Opinion ID: 522207
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Exclusion of Hispanics from the grand jury

Text: 82 Ellis contends that Harris County systematically excludes Hispanics from serving as grand jurors and as grand jury foremen and that this violated his constitutional rights under the Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments. 3 In order to secure federal habeas relief on this ground, the petitioner must show (1) that he is a member of a race or identifiable group singled out for different treatment under the state laws, as written or applied, (2) the degree of underrepresentation of his group by comparing the proportion of the group in the total population to the proportion called to serve as grand jurors over a significant period of time, and (3) that the selection procedures employed are susceptible to abuse or are not racially neutral. Castaneda v. Partida, 430 U.S. 482, 494, 97 S.Ct. 1272, 1280, 51 L.Ed.2d 498 (1977). The state concedes that Hispanics constitute a recognizable class singled out for different treatment under the law and that the Texas key man method of selecting grand jurors is recognized as susceptible to abuse as applied. It argues, however, that Ellis failed to present competent evidence that showed that Hispanics have not been represented on Harris County grand juries over a significant period time in proportion to their numbers in the general population. We agree. The evidence Ellis presented in support of his claim was conclusory at best. This court has held that mere conclusory allegations of discrimination are insufficient to entitle an individual to relief. Enriquez v. Procunier, 752 F.2d 111, 115 (5th Cir.1984), cert. denied, 471 U.S. 1126, 105 S.Ct. 2658, 86 L.Ed.2d 274 (1985). 83 Ellis's own figures on composition of the grand jury do not entitle him to relief. Ellis contends that Hispanics comprised only 13.7% of those summoned for grand jury duty from February 1978 to November 1982. The state census bureau's figures, offered by the state in response to Ellis's habeas corpus application, show that in 1980 Hispanics comprised 15.3% of the Harris County population. This disparity (1.6%) is insufficient to support an inference of intentional discrimination.