Opinion ID: 2510413
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Peremptory strikes to eliminate 9 of the 10 African-Americans from the jury

Text: Trotter claims that he did not receive a fair trial by a jury of his peers because the State used 9 of its 16 peremptory challenges to eliminate 9 of the 10 African-American potential jurors from the petit jury. Trotter struck the remaining African-American, leaving only one African-American as an alternate juror. To support this argument, Trotter relies on Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79, 90 L. Ed. 2d 69, 106 S. Ct. 1712 (1986). Reviewing the State's use of peremptory challenges for a Batson violation requires a 3-step process: 1. The defendant must make a prima facie showing that the prosecutor has exercised peremptory challenges based on race. State v. Washington, 275 Kan. 644, 653-54, 68 P.3d 134 (2003). 2. If the showing has been made, the burden shifts to the State to articulate race-neutral reasons for striking the questioned jurors. Washington, 275 Kan. at 653-54. 3. The burden then shifts back to the defendant to establish purposeful discrimination, and the court must determine whether the defendant has met that burden. The ultimate burden of persuasion rests with the opponent of the strike. Washington, 275 Kan. at 653-54; State v. Campbell, 268 Kan. 529, 533, 997 P.2d 726 (2000) (citing Purkett v. Elem, 514 U.S. 765, 767-68, 131 L. Ed. 2d 834, 115 S. Ct. 1769 [1995]). The trial court's determination of whether the defendant has shown purposeful discrimination is reviewed using an abuse of discretion standard. Under that standard, the reviewing court gives great deference to the trial court's actions because the findings turn on the trial court's evaluation of the prosecutor's credibility. Judicial discretion is abused when no reasonable person would adopt the trial court's view. Washington, 275 Kan. at 653-54. After the State completed its 12 peremptory challenges for the primary jury, Trotter objected, claiming that the State was purposely eliminating African-American jurors. The trial judge ordered the State to articulate its reasons for the strikes. The trial judge then concluded that the State's reasons were race-neutral and denied Trotter's Batson challenge. One factor to consider in determining whether the State's peremptory challenges are discriminatory is the presence of other members of the same minority on the jury and the failure of the State to remove such members when given the opportunity. State v. Betts, 272 Kan. 369, 396-97, 33 P.3d 575 (2001). Another factor is the percentage of a particular race on a panel when compared with the percentage on the petit jury. State v. Campbell, 268 Kan. at 535. Here, the State struck all but one of the potential African-American jurors from the panel. Trotter struck the remaining African-American, leaving only one African-American as an alternate on the final jury panel. Looking at the numbers alone suggests discrimination existed in this case. However, the trial court must avoid placing a determinative emphasis on any one factor. Although the trial court can objectively compare numbers or other facts, it must subjectively evaluate the credibility of the prosecutor as he or she explains the reasons for each challenged strike. 268 Kan. at 534-35. In State v. Alexander, 268 Kan. 610, 1 P.3d 875 (2000), the State used its peremptory challenges to strike all four of the African-Americans from the jury. Although the defendant, who was also an African-American, complained that all the potential African-American jurors were struck because of their race, this court upheld the trial court's finding that the State's strikes were race-neutral. 268 Kan. at 620-22. Thus, under proper circumstances, the elimination of all African-Americans from the final jury is not determinative of this issue. The ultimate question is whether the State has purposely discriminated when exercising its challenges. State v. Kleypas, 272 Kan. 894, 1000, 40 P.3d 139 (2001). To support his argument that the number of African-Americans stricken from the jury in this case is enough to require a new trial, Trotter relies on Miller-El v. Cockrell, 537 U.S. 322, 154 L. Ed. 2d 931, 123 S. Ct. 1029 (2003). The question before the United States Supreme Court in Miller-El was whether a certificate of appealability (COA) should be issued for Miller-El's federal habeas corpus petition. Miller-El was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death in Texas. While his direct appeal was pending, the United States Supreme Court decided Batson. Miller-El then claimed that he did not receive a fair trial because the prosecution eliminated 10 of the 11 possible African-Americans from the jury when using its peremptory strikes. After ultimately losing his direct appeal and his state habeas proceedings, Miller-El filed a federal habeas petition, seeking review of his Batson claims. His federal habeas petition was also denied, and the federal district court denied Miller-El's application for a COA to appeal the denial. The Miller-El Court granted the COA because Miller-El presented a substantial showing that he was denied a constitutional right. 537 U.S. at 341. Although the Miller-El Court did not determine whether the underlying Batson claim had merit, it noted that Miller-El provided evidence of disparate questioning for black and white potential jurors, shuffling by moving African-Americans to the back of the panel where they may escape voir dire altogether, and policies within the District Attorney's office to exclude African-Americans from juries. 537 U.S. at 331-35. The Miller-El court stated that the statistical evidence alone raised a debate on whether the strikes were based on race. It did not hold that statistics alone were legally conclusive on the matter. 537 U.S. at 342. Miller-El's case returned to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals for review of his Batson challenge. Miller-El v. Dretke, 361 F.3d 849 (5th Cir. 2004). After the Fifth Circuit denied Miller-El's federal habeas petition, the United States Supreme Court granted certiorari, then reversed the Fifth Circuit and granted Miller-El's habeas petition based on his Batson challenge. Miller-El v. Dretke, ___ U.S. ___, 162 L. Ed. 2d 196, 125 S. Ct. 2317 (2005) (hereinafter Miller-El II ). The Miller-El II court did not rely solely on the number of African-Americans struck from the jury. Rather, the Court viewed the evidence cumulatively to conclude that the state courts' decisions were unreasonable and erroneous. ___ U.S. at ___, 125 S. Ct. at 2339. Thus, Kansas law requiring courts to objectively compare numbers or other facts and subjectively evaluate the prosecutor's credibility in making the strikes complies with the United States Supreme Court's approach in Miller-El II. No one factor is determinative. See Campbell, 268 Kan. at 535. Trotter's argument that this court should look solely at the number of stricken African-Americans from the jury panel is without merit. To determine whether Trotter's Batson challenge has merit, this court must review the State's reasons for striking the potential African-American jurors, applying an abuse of discretion standard. See Washington, 275 Kan. at 653-54. The State gave the following reasons for its peremptory strikes of the challenged potential African-American jurors: B.E.: She said she could not impose a death sentence. R.H.: She said she could not impose a death sentence. G.L.: Her brother was convicted of murder, and she believed that the criminal justice system has treated him unfairly. D.C.: He said he could not impose a death sentence. C.M.: He was struck for several reasons. First, he blamed police for the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Second, C.M. did not believe the death penalty is right. Third, he stated that the death penalty should only be used in cases involving torture or children. R.C.: He was a pastor, and people in the clergy tend to be compassionate and forgiving. J.C.: He participated in a prison ministry and may have been unable to impose the death penalty because of his compassion. In addition, J.C. believed that minorities receive the death penalty more often than others. C.P.: He appeared disrespectful to the court because he wore sunglasses throughout voir dire. C.P.'s son had been convicted of shooting a police officer. In addition, C.P. indicated that he would hold the State to a higher burden than beyond a reasonable doubt for imposition of the death penalty. Trotter does not raise any specific arguments related to the State's strikes of B.E., R.H., or G.L..