Opinion ID: 1706565
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: did the state impermissibly use its peremptory strikes to exclude blacks and females from the jury venire?

Text: The jury which convicted Willie was composed of ten white jurors and two black jurors, with two black alternate jurors. During jury selection, the State exercised six peremptory challenges to strike six of eight prospective black jurors and six peremptory challenges to strike six of twenty-eight prospective white jurors. Willie alleges that the racial composition of the jury violated his Sixth and Fourteenth Amendment rights pursuant to Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79, 106 S.Ct. 1712, 90 L.Ed.2d 69 (1986). After Willie alleged that the jury composition violated his rights, the State proffered its reasons for striking each of the prospective jurors, both black and white. Once the State concluded its explanations for striking the prospective jurors, Willie did not rebut and the trial judge overruled his Batson motion. In his motion for a new trial, Willie proffered evidence to show that the State's reasons for striking the black jurors were not racially neutral. The trial court found that the State had not engaged in a discriminatory policy. We give great deference to the trial court's findings of fact on this issue. Bradley v. State, 562 So.2d 1276, 1283 (Miss. 1990) (citing Wheeler v. State, 536 So.2d 1347, 1351 (Miss. 1988)). As long as the trial court was within its authority when it determined that the State articulated a neutral, non-race based explanation, we will not reverse. Chisolm v. State, 529 So.2d 635, 639 (Miss. 1988). Even taking into account Willie's untimely rebuttal testimony, which was proffered in his motion for a new trial, see Sudduth v. State, 562 So.2d 67, 71 (Miss. 1990) (cites therein); Davis v. State, 551 So.2d 165, 172 (Miss. 1989), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 110 S.Ct. 1796, 108 L.Ed.2d 797 (1990), we find that the trial judge did not exceed his authority in finding that the State's explanations for striking prospective black jurors were race neutral. This assignment of error has no merit. Willie also alleges that the State engaged in sex discrimination in choosing the jury venire. Assuming, without deciding, that Batson is applicable to sex discrimination, we find Willie's claim meritless as the State articulated sex-neutral reasons for striking the prospective jurors.