Court Punished a Juror by Requiring Him to Sit In the Front Row

In State v. Rannels, 333 N.C. 644, 430 S.E.2d 254 (1993), the trial court punished a prospective juror who stated he could not give the case the attention it deserved. Rannels, 333 N.C. at 656. The trial court punished the juror by requiring him to sit through the trial, in the front row. Rannels, 333 N.C. at 656. The North Carolina Supreme Court seemed to approve of the trial court's behavior, stating that the trial "court's reaction to the juror's response [could have] reinforced among the other prospective jurors the need to be forthright and honest." Rannels, 333 N.C. at 656. Since the holding in Rannels is based largely on the approval of punishing conduct, I find the case of little persuasive value to Illinois courts. Rannels, 333 N.C. at 656.