the acquittal, even if the evidence may have been sufficient to establish the defendant's guilt under the proper instruction. See
State
v.
Ledbetter
,
As for the defendant's argument that the Kitchens waiver rule allows the state to exercise undue influence over whether unpreserved constitutional claims are reviewed under Golding because the state may decide against making a waiver claim in some cases for tactical reasons, this argument is highly speculative. The defendant does not suggest what that tactical advantage might be, and we perceive none. By failing to make a waiver claim, the state must then defend against the claim and risk a decision by the reviewing court in favor of the defendant. Even if the defendant's argument had some degree of validity, the defense must bear its share of responsibility for making certain that the jury instructions are correct. Thus, when defense counsel fails to take advantage of the many opportunities available during the trial proceedings to obtain accurate instructions, the defendant cannot blame the state for deciding in some cases and not in others to assert a claim of waiver. Regardless of any uncertainty, however, defendants should expect the state to assert a waiver claim in any case in which such a claim may be validly raised and have no reason to complain if the state fails to do so.
With respect to habeas review, the defendant argues that review typically takes place several years after the resolution of a direct appeal, prevents the speedy correction of obvious constitutional errors and puts further pressure on an already overburdened habeas docket. We agree that habeas review delays the resolution of an instructional claim that is deemed waived on direct appeal. We nonetheless consider habeas review good policy because only in the habeas court may a record be developed sufficient to determine whether counsel waived the claim for constitutionally acceptable strategic reasons. See
State
v.
Kitchens
, supra, 299 Conn. at 497,
Kitchens
provides a perfect example of the value of habeas review. On direct appeal, this court determined that the defendant had waived his unpreserved claim
of instructional error. Id., at 500,
We finally disagree with the defendant's argument that the court in
Kitchens
mislabeled forfeiture as waiver and that this court should follow federal waiver law, which provides that, in cases that do not involve invited or induced error, waiver occurs only when the challenged instruction is discussed on the record and defense counsel stipulates or specifically approves of the instruction by words or other conduct. See, e.g.,
United States
v.
Polouizzi
,
First, waiver under
Kitchens
, which requires that counsel affirmatively express satisfaction with the instructions proposed or given, is consistent with our precedent on waiver and inconsistent with this court's understanding of forfeiture as "the failure to make the timely assertion of a right ...." (Internal quotation marks omitted.)
State
v.
Davis
, supra,
Second, the defendant's claim that Connecticut should follow federal waiver law overlooks the fact that federal law is not monolithic and that some federal courts in recent years have adopted a view of waiver similar to that of
Kitchens
. For example, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals has concluded repeatedly during the past fifteen years that defendants have waived jury instruction claims by indicating to the trial court that the instructions were acceptable even in the absence of an on-the-record discussion of the precise instruction challenged on appeal. See
United States
v.
Carter
,
Third, and even more significant, the defendant's argument overlooks the fact that federal waiver law is inconsistent with our jurisprudence, thus making a comparison of federal and Connecticut law extremely difficult, if not impossible. Although Connecticut and federal law both distinguish between forfeiture and
waiver on the ground that "forfeiture is the failure to make the timely assertion of a right [whereas] waiver is the intentional relinquishment or abandonment of a known right"; (internal quotation marks omitted)
United States
v.
Olano
, supra,
Federal review of unpreserved trial errors is governed by rule 52 (b) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, which provides that "[a] plain error that affects substantial rights may be considered even though it was not brought to the court's attention."
In contrast, Connecticut waiver law is construed more broadly than federal waiver law, and plain error review more strictly. An unpreserved constitutional claim that has not been waived under
Kitchens
may be afforded
Golding
review but is not automatically afforded plain error review, as in the federal courts. That is because the plain error doctrine in Connecticut, "codified at Practice Book § 60-5, is an extraordinary remedy used by appellate courts [only] to rectify errors committed at trial that, although unpreserved, are of such monumental proportion that they threaten to erode our system of justice and work a serious and manifest injustice on the aggrieved party. [T]he plain error doctrine ... is not ... a rule of reviewability. It is a rule of reversibility. That is, it is a doctrine that this court invokes in order to rectify a trial court ruling that, although either not properly preserved or never raised at all in the trial court, nonetheless requires reversal of the trial court's judgment, for reasons of policy. ... In addition, the plain error doctrine is reserved for truly extraordinary situations [in which] the existence of the error is so obvious that it affects the fairness and integrity of and public confidence in the judicial proceedings. ... Plain error is a doctrine that should
be invoked sparingly. ... Implicit in this very demanding standard is the notion ... that invocation of the plain error doctrine is reserved for occasions requiring the reversal of the judgment under review. ... [Thus, an appellant] cannot prevail under [the plain error doctrine] ... unless he demonstrates that the claimed error is both so clear and so harmful that a failure to reverse the judgment would result in manifest injustice." (Citations omitted; internal quotation marks omitted.)
State
v.
Myers
,
In sum, federal law generally, but not always, limits waiver in jury instruction cases to a small number of cases in which the disputed instruction has been discussed on the record at trial or in which there is clear evidence in the record that the instruction was accepted by defense counsel for tactical reasons. Virtually all other jury instruction claims are considered forfeited and are subject only to plain error review. Although plain error may be found in some cases, a remedy is not mandated but, rather, is granted at the discretion of the reviewing court upon a showing that the error was clear and affected the defendant's substantial rights. In Connecticut, however, the system for reviewing unpreserved constitutional claims is more complicated. Unpreserved claims that have not been waived are not automatically reviewed under the plain error doctrine because the plain error doctrine in Connecticut, unlike under federal law, is one of reversibility rather than reviewability. In other words, plain error is reserved for the very few cases in which the alleged error is so extraordinary that automatic reversal is required, there being no need for a discretionary determination by the court regarding the imposition of a remedy. Consequently, most forfeited claims of constitutional dimension in Connecticut are reviewed under Golding if they have not been waived. Given these differences, the defendant's comparison of forfeited claims under state law with forfeited claims under federal law that are afforded plain error review is inappropriate because it presumes that plain error review is the same in the state and federal systems. It is not. We therefore reject the defendant's comparison of state and federal law on waiver and forfeiture as misleading and irrelevant.
We instead agree with the state that the rule in Kitchens improves the process of constructing fair and balanced jury instructions because it provides incentives to the parties and the court to ensure that the instructions are accurate. In contrast, allowing appellate review of any unpreserved jury instruction claim of constitutional magnitude under Golding gives appellate counsel unbridled freedom to raise a multiplicity of jury instruction claims that trial counsel waived for tactical reasons, as was the case in Kitchens . Finally, the defendant never explains why an express waiver is not subject to many of the same deficiencies attributed to an implicit waiver, such as the failure of counsel to perceive a defect in a particular instruction, even though counsel may have suggested or specifically approved of the instruction during an on-the-record charging conference. We therefore conclude that the implied waiver rule this court adopted in Kitchens should not be overturned.
The concurring justices disagree with the Kitchens waiver rule on the ground that it is too expansive and upsets the balance achieved under Golding . Chief Justice Rogers, who embraces an approach to waiver similar to the federal approach, is specifically concerned that habeas review is not an effective and equivalent substitute for direct appellate review of novel constitutional claims because it involves substantial delay and provides an inhospitable framework for resolving such claims. She also contends that the waiver rule has spawned an entirely new area of jurisprudence addressing whether the requirements for waiver have been met, and fears that a claim of instructional error deemed waived under Kitchens will be raised anew in a habeas proceeding. We disagree.
With respect to her first concern, Chief Justice Rogers overlooks our express determination in this case to "leave the merits and a full discussion of this argument for another day, when such a claim is presented to this court on direct appeal." Footnote 22 of this opinion. As for her contention that the waiver rule in
Kitchens
has created an entirely new area of jurisprudence, there is no evidence to support this claim.
Kitchens
is only one in a long line of cases over the course of several decades in which Connecticut courts have considered implied waiver in the context of jury instruction claims. See
State
v.
Kitchens
, supra, 299 Conn. at 470-72,
Finally, to the extent Chief Justice Rogers prefers the federal approach to determining whether a jury instruction claim has been waived, we point to the imbalance that would result from attempting to combine federal and state waiver law. Although federal waiver law permits the review of a greater number of claims than would be permissible under state law because more federal claims are deemed forfeited, and thus reviewable, than would be deemed reviewable under
Kitchens
, the ultimate remedy under the federal plain error doctrine is more difficult to obtain than the remedy available under
Golding
that Chief Justice Rogers recommends. That is because the federal remedy for plain error is discretionary, whereas the remedy under
Golding
is automatic reversal of the judgment if the four-pronged test of
Golding
is satisfied. Accordingly, permitting Connecticut courts to review a greater number of claims by following federal forfeiture law in the absence of a state remedy comparable to the stringent
federal plain error remedy for determining whether claims succeed opens the door to the abuses that
Golding
review was intended to discourage, such as trial by ambuscade. See, e.g.,
Moye
v.
Commissioner of Correction
,
We turn next to Justice Palmer's concurring opinion, in which he also argues that the waiver rule in Kitchens should be overturned. We reject his lengthy analysis in all respects because, among other things, it is based in part on the construction of a false dichotomy between the reasoning in Kitchens and the present case, and on an incorrect understanding of how the court in Kitchens used the term "acquiescence" when discussing the state's claims and Connecticut's prior waiver law. We also reject Justice Palmer's approach to waiver, which is far more extreme than the federal approach and, to our knowledge, has not been adopted by any other jurisdiction. Indeed, the approach he suggests would have the effect of virtually eliminating Connecticut's implied waiver doctrine in the context of jury instruction claims. We address each point in turn.
Justice Palmer initially contends that the implied waiver rule in Kitchens was predicated on the legal fiction, or presumption, "that a defense counsel who reviews and then acquiesces in the trial court's proposed instructions has considered and declined to raise every potential objection to every part of the instructions" but that we have "disavowed" this rationale and now justify the rule on the ground that "defense counsel, upon reviewing the trial court's proposed jury charge, knowingly and voluntarily waives her client's procedural right to later challenge those instructions on appeal." This is simply untrue. There is no difference in the reasoning articulated in Kitchens and the present case.
Justice Palmer constructs a false dichotomy lacking any basis in fact. The court in
Kitchens
repeatedly explained, as we do in the present case, that waiver involves the "intentional relinquishment or abandonment of a known right or privilege"; (internal quotation marks omitted)
State
v.
Kitchens
, supra, 299 Conn. at 469,
Justice Palmer also argues that the court in Kitchens failed to provide clear guidance as to what constitutes implied waiver, in part because the court used the term "acquiescence" in a "misleading and inconsistent manner." He contends that " Kitchens described as acquiescence everything from defense counsel's sitting silently by and failing to object to the court's jury charge to defense counsel's expression of affirmative satisfaction or agreement with the charge," and that the result of this inconsistency is confusion and a lack of understanding as to the type of conduct that may lead to a finding of waiver. Justice Palmer also claims that the court in Kitchens and the majority opinion in the present case have indicated that "mere acquiescence" constitutes waiver, which entails passive acceptance. This is not the case.
Justice Palmer continues to misunderstand the reasoning in
Kitchens
and the present case. The court in
Kitchens
did not use the term "acquiescence" when articulating the modified waiver rule but described
implied waiver as requiring, among other things, counsel's "affirmative acceptance" of the instructions that were given.
In explaining his own view as to when implied waiver should be found, Justice Palmer resurrects his argument in
Kitchens
that "an unpreserved claim that instructional error of constitutional magnitude has occurred should be unreviewable under
Golding
only when (1) defense counsel induced or invited the error, or (2) it clearly can be inferred that counsel-or the defendant-actually was aware of the alleged defect in the instruction but chose for strategic or other reasons not to object (true waiver)."
First, the unavailability of
Golding
review in cases of induced or invited error is based on exactly the same presumption, or "legal fiction," Justice Palmer rejects as "illogical," "unfounded" and "implausible" in the context of implied waiver under
Kitchens
. The presumption is that the claim is unreviewable because the defendant had knowledge of any potential flaws in the instructions that were given but intentionally disregarded them for strategic reasons.
State
v.
Kitchens
, supra, 299 Conn. at 470,
Second, Justice Palmer's definition of implied waiver, which would limit waiver to cases in which "it clearly can be inferred that counsel-or the defendant-actually was aware of the alleged defect in the instruction but chose for strategic or other reasons not to object (true waiver)," is so narrow that it abolishes, for all
intents and purposes, the implied waiver doctrine in Connecticut in the context of jury instruction claims. In
Kitchens
, the court responded to this same, now recycled argument by observing that the concept of implied waiver under Justice Palmer's definition very likely would be "eviscerate[d]" because "there appears to be no way that counsel may clearly demonstrate such knowledge except by expressly informing the court."
We conclude with the observation that Justice Palmer, in his enthusiasm to overturn the waiver rule in
Kitchens
, makes many other points that are either unsupported or supported by irrelevant sources to which he cites. For example, he declares that incarcerated defendants will suffer unnecessarily under
Kitchens
as a result of having to litigate their jury instruction claims in habeas proceedings and proclaims that Juma Lahai, the petitioner in
Lahai
v.
Warden
, Superior Court, judicial district of Tolland, Docket No. TSR-CV-09-4003028-S,
Justice Palmer makes a similar mistake when claiming that the concept of waiver should be narrowly drawn so as not to unduly limit
Golding
review. He cites
State
v.
Pond
,
Justice Palmer further declares that, "with five years now having passed since this court decided
Kitchens
, time and experience have borne out my concerns, and those of Justice Katz, that the majority's reliance on habeas proceedings as a panacea was seriously misplaced. When
Kitchens
was decided, we predicted that the rule would increase rather than decrease the burden on judicial resources because any time saved in avoiding appellate review of instructional error would be more than offset by the need for a full habeas trial on the issue. In fact, of the six cases decided in the year following this court's decision in
Kitchens
in which the Appellate Court found claims of instructional error waived under
Kitchens
, four already have resulted in habeas petitions related to the alleged instructional error.
"When
Kitchens
was decided, we also warned that habeas proceedings would only push back the inevitable, as petitioners whose ineffective assistance of counsel
claims were denied on collateral review ultimately would return to the Appellate Court for review of those decisions. Sure enough, the first generation of post-
Kitchens
habeas appeals is now coming home to roost. See, e.g.,
Bharrat
v.
Commissioner of Correction
,
Justice Palmer cites four habeas cases during the past five years in which a
Kitchens
claim was purportedly
raised. Four cases in five years, however, can hardly be regarded as an intolerable consequence of
Kitchens
. Moreover, none of the cited cases is relevant because the rule in
Kitchens
was either not raised or only one of several issues raised by the petitioner. In
Carrion
v.
Warden
, Superior Court, judicial district of Tolland, Docket No. TSR-CV-11-4004163-S (December 15, 2015), for example, the petitioner, Christopher Carrion, asserted three claims of error, only one of which was a claim of ineffective assistance based on instructional impropriety.
As for the other three cases that Justice Palmer cites, the court determined in
Lahai
v.
Warde
n
, supra, Superior Court, Docket No. TSR-CV-09-4003028-S, that the instructional error had been induced; and no
Kitchens
claim was raised in
Myers
v.
Warden
, Superior Court, judicial district of Tolland, Docket No. TSR-CV-14-4005938-S (withdrawn August 12, 2016), or in the habeas proceeding and appeal that followed in
Bharrat
. See generally
Bharrat
v.
Commissioner of Correction
, supra, 167 Conn.App. at 158,
Justice Palmer finally suggests, as he did in
Kitchens
, that the waiver of a
jury instruction claim under
Kitchens
may be overcome if defense counsel informs the trial court that he has not raised a constitutional challenge to the charge because he is unaware of any such claim. See
State
v.
Kitchens
, supra, 299 Conn. at 541,
The judgment of the Appellate Court is affirmed.
In this opinion EVELEIGH, ESPINOSA and ROBINSON Js. concurred.
Footnotes
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