Title: P. v. Burgener

State: california

Issuer: California Supreme Court

Document:

Filed 4/9/03 
 
 
 
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 
 
THE PEOPLE, 
) 
 
 
) 
 
Plaintiff and Respondent, 
) 
 
 
) 
S024642 
 
v. 
) 
 
 
) 
MICHAEL RAY BURGENER, 
) 
 
) 
Riverside County 
 
Defendant and Appellant. 
) 
Super. Ct. No. CR 18088 
___________________________________ ) 
 
MODIFICATION OF OPINION 
 
THE COURT: 
 
The opinion herein, appearing at 29 Cal.4th 833, is modified as 
follows: 
 
1. 
In the first full paragraph on 29 Cal.4th at page 864 (which begins 
“In this case, defendant objected”), insert the following sentences before the last 
sentence in that paragraph (which begins “The court accepted the prosecutor’s 
stated reasons”):  “Defendant objected that the prosecutor did not ask non-African-
American jurors the same question regarding their reluctance to impose the death 
penalty on a defendant who continued to deny his guilt.  In response, the 
prosecutor explained that he posed this question to Kenneth F. because of the 
juror’s response on the written questionnaire that he would have particular 
difficulty in voting for the death penalty under those circumstances.”  
  
2. 
The last paragraph on 29 Cal.4th at pages 864 continuing 
through 865, beginning with “Defendant, citing cases from other 
jurisdictions” and ending with the citation “(Ervin, supra, 22 Cal.4th at p. 
76.),” is deleted and replaced with the following:  “Defendant maintains the 
justification was nonetheless pretextual in that the prosecutor allegedly 
failed to ask the same question of non-African-American jurors.  But, after 
the trial court considered this and other arguments from both defendant and 
the prosecutor, it accepted the prosecutor’s nondiscriminatory justifications.  
The record reflects the trial court made a sincere and reasoned effort to 
evaluate the prosecutor’s justifications for excusing Kenneth F.; therefore, 
its conclusions are entitled to deference on appeal.  (Ervin, supra, 22 
Cal.4th at p. 75.)” 
 
This modification does not affect the judgment.