Illinois Appellate Court
Criminal Court
Voir Dire
Defendant was convicted of aggravated assault of peace officer. Court failed to comply with Rule 431(a) in refusing to allow counsel to directly question venire, including supplemental questioning. As evidence was closely balanced, error threatened to tip scales of justice against Defendant, as error could have hindered parties' ability to probe venire for evidence of bias. (McLAREN and BOWMAN, concurring.)