State v. Hills

129 So. 2d 12, 241 La. 345, 1961 La. LEXIS 569
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedApril 24, 1961
Docket45060
StatusPublished
Cited by86 cases

This text of 129 So. 2d 12 (State v. Hills) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Hills, 129 So. 2d 12, 241 La. 345, 1961 La. LEXIS 569 (La. 1961).

Opinions

HAMLIN, Justice.

The defendant, Henry Hills, appeals from his conviction of a violation of LSA-R.S. 14:42 (Aggravated Rape) and sentence of death, presenting for our consideration fourteen bills of exceptions reserved during the course of trial.

Because of their similarity, Bills of Exceptions Nos. 1 and 2 will be discussed jointly.

Bill of Exceptions No. 1 was taken to the ruling of the trial judge, which sustained the objection of the State to a question collectively propounded to six prospective jurors under the following circumstances:

“Mr. Gulotta, counsel for the defendant:
“Q. Are any of you in sympathy with any integration or segregation organisations?” (Emphasis ours.)

Objection by the State.

“Mr. Gulotta:
“We submit, may it please Your Honor, it is a proper question for the purpose of determining the mental condition of these jurors with reference to the issue in this case.” 1
“Mr. Dowling, District Attorney for the Parish of Orleans :
“They can ask whether or not they are prejudiced against this particular individual. They can’t simply take the whole race, or the whole people of the organizations, or anything of that sort.
“By the Court:
[355]*355“I believe for any juror to be qualified, he would have to state under voir dire that he did not have any prejudice against any individual. The Court sustains the State’s objection. I think you are going too far afield.”

In Bill of Exceptions No. 1 counsel for the defendant state that prior to the propounding of the above question, previous prospective jurors on voir dire examination were asked the same or similar questions without objection by the State. They allege that two of the previous prospective jurors stated that they were members of the Citizens Council of New Orleans, a pro-segregation organization, and that the defendant, through his counsel, peremptorily challenged and excused the two jurors.

Bill of Exceptions No. 2 was reserved to the ruling of the trial judge which held that the following question, collectively propounded to six prospective jurors by counsel for the defendant, was objectionable and had the effect of enlarging the scope of personal prejudice:2

"Do any of you gentlemen belong to any religious or segregation groups?” (Emphasis ours.)

In Bill of Exceptions No. 2 counsel for the defendant allege that the above question was propounded for the purpose of ascertaining and determining whether the prospective jurors were biased and prejudiced in arriving at a verdict and passing judg.ment on the guilt or innocence of the accused.3

[357]*357The trial judge was of the opinion that the questions propounded to the prospective jurors were irrelevant and confusing, too general, and did not in any way tend to meet the test of a competent juror. He was of the further opinion that counsel for the defendant were trying to enlarge the scope of what could he considered legal prejudice or legal bias.

Counsel for the defendant admit in brief that they were not entitled to challenge for cause those prospective jurors who would have answered that they were members of segregation groups or organizations, or that they were segregation sympathizers,4 but they contend that in order that they might have used the twelve peremptory challenges allowed by law to their best interest and advantage and as judgment dictated, the questions propounded to the prospective jurors as to whether they were members of segregation groups or organizations, or whether they were segregation sympathizers, were legally proper and should have been allowed, and that the trial judge’s denial of an opportunity to so question these prospective jurors was a denial of a fair and impartial trial by a fair and impartial jury, a denial of Due Process of Law and equal protection of the law under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments of the Constitution of the United States, and a denial of the defendant’s rights under the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of the State of Louisiana. Article I, Section 10, Louisiana Constitution of 1921, LSA; LSA-R.S. 15:354.

It is to be noted at the outset, as stated by the trial judge, that this is not a case involving the opening or closing of a school, or the integration of a school, or a question involving the acceptance or non-acceptance of the United States Supreme Court decision (Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 349 U.S. 294, 75 S.Ct. 753, 99 L.Ed. 1083) on the question of racial discrimination in public education. It concerns the capital crime of aggravated rape alleged to have been committed by a colored man upon a white woman.

The record discloses that the trial judge was fully cognizant of LSA-R.S. 15 :422(6), [359]*359which recites that judicial notice is taken of racial conditions prevailing in this State. Prior to the examination on voir dire of any of the members of the prospective jury panel, he made the following statement:

“Gentlemen of the Jury, I think I should read the qualifications needed to serve as a petit juror in this case. I am reading it not only for the benefit of the jurors in the box, but for those on the rest of the panel as well. In order to serve as a grand juror or a petit juror in any of the Courts of this State, you must be a citizen of this State not less than 21 years of age, a bona fide resident of the Parish of Orleans one year preceding service on this particular panel, able to read and write the English language, not under interdiction or charged with any offense, or convicted at any time of any felony, providing there shall be no distinction on account of race, color or previous condition of servitude. I make this mention to you gentlemen so that you will itnderstand that unless you meet these qualifications you would not be qualified to serve as a juror. Unless someone signifies he does not meet these qualifications, the Court will assume you do meet them.”

The record further discloses that prior to the taking of the instant bills of exceptions, questions were propounded to the jury panel as to whether the variance in race of the prosecuting witness and the accused would create a bias or prejudice in their minds. There were no indicative answers that this fact would cause the jurors to have any particular or personal bias or prejudice against the defendant because of that fact alone. The following question with respect to the particular offense of rape was asked of the jurors:

“Do any of you gentlemen of the jury have a particular or personal prejudice for the crime of aggravated rape in and of itself?”

LSA-R.S. 15:357 sets forth that the purpose of the examination of jurors is to ascertain the qualifications of the juror in the trial of the case in which he has been tendered, and the examination shall be limited to that purpose.

“The term ‘qualification’ * * * has reference to the state of the juror’s mind and not to his experience in serving on juries, or the lack of such experience.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
129 So. 2d 12, 241 La. 345, 1961 La. LEXIS 569, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-hills-la-1961.