People v. Pearson

As of the moment they were selected and sworn, the 12 jurors who decided this case had not heard the words “presumption of innocence.” Nor had they heard the defendant had no duty to present evidence or that the defendant could not be penalized for declining to testify. The question is this: Did the trial court’s failure to address these basic principles threaten the integrity of the judicial process? We hold that it did, and we reverse the defendant’s conviction for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and remand the cause for a new trial.

FACTS

Before the questioning of potential jurors began,…