That is not what the Ohio Supreme Court said. In State v. Speer, 2010-Ohio-649, the OSC said "[a] hearing impairment by itself does not render a prospective juror incompetent to serve on a jury" (¶ 26). But the OSC also said that "the trial court's paramount duty is to ensure that the accused is afforded a fair trial" (¶ 29).
I would argue that a person with a hearing impairment such that they cannot perceive voice inflections cannot be jurors in criminal trials where any witnesses will testify. The OSC stated in Seasons Coal Co. v. Cleveland (1984), 10 Ohio St.3d 77, 80, that "[t]he underlying rationale of giving deference to the findings of the trial court rests with the knowledge that the trial judge is best able to view the witnesses and observe their demeanor, gestures, and voice inflections, and use these observations in weighing the credibility of the proffered testimony" (emphasis added).
It would follow that jurors must also be able to observe voice inflections in determining the credibility of each witness. In State v. Speer, a hearing impaired juror had to read lips and read a transcript when a recording was played. Therefore, the OSC determined that Speers did not receive a fair trial.
Since observing voice inflections plays into the assessment of a witnesses' credibility, how could a person who cannot observe voice inflections sit as a juror in a case where the most important consideration is that the accused gets a fair trial?
Read the Ohio Supreme Court's decision in State v. Speer here and watch the oral argument here.
