Lopez-Villa v. State

Brigido Lopez-Villa v. State, No. 22, September Term, 2021. Opinion by Hotten, J. CRIMINAL LAW — REVIEW — PRESENTATION AND RESERVATION IN LOWER COURT OF GROUNDS OF REVIEW — SUMMONING AND IMPANELING JURY For a party to preserve its objection to a trial court’s omission or modification of proposed voir dire questions, the party must object or indicate disagreement at the time the trial court makes its ruling. This is true unless the party is not given the opportunity to object at the time of the trial court’s ruling, the trial court expressly recognizes the party’s objection, or the party later retracts the waiver of the objection under certain circumstances. Simply because a party expresses a desire to have certain questions posed prior to the court’s ruling does not provide the court insight into the direction the party wishes the court to take at the time of its decision.

Trial strategies and legal opinions of counsel often change over the course of litigation, and the failure to object or express disagreement at the time of the court’s ruling deprives the court with the opportunity to correct any perceived error in its action and deprives the opposing party with the opportunity to respond. Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County Case No. C-02-CR-18-001709 Argued: December 2, 2021 IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF MARYLAND No. 22 September Term, 2021 __________________________________ BRIGIDO LOPEZ-VILLA v. STATE OF MARYLAND __________________________________ Getty, C.J., *McDonald, Watts, Hotten, Booth, Biran, Gould, JJ. __________________________________ Opinion by Hotten, J. Gould, J., concurs. Biran, J., dissents. __________________________________ Filed: March 14, 2022 *McDonald, J., now retired, participated in the hearing and conference of this case Pursuant to Maryland Uniform Electronic Legal while an active member of this Court; after Materials Act (§§ 10-1601 et seq. of the State Government Article) this document is authentic. being recalled pursuant to Maryland 2022-06-15 14:44-04:00 Constitution, Article IV, Section 3A, he also participated in the decision and adoption of this opinion. Suzanne C. Johnson, Clerk In Kazadi v. State, 467 Md. 1, 48 , 223 A.3d 554, 582 (2020), we held that a trial court is required, upon request, to ask potential jurors voir dire questions directed at a defendant’s fundamental rights related to the burden of proof, the presumption of innocence, and the right not to testify.

We held that this ruling applied retroactively to any case that was currently pending on appeal, so long as the relevant question was preserved for appellate review. Id. at 54 , 223 A.3d at 586 . The present appeal involves one such case that was pending when we decided Kazadi and in which a trial court declined a defendant’s request to ask voir dire questions pertaining to such fundamental rights. We now consider whether defense counsel in this case properly preserved for appellate review, Petitioner Brigido Lopez-Villa’s claim based on the trial court’s failure to ask such questions now required by Kazadi.

We granted certiorari to address the following question: Where Petitioner submitted a written request for Kazadi [voir dire] questions and the trial court “reviewed” the questions and ruled that it was “not inclined to ask” them “because the Court will instruct on those areas of law,” did the Court of Special Appeals err in holding that Petitioner “failed to preserve his objection to the court’s refusal to read his proposed [voir dire] questions,” because he “failed to ask or tell the court that he objected to the failure to ask those specific questions,” and because when, at the end of [voir dire], the trial court inquired, “[d]id I miss any questions . . . what you previously objected to, which I will preserve for the record,” counsel responded “no”? We answer in the negative and affirm the decision of the Court of Special Appeals.1 1 In his petition for certiorari, Petitioner also asked, “[d]id the trial court err by not asking the venire panel certain requested [voir dire] questions that are required by Kazadi v. State, 467 Md. 1 (2020)?” Since we hold that Petitioner did not preserve this issue for appellate review, we decline to reach that question. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND The Underlying Incident Petitioner was convicted of one count of sexual abuse of a minor and four counts of third-degree sexual offense, following a four-day jury trial in the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County. As aptly stated by the Court of Special Appeals, “the underlying facts are largely irrelevant to the issues on appeal.

Suffice it to say that the evidence, when viewed in the light most favorable to the State, was sufficient to support the convictions. [Petitioner] does not contend otherwise.” Lopez-Villa v. State, No. 240, Sept. Term, 2019, 2020 WL 6130896 , at ¹ (Md. Ct. Spec. App. Oct. 19, 2020). Legal Proceedings A. Circuit Court Proceeding Prior to trial, both Petitioner and the State submitted proposed voir dire questions to the trial court. Petitioner submitted a total of twenty-six questions, the following two of which are presently at issue: 2.

Do you understand a Criminal Defendant is presumed innocent and it is solely the burden of the State to produce evidence to convince you, the Jury unanimously, of the accused’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt? 22. Do you have any moral, ethical or religious convictions and/or opinions that would prohibit you from rendering a fair and impartial verdict in this case, and from following the Court’s instructions on the Law, including[:] that the accused is presumed innocent, and can only be convicted upon competent evidence produced by the State, convincing you beyond a reasonable doubt of the Defendant’s guilt? The trial court reviewed the parties’ proposed questions and, after discussion with counsel prior to voir dire, rejected some and accepted others from both sides. The 2 following colloquies took place between the court and defense counsel pertaining to the two questions at issue here: THE COURT: . . .

The Court has reviewed Defendant’s [voir dire]. The Court would not be inclined to ask, because the Court believes it is duplicative with the State’s questions, number 1. The Court is not inclined to ask question number 2, as the jury will be instructed as to the law. Question 3 is duplicative, 4 is duplicative, 5 is duplicative, 6 is duplicative. [Defense counsel], I don’t know.

The question about teachers or work in the education field. The jurors should have their occupations listed on the jury profile sheet. So do I need to ask question number 7? It should be on the profile sheet when we get it. [DEFENSE COUNSEL]: Judge, it should be, but it isn’t always there.

And the nature of this case, since we will have educators testifying, I think the Defendant has a right to know that. THE COURT: All right. I will ask it. [DEFENSE COUNSEL]: And if I can return to number 6? THE COURT: Yes. * * * THE COURT: . . .

The Court is not inclined to give [question] 22 as it is stated, because the Court will instruct on those areas of the law. But the Court would be inclined to give a modified 22 that indicates whether they have moral, ethical, religious convictions or opinions that would prevent them from returning a verdict. [DEFENSE COUNSEL]: Your Honor, I am sorry. What happened to 21, my 21? THE COURT: I am going to add it into 22.

Okay? [THE STATE]: And I apologize, Your Honor. You may [have] just said it in 22. And you are just saying rendering a verdict, not fair and impartial? 3 THE COURT: No. I would change it to say prevent them from returning a verdict no matter what the circumstances of the case were. [THE STATE] Thank you, Your Honor. The court then proceeded with voir dire, during which it did not ask Petitioner’s proposed question 2 and asked the following modified version of Petitioner’s proposed question 22: “[i]s there any member of the jury panel who has any political, religious or other convictions that would prevent you from sitting as a juror in this case and returning a verdict based solely upon the law and the evidence?” After the conclusion of voir dire, the court held a bench conference with counsel and the following ensued: THE COURT: Did I miss any questions? [THE STATE]: I don’t believe so.

THE COURT: All right. Any additional questions from the State? [THE STATE]: No, thank you. THE COURT: [Defense Counsel], anything? --- what you previously objected to, which I will preserve for the record. [DEFENSE COUNSEL]: No. Following trial, the jury acquitted Petitioner of three counts of second-degree rape and two counts of second-degree sexual offense, but convicted him of one count of sexual abuse of a minor and four counts of third-degree sexual offense. He was sentenced to twenty years of imprisonment. 4 B. Kazadi v. State Petitioner appealed his convictions to the Court of Special Appeals, which stayed the matter pending this Court’s decision in Kazadi v. State, determining that case had bearing on Petitioner’s appeal.

See Lopez-Villa, 2020 WL 6130896 , at ¹. In Kazadi, we held that, “on request, during voir dire, a trial court must ask whether any prospective jurors are unwilling or unable to comply with the jury instructions on the long-standing fundamental principles of the presumption of innocence, the State’s burden of proof, and the defendant’s right not to testify.” 467 Md. at 35–36, 223 A.3d at 574–75. In doing so, we overruled our previous precedent in Twining v. State, which was still good law at the time Petitioner’s case was decided and which held that a trial court was not so required. 234 Md. 97, 100 , 198 A.2d 291, 293 (1964). Kazadi expressly stated that its holding was applicable to any cases that were currently pending on direct appeal, so long as “the relevant question has been preserved for appellate review.” 467 Md. at 47 , 223 A.3d at 581 .

C. The Opinion of the Court of Special Appeals Following this Court’s decision in Kazadi, the Court of Special Appeals considered Petitioner’s appeal, but determined in an unreported opinion that his objection to the exclusion of his voir dire questions impacted by Kazadi was not preserved for appellate review.2 Lopez-Villa, 2020 WL 6130896 , at ¹. In reliance on Maryland Rule 4-323(c), it 2 Petitioner also asked the Court of Special Appeals whether the trial court abused its discretion in denying Petitioner’s motion to strike four prospective jurors for cause. (continued. . .) 5 determined that Petitioner’s defense counsel did not “make[] known to the court . . . the objection to the action of the court.” Id. at ³ (quoting Md. Rule 4-323(c)). Specifically, the Court of Special Appeals stated that “defense counsel did not identify the questions that the court had failed to ask or tell the court that he objected to the failure to ask those specific questions.

Instead, he asked what the court intended to do with some of his other proposed questions.” Id. It also reasoned that Petitioner failed to preserve his objection when defense counsel requested no additional questions following voir dire after being prompted by the court. Id. In so finding, the Court of Special Appeals rejected Petitioner’s argument that “any additional ‘protest’” would have antagonized the court, as it found that Petitioner never made any initial protest to the court’s actions.

Id. Following the decision of the Court of Special Appeals, Petitioner filed a petition for certiorari to this Court, which we granted on August 3, 2021. Lopez-Villa v. State, 475 Md. 698 , 257 A.3d 1161 (2021). DISCUSSION Contentions of the Parties Petitioner alleges that the Court of Special Appeals erred in finding that he waived his objection to the trial court’s denial of his proposed voir dire questions 2 and 22, which he asserts are now required by Kazadi.

He argues that his objection is preserved under Maryland Rule 4-323(c) because, by submitting written proposed voir dire questions to the (. . . continued) Lopez-Villa, 2020 WL 6130896 , at ¹. It answered that question in the negative and Petitioner does not appeal that decision before this Court. Id. at ⁶. 6 trial court, it understood the action that he “desired the court to take[,]” in satisfaction of the Rule. Petitioner alleges that no contemporaneous objection to the court’s decision to exclude question 2 and modify question 22 was necessary under Md. Rule 4-323(c).

Petitioner also argues that his objections were preserved based on the trial court’s statement following voir dire that it would preserve what defense counsel had previously objected to, alleging that questions 2 and 22 were the only two questions proposed by Petitioner that the court declined to ask as written (apart from those questions that the court determined were duplicative). The State replies that the Court of Special Appeals correctly concluded that Petitioner’s objections were not preserved for appellate review, asserting that Petitioner never objected at any point to the court’s respective rejection and modification of his proposed voir dire questions 2 and 22. As such, the State argues that Petitioner is barred from objecting to the trial court’s treatment of those questions on appeal under Md. Rules 8-131(a) and 4-323(c). The State also argues that Petitioner further waived any alleged objection to the court’s actions when the court asked following voir dire if he had missed any questions and defense counsel replied that he had not.

It argues that the court’s reference following voir dire to preserving what defense counsel had “previously objected to” did not refer to the court’s omission and modification of Petitioner’s proposed questions 2 and 22, but instead referred to Petitioner’s anticipatory objection to the State’s request for alternating preemptory strikes, which the State asserts was Petitioner’s only objection on the record. 7 Standard of Review “An appellate court reviews for abuse of discretion a trial court’s decision as to whether to ask a voir dire question.” Pearson v. State, 437 Md. 350, 356 , 86 A.3d 1232, 1235 (2014). We have held that Article 21 of the Maryland Declaration of Rights “guarantees a defendant the right to examine prospective jurors to determine whether any cause exists for a juror’s disqualification.” Bedford v. State, 317 Md. 659, 670 , 566 A.2d 111, 116 (1989). As such, the “[f]ailure to allow questions that may show cause for disqualification is an abuse of discretion constituting reversible error.” Marquardt v. State, 164 Md. App. 95, 144 , 882 A.2d 900, 929 (2005) (citing Casey v. Roman Catholic Archbishop of Balt., 217 Md. 595, 605 , 143 A.2d 627, 631 (1958)). Yet, it remains a requirement that “[t]o preserve any claim involving a trial court’s decision about whether to propound a [voir dire] question, a defendant must object to the court’s ruling.” Foster v. State, 247 Md. App. 642, 647 , 239 A.3d 741, 744 (2020), cert. denied sub nom.

State v. Foster, 475 Md. 687 , 257 A.3d 1156 (2021). Petitioner’s question requires us to interpret the Maryland Rules. “[T]he principles applied to statutory interpretation are also used to interpret the Maryland Rules.” Lisy Corp. v. McCormick & Co., 445 Md. 213, 221 , 126 A.3d 55, 60 (2015) (quoting Duckett v. Riley, 428 Md. 471, 476 , 52 A.3d 84, 87 (2012)). We begin with the plain language of the rule, and “[i]f that language is clear and unambiguous, we need not look beyond the provision’s terms to inform our analysis[.]” Duckett, 428 Md. at 476 , 52 A.3d at 87 (quoting Davis v. Slater, 383 Md. 599 , 604–05, 861 A.2d 78, 81 (2004)). 8 [H]owever, the goal of our examination is always to discern the legislative purpose, the ends to be accomplished, or the evils to be remedied by a particular . . . part of the Rules. To that end, we must consider the context in which the . . . rule appears, including related statutes or rules, and relevant legislative history.

Also, where the language of the rule is ambiguous, external evidence may be referred to for discerning the purpose of the legislature, including the bill’s title or function paragraphs, relevant case law, and secondary sources. Id. at 476–77, 52 A.3d at 87 (quoting Davis, 383 Md. at 604–05, 861 A.2d at 81 ). The Preservation Requirement of Maryland Rule 4-323(c) Maryland Rule 4-323(c) governs the method through which a party must make an objection to rulings and orders other than evidentiary rulings, and states: For purposes of review by the trial court or on appeal of any other ruling or order, it is sufficient that a party, at the time the ruling or order is made or sought, makes known to the court the action that the party desires the court to take or the objection to the action of the court. The grounds for the objection need not be stated unless these rules expressly provide otherwise or the court so directs.

If a party has no opportunity to object to a ruling or order at the time it is made, the absence of an objection at that time does not constitute a waiver of the objection. Maryland Rule 4-323(d) further elaborates that, “[a] formal exception to a ruling or order of the court is not necessary.” Petitioner is incorrect that merely submitting proposed voir dire questions, which are later rejected or modified by the trial court, is sufficient to satisfy the preservation requirement of Md. Rule 4-323(c). The plain language of the Rule requires that “a party, at the time the ruling or order is made or sought, makes known to the court the action that the party desires the court to take or the objection to the action of the court.” Md. Rule 4- 323(c) (emphasis added). This requirement is excused when “a party has no opportunity 9 to object to a ruling or order at the time it is made[.]” Id.

(emphasis added). Thus, the plain language of Md. Rule 4-323(c) twice references that an objection or indication of disagreement must be made contemporaneous with the court’s action. This requirement holds unless the party does not have the opportunity to object, as the Rule expressly recognizes, unless the court expressly advises the party that their objection is noted, see, e.g., Baker v. State, 157 Md. App. 600, 609 , 853 A.2d 796, 801 (2004) (holding an objection to omission of proposed voir dire questions was preserved where defense counsel declined to be heard on the omission of the questions but “requested that a copy of his proposed voir dire be put into the court’s file[]” and the court “told defense counsel that a copy was already in the court file and noted the exceptions[]”), or unless the party later retracts its waiver of the objection under certain circumstances, see Brice v. State, 225 Md. App. 666, 688 , 126 A.3d 246, 259 (2015) (holding that the trial court erred in not permitting retraction of a waiver where the waiver “(1) would not have prevented the selection of a jury from the venire remaining at the time of the retraction, (2) would not have prejudiced the State in its approach to voir dire, and (3) would not have amounted to a trial tactic aimed at manipulating the judicial process[]”) (internal quotations omitted). Petitioner argues that a contemporaneous objection or expression of disagreement is not required under Md. Rule 4-323(c), because submitting written proposed voir dire questions to the trial court prior to its decision, “makes known to the court the action that the party desires the court to take[,]” in satisfaction of the Rule.

We are not persuaded. Strategies and positions of a party often change over the course of litigation and even within 10 the course of a conversation during trial. Cf. Brown v. State, 169 Md. App. 442, 459 , 901 A.2d 846, 856 (2006) (“In regard to the issue of lawyerly diligence, defense counsel had a good reason, based on trial tactics, not to object to the court’s change of the pattern jury instruction.”).

A failure to object in the face of the court’s ruling could indicate that the party has abandoned their previous position or acquiesced with the court’s reasoning for rejecting the proposed question. Absent a contemporaneous objection or expression of disagreement, the court has no way of knowing “the action that the party desires the court to take[,]” Md. Rule 4-323(c), and may very well believe that defense counsel agrees with its rejection or modification of its previously submitted proposed voir dire questions. The requirement of such a contemporaneous objection is likewise supported by the purpose of the preservation rules. We have explained that “[t]he rules for preservation of issues have a salutary purpose of preventing unfairness and requiring that all issues be raised in and decided by the trial court[.]” Conyers v. State, 354 Md. 132, 150 , 729 A.2d 910, 919 (1999).

Preservation rules like Md. Rule 4-323(c) are designed to provide fairness to the trial court, which should be permitted “to resolve as many issues as possible so as to avoid unnecessary appeals.” In re A.B., 230 Md. App. 528, 535 , 148 A.3d 371, 375 (2016). The Rule is also designed to provide fairness to opposing parties, who should be afforded the opportunity to respond to any alleged error in the court’s ruling in their favor. See In re Kaleb K., 390 Md. 502, 513 , 889 A.2d 1019, 1025 (2006) (“[T]he application of the rule limiting the scope of appellate review to those issues and arguments raised in the court below ‘is a matter of basic fairness to the trial court and to opposing counsel, as well as 11 being fundamental to the proper administration of justice.’”) (summarizing Medley v. State, 52 Md. App. 225, 231 , 448 A.2d 363, 366 (1982)). Without a contemporaneous objection or expression of disagreement, the trial court is unable to correct, and the opposing party is unable to respond to, any alleged error in the action of the court.

The case law relied upon by Petitioner does not reflect otherwise. In Newman v. State, the Court of Special Appeals held that the rejection of proposed voir dire questions was preserved for appellate review where a party made two objections to the court’s failure to include its proposed questions, “first in writing and second at the close of the questioning section of [voir dire].” 156 Md. App. 20, 50 , 845 A.2d 71, 89 (2003), rev’d on other grounds, 384 Md. 285 , 863 A.2d 321 (2004). Defense counsel in Baker, likewise, effectively made clear his disagreement with a court ruling by requesting that a copy of his proposed instructions be put in the court’s file after the court rejected some of his proposed instructions and the court expressly noted his objection. 157 Md. App. at 609–10, 853 A.2d at 801–02. The same is true of Smith v. State, where the trial court asked the parties if they had objections to any of their proposed questions being skipped by the court during voir dire, to which defense counsel expressly challenged the omission of a question which later became the subject matter of his appeal. 218 Md. App. 689 , 699–700, 98 A.3d 444, 450 (2014).

Finally, in Marquardt v. State, the Court of Special Appeals found that an appellant had successfully preserved an objection under Md. Rule 4-323 when, “after being asked if there were any problems with [voir dire], appellant told the [trial] court that he objected to his proposed questions 11, 12, 14, and 15 not being asked.” 164 Md. App. 95 , 12 143, 882 A.2d 900, 928 (2005). Newman, Baker, Smith, and Marquardt stand for the proposition that, pursuant to Md. Rule 4-323(d), “[a] formal exception to a ruling or order of the court is not necessary[,]” and a party may express their disagreement with a court’s actions in a myriad of ways. They do not stand for the proposition, as Petitioner asserts, that Md. Rule 4-323(c) does not require a party to object or indicate its disagreement at all when the court makes its decision. In Brice, like in the case at bar, defense counsel submitted a written list of proposed voir dire questions, some of which were omitted by the trial court when questioning the jury. 225 Md. App. at 667 , 126 A.3d at 252–53.

There, the Court of Special Appeals found that by failing to object to the trial court’s omission of those questions when given the opportunity by the trial court, defendant waived any objection to the court’s omission of those questions, and that such objection was preserved only because defense counsel later retracted that waiver during the court’s voir dire questioning. Id. at 679–80, 126 A.3d at 254. The Court of Special Appeals correctly noted that [a]n appellant preserves the issue of omitted [voir dire] questions under [Md.] Rule 4-323 by telling the trial court that he or she objects to his or her proposed questions not being asked. If a defendant does not object to the court’s decision to not read a proposed question, he cannot complain about the court’s refusal to ask the exact question he requested.

Id., 126 A.3d at 253–54 (internal citations and quotations omitted). This preservation requirement was expressly maintained by Kazadi. 467 Md. at 47 , 223 A.3d at 581 (“[W]e determine that our holding applies to this case and any other cases that are pending on direct appeal when this opinion is filed, where the relevant question has been preserved for 13 appellate review.”); see also Kumar v. State, No. 21, Sept. Term, 2021, 2021 WL 5993511 , at ⁹ (Md. Dec. 20, 2021) (finding an objection to the trial court’s omission of Kazadi voir dire questions preserved where defense counsel asked the trial court to note his “continuing exception to its refusal” to ask such questions). Application to this Case Unlike the appellants in Newman, Baker, Smith, and Marquardt, defense counsel in the case before us neither made an objection nor expressed any indication of disagreement when the court stated prior to voir dire that it was “not inclined”3 to give Petitioner’s proposed question 2 or proposed question 22 as written. Instead, defense counsel immediately asked the court about its treatment of different questions he had proposed, but did not mention the court’s rejection of question 2 or modification of question 22 at all.

Petitioner did not merely object or disagree informally or without explanation; he did not object or disagree with the court’s ruling at all. The fact that the court was aware of Petitioner’s proposed questions and made rulings contrary to them does not mean that Petitioner made the court aware that he objected or disagreed with the court’s ruling. Indeed, the court could have reasonably perceived that, by failing to object or indicate his 3 While the trial court expressed this ruling in tentative terms, we hold that it is clear from the context that the court was making a definitive ruling, requiring an objection or expression of disagreement from Petitioner under Md. Rule 4-323(c). Nearly all of the court’s decisions on the parties’ proposed questions were expressed in terms of the court being “inclined” or “not inclined” to ask the questions.

Even if we determined that such statements were not definitive rulings, they were certainly invitations to defense counsel to express disagreement with the court’s “inclination” if it wished, and when defense counsel failed to do so, the “inclination” became definitive. 14 disagreement, Petitioner had abandoned those claims or ultimately agreed with the court’s determination that they were unnecessary because the jury would be instructed on the law. Likewise, neither are Petitioner’s preservation claims redeemed by defense counsel’s discussion with the trial court following voir dire. As stated above, at the conclusion of voir dire, the court asked the State whether it had missed any questions, to which the State responded that it had not. The court then turned to defense counsel and asked: “[Defense Counsel], anything? --- what you previously objected to, which I will preserve for the record[,]” to which defense counsel replied “No.” Petitioner argues that the court’s reference to what defense counsel “previously objected to” must have been referring to the court’s rejection of question 2 and modification of question 22, because those were the only questions that the court declined to ask as proposed by Petitioner.

Petitioner’s argument fails for several reasons. In the first place, question 2 and question 22 were not the only questions proposed by Petitioner that the court declined to ask. It also declined to ask Petitioner’s proposed questions 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19, because it determined that they were duplicative of, or incorporated in, other questions proposed by the State or Petitioner that the court had already agreed to ask. Second, it is unlikely that the court’s reference to what defense counsel “previously objected to,” (emphasis added), was intended to reference the court’s treatment of questions 2 and 22, because, as discussed above, Petitioner never objected to the court’s 15 respective omission and modification of those questions.4 Instead, it is more plausible that the court was referring to the only thing Petitioner had objected to, which was an anticipatory objection of the State’s request for alternating strikes.5 Rather, we conclude 4 Petitioner indeed concedes that he failed to object to questions 2 and 22 being asked, but argues instead that his claims are preserved under Md. Rule 4-323 because he had made known to the court the action that he desired the court to take. 5 Immediately prior to voir dire, the trial court had the following colloquy with defense counsel: [DEFENSE COUNSEL]: Judge, on that note, if I may?

I had intended to ask the Court to permit – I understand the rule as a simultaneous selection of the jury as opposed to alters. I think with the crowd in here that is a problem, and I am going to make an objection to – I understand the rule of 318, if a party requests it, and I see [the State], I think, nodding that she is requesting alternating strikes. But I suggest that in this case, particularly with the crowd, particularly because that mode -- THE COURT: You want to pick a juror right then and there? [DEFENSE COUNSEL]: No, Judge. What I am asking is after all of the strikes for cause and we are left with a room full of people, you tell us whether we are picking from the top or the bottom of the list.

THE COURT: We are going to pick from the top. [DEFENSE COUNSEL]: And without calling each individual juror up, that I exercise my 10 or less, the State exercises their 10 or less. The first 12 to go in the box, that is the jury. I think it is – * * * THE COURT: We are not there yet. I understand what you are asking.

I will research it, and we will get there. Okay? (continued. . .) 16 that defense counsel’s response of “no” when asked by the trial court following voir dire if the court had missed any questions was another instance of Petitioner waiving his right to object to the trial court’s omission and modification of his proposed questions allegedly impacted by Kazadi.6 See Hayes v. State, 247 Md. App. 252, 276 , 236 A.3d 680, 694 (2020) (“If an opportunity to object presents itself and a defendant fails to object to a court’s refusal to read a proposed question, the objection is waived.”).7 (. . . continued) [DEFENSE COUNSEL]: Thank you. (Emphasis added). 6 To the extent that the court’s reference to “questions” he had missed at the beginning of the colloquy could be considered ambiguous because defense counsel’s only previous objection did not refer to a missed voir dire question, defense counsel had the burden to make clear what action of the court he objected to in order to preserve the issue for appellate review.

See Md. Rule 4-323(c). 7 The Dissent argues that we should consider Petitioner’s Kazadi claims preserved based on the court’s statement that it would preserve what defense counsel had “previously objected to[.]” Lopez-Villa v. State, No. 22 Sept. Term, 2021, op. at 3–12 (Biran, J., dissenting). The Dissent asserts that we must view the matter from the point of view of a reasonable defense attorney, and in this case, “a reasonable defense attorney could have concluded that the trial court was effectively saying: ‘I already understand that you want me to ask the nonduplicative questions as you proposed them; you do not have to tell me that again. Is there anything else besides those questions that you want me to ask?’” Id. at 9. We do not think a reasonable defense attorney could conclude that a trial court’s reference to what had been previously objected to could refer to an issue about which defense counsel had never objected.

The Dissent asserts that, in circumstances where “only one party has requested a question and the court declines to give it[,] . . . a trial court reasonably may expect that the requesting party will disagree with the court’s decision.” Id. at 8 n.4. This inference is at odds with our understanding that without a contemporaneous objection by trial counsel, the trial court could fairly conclude that defense counsel has abandoned their proposed question or agrees with the trial court’s reasoning as to why it need not be asked. We therefore do not agree that it would have been reasonable for Petitioner’s defense attorney to assume, in spite of a failure to make any objection, the trial court to have effectively said “I already understand that you want (continued. . .) 17 For us to hold otherwise and determine that Petitioner’s claims are preserved for appellate review simply because he submitted a written list of proposed questions that was not accepted in full by the court would largely erase Md. Rule 4-323(c)’s preservation requirement in the context of voir dire questions. Under Petitioner’s interpretation, any question proposed by a party and not accepted, as written, by the trial court would be preserved for appellate review, regardless of whether the party made any indication to the trial court that it disagreed with the court’s decision when it was made.

In Petitioner’s case, it would mean that Petitioner had also preserved for appellate review any objection to the court’s findings that 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19 were duplicative, even though Petitioner never made any such claim at the time the court made that determination. Such an interpretation is not aligned with the text of Md. Rule 4-323(c), does not advance the Rule’s purpose of providing fairness to the trial court and opposing parties, and is not supported by our case law. Accordingly, we decline to