Pearson v. State
Annotate this CaseThe State charged Petitioner with various drug-related crimes. Petitioner’s co-defendant filed three proposed voir dire questions asking whether any prospective juror had ever been the victim of a crime or a member of a law enforcement agency. The circuit court declined to ask any of the proposed voir dire questions. The jury ultimately convicted Petitioner of drug-related crimes. The court of special appeals affirmed. The Court of Appeals reversed, holding (1) a trial court need not ask during voir dire whether any prospective juror has ever been the victim of a crime, but, on request, a trial court must ask whether any of the prospective jurors have strong feelings about the crime with which the defendant is charged; and (2) where all of the State’s witnesses are members of law enforcement agencies and/or where the basis for a conviction is reasonably likely to be the testimony of members of law enforcement agencies, on request, a trial court must ask during voir dire whether any of the prospective jurors have ever been a member of a law enforcement agency.
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