Watkins v. State

The majority opinion holds that there was “no manifest abuse of discretion” in allowing the assistant district attorney to sit in the witness chair as he addressed the jury during closing argument (majority opinion, p. 415). While it appears that Georgia’s appellate courts have not previously addressed this issue, appellate courts in other states have disapproved of this technique because of its potential “to blur the distinction between the roles of the trial participants.”2 I agree that trial judges must exercise great care to ensure that juries understand the different roles that the…