The Maryland Court of Appeals rejected a criminal defendant’s claim that he received ineffective counsel because of his attorney’s failure to object to a “CSI-effect” voir dire question in 2007, finding state courts didn’t address the matter until years later and it wasn’t the “professional norm” at the time.
According to the opinion, Antonio McGhee’s murder case went to trial in Prince George County Circuit Court in December 2007. During voir dire, the court asked the potential jurors the following: “‘Does any member of this panel believe that the state has got to present fingerprint evidence, DNA, blood sample evidence, ballistic evidence, any scientific evidence in order to convince you of the defendant’s guilt? In other words, do you think the state has a requirement to do that in all cases?’”
