T hi s di s pos i t i on i s nota ppr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on a nd i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by 9th C i r . R . 36- 3. NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T UN I T E D S T AT E S OF AME R I C A, P l ai nt i ff

- A pp el l ee , v. D A N I E L O S A Z U W A , J R ., D e f

e n d a n t - A p p e lla n t. N o. 10- 50109 D . C . N o. 2: 07 -c r- 00 41 4-D S F -1 ME MOR AN DU M *

A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f o rth e C e n tr a l D is tr ic t o f C a lif o r n ia D a l e S . F i s c he r , D i s tr i c tJ udge , P r e s i di ng A r gue d a nd S ubm i t t e d A ugus t4, 2011 P a s a d e n a , C a lif

o r n ia B efo re: R E IN H A R D T , W A R D L A W , an d B E R Z O N , C i rcu i tJu d g es. D a n ie l O s a z u w a a p p e a ls f r o m a ju d g m e n t o f

c o n v ic tio n f

o llo w in g a ju r y tr ia l. H e ar gu es that the di stri ctcourter re d i n d enyi ng hi s m ot i on un der B at son v. Kent ucky , 476 U . S . 79 ( 1986) , t o p rev entthe gove r nm e ntf r om e xe r c i s i ng a pe r e m pt or y s t r i ke



# FI LED AU G 12 2011 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALST he fi rs tt w o st ages of t he B at s on fr am ew ork are no tati ss ue here. 1 A l th o u g h t h e t r i a l c o u r tn e v e re x p l i c i t l y f o u n d t h a tO s a z u w a h a d ma d e a p r i ma f a c ie s h o w in g o f

d is c r im in a tio n , th e q u e s tio n is n o w m o o t. H er na nd ezv. N

ew Y o rk , 500 U . S . 352, 359 ( 1991) ( pl ur a l i ty opi ni on) . A nd a l l t hr e e of t he r e a s ons tha tthe gove r nm e ntpr of f e r e d f ors tr i ki ng j ur orJ . T . — tha ts he w a s s i ngl e , t ha ts he had n everse rved on a j ury, and t hatshe had N i geri an fr i ends— w er e c l ea rl y neut ra l a s t o he rs e xua l or i e nt a t i on. 2 a ga i ns ta pot e nt i a l j ur oron the ba s i s of he rs e xua l or i e nt a t i on. W e ha ve j ur i s di c t i on u n d e r2 8 U . S. C. § 1 2 9 1 , a n d w e a f f i r m. A s i n J o h n s o n v . C a m

p b e ll , 92 F . 3d 951 ( 9th C i r . 1996) , “ [ w ] e ne e d notde c i de t he que s t i o n w h e th e r a c h a l l e n g e b a s e d o n s e x u a l o r i e n t a t i o n f a l l s w i th i n th e ru l e of B at s on ; w e a ss um e f

or pu rposes of deci si on th at i tdo es . ” I d . at95 1. E ven i f B at

s on e xt e nds t o s e xua l or i e nt a t i on, how e ve r , the di s tr i c t c our t di d not c l e a r l y e r r i n f i ndi ng tha tO s a z uw a ha d f

a i l e d t o c a r r y hi s bur de n of s how i ng purpos e f

ul di s c r i m i na t i on. A s a thres ho l d m att er , w e f i nd thatthe di stri ctcourtdi d con du ctthe i nq ui ry re qu i re d att he t hi rd st age of the B at s on f r a m e w or k: i t“ m a de a de l i be r a t e de c i s i on on th e u ltim a te q u e s tio n o f p u rp o s e f u l d is c r im in a tio n .” U

n ite d S ta te s v . A la n is , 335 F . 3d 1 96 5, 96 8 n . 2 (9t h C i r. 20 03 ). T he di stri ctcourt ’ s a nalysis w as by no m ea ns as thor ough a s w oul d be de s i r a bl e . B utthe j udge di d c onduc ta c om pa r a t i ve-j ur or a n a ly s is w h e n r e

je c tin g tw o o f

th e g o v e r n m e n t’s p r o f f e r e d r e a s o n s a s p r e te x tu a l, before bot h st at i ng t hatt he t hi rd re as on w as l egi t i m at e a nd then “ ac ce pt [i ng ] ” i t

— t hat i s , f i ndi ng tha ti tw a s a n a c tua l r e a s on f or the s tr i ke . I n the e nd, the de c i s i on- m a ki ng3

pr oc e s s w a s nots o i ns uf f i c i e nta s t o r e qui r e de novo r e vi e w of the i s s ue of purpos e f ul di s c r i m i na t i on. W e t he r e f

or e r e vi e w f

orc l e a re rro r t h e di s tr i c tc our t ’ s de t e r m i na t i on tha tthe go vernm entdi d n otpu rposef ul l y di sc ri m i na te o n the basi s of j uror J. T . ’ s s exual o r ie n ta tio n . T

ol be r t v . P age , 18 2 F . 3d 67 7, 68 0 n. 5 (9t h C i r. 19 99 ). R e v ie w u n d e rth is

“ st andard i s s i gn i fi ca nt l y def er ent i al , re qu iring for re vers al a def i ni t e a nd fi rm conv i ct i on t hata m i st ake has been m ade. ” U ni t e d Stat e s v . A s agba , 77 F . 3d 324, 326 (9t h C i r. 19 96 ). W e l a c k s uch a d ef

i ni t e orf i r m c onvi c t i on he r e . J ur orJ . T . ’ s f r i e nds hi p w i t h a N i geri an coup l e w as atl ea stpl ausi bl y “ re l at ed t o t he . . . ca se , ” B at s on , 47 6 U . S . at 98, i n the s e ns e tha t the pr os e c ut or m i ght r e a s ona bl y ha ve thoughttha ti tw oul d m a ke h e r m o r e in c lin e d to a c c e p t th e d e f e n s e th e o r y th a t O s a z u w a ’s a lte r c a tio n b e g a n w ith a c ul tural m i sund er st andi ng . T he strong es t sig n o f purpo se ful di sc ri m i nat i on i s that the go vernm entproffe re d t w o p re t extual re as on s f or stri ki ng j uror J. T . ; the use of e ven on e “ ‘ pret extual expl anat i on natural l y gi ves r i se t o an i nfer en ce of di sc ri m i nat ory i nt ent , ’ even w here ot her, po t ent i al l y val i d exp l anat i on s a re offe re d. ” A l iv . Hi c km an , 584 F . 3d 1174, 1192 ( 9t h C i r . 2009) ( quot i ng Sny de rv . L ouis i ana , 552 U . S . 472, 485 ( 2008) ) . B ut the “ e va l ua t i on of the pr os e c ut or ’ s s t a t e of m i nd ba s e d on de m e a nora nd cr edi bi l i ty l i es ‘ pecul i ar ly w ithi n a t ri al j ud ge’ s provi nce. ’ ” H er na nd ez , 50 0 U . S . at4

365 ( pl ur a l i ty opi ni on) ( quot i ng W a in w r ig h tv . W

itt , 46 9 U . S . 41 2, 42 8 (19 85 )) . A p p ly in g th is d e f

e r e n tia l r e v ie w , w e c a n n o t s a y th a t th e d is tr ic t c o u r t c le a r ly e r r e d in ho l di ng thatt he N i geri an-f ri ends expl anat i on w as “ the prosec ut or’ s genui ne re as on [] f ore xe r c i s i ng a pe r e m pt or y s tr i ke , r a the rtha n [ a ] pr e t e xt [ ] i nve nt e d t o hi de purpos e f ul di sc ri m i nat i on . ” G r e e n v . L aM ar que , 53 2 F . 3d 10 28 , 10 30 (9t h C i r. 20 08 ). AF F I RME D.