Opinion ID: 1501117
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: Peremptory Strikes of Women

Text: Brown contends that the trial court erred when it overruled his objections to the state's use of ten of its twelve peremptory strikes to strike women from the jury panel, in failing to allow a hearing to determine if the state discriminated against women in the use of its peremptory strikes, and in failing to require the state to give gender neutral reasons for the strikes. There were seven females and five males that sat on the jury that convicted Brown. As noted, prior to issuing an opinion on the other briefed issues, this Court remanded Brown's appeal to the Circuit City of St. Louis City for a gender Batson hearing. State v. Brown, supra, 958 S.W.2d 553. After the remand, Brown challenged the state's use of five peremptory challenges against females. The hearing court denied Brown's challenges. We uphold the hearing court's conclusions.