People v. Adams CA2/6

DISCUSSION

Jury voir dire Adams contends the trial court violated his Sixth Amendment right to a fair and impartial jury when it imposed unreasonable time limits on jury voir dire. We conclude otherwise. 1. Relevant background At a pretrial hearing, the trial court advised the parties that it intended to give the parties 30 minutes on their initial challenges for cause and then 15 minutes for each additional round of voir dire. The court also told the parties, “I’ll also give you the opportunity if you need an extra five minutes, you can ask me for more time during any one of those, and I’m happy to consider giving that [too]. [¶] And as long as you’re being efficient and . . . things are going smoothly, I’m happy to give you time.” The court clarified the parties would have “over an hour in total” for voir dire and that it would take other factors into consideration for extra time allowances. a. First round of voir dire Jury voir dire began on July 5, 2023. Before jury selection, the trial court provided a questionnaire to prospective jurors. After the first group of 18 prospective jurors were selected, the court asked follow-up questions to anyone who answered “yes” to any of…