Opinion ID: 1152586
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: the use of peremptory challenges to strike blacks and women from the jury.

Text: Caldwell alleges that the prosecution's use of peremptory challenges to strike all blacks and several women from the group of potential jurors violated federal and state constitutional law. We find that Caldwell has not shown a continuous and systematic exclusion of blacks or women from jury service in DeSoto County, Mississippi. Under the rationale of Swain v. Alabama, 380 U.S. 202, 85 S.Ct. 824, 13 L.Ed.2d 759 (1965), the Mississippi Supreme Court has denied similar claims in Belino v. State, 465 So.2d 1043 (Miss. 1985) and Ward v. State, 461 So.2d 724 (Miss. 1984). In Ward, the Court held that: Absent proof of continuous and systematic and purposeful use of peremptory challenges by the prosecution in Tate County to exclude black persons from juries, this claim simply is not viable.  461 So.2d at 726. This allegation is without merit.