Ex Parte James Wyman Smith. (Re James Wyman Smith v. State).

Summary

The court affirmed Smith's second capital-murder conviction and death sentence, holding that the trial court properly permitted reverse-Witherspoon questioning and reasonably intervened only to clarify confusing or misleading questions. The court also rejected Smith's constitutional challenge to Alabama's appointed-counsel compensation system because the record showed no impairment of counsel's representation. It further held that the statute authorizes reimbursement for reasonably incurred office-overhead expenses and permitted counsel to submit those expenses for determination by the trial court.