State of New Jersey, Plaintiff-Respondent v. Joseph Harris, Defendant-Appellant

Summary

The Supreme Court of New Jersey affirmed Joseph Harris's murder convictions and death sentence, holding that the prosecutor's decision to seek capital punishment, the jury instructions on the form of murder, the denial of for‑cause juror challenges, the sequencing of insanity and diminished‑capacity instructions, and the failure to give a claim‑of‑right instruction did not constitute reversible error. The Court noted that any errors were harmless and that the trial was fair. Justice Handler, dissenting in part and concurring in part, argued that the lack of a specific unanimity instruction for the c(4)(g) aggravating factor and the inadequate instruction on mental‑impairment mitigation required reversal of the death sentence.