Opinion ID: 77440
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The proffered reasons were pretextual.

Text: 21 Having re-considered my pre- Miller-El concurrence, I am now persuaded that had the Georgia courts engaged in all three of Batson's steps, they in all likelihood would have found a Batson violation. 4 Here, the trial court had before it the number of peremptory strikes used to remove black veniremembers, the voir dire answers of all the veniremembers, the prosecutor's proffered reasons for striking certain veniremembers, the defendant's representations about the prosecutor's history of discrimination in jury selection, and the prosecutor's response to the accusations. 5 22 Because the Georgia courts never assessed Briley's credibility regarding his use of peremptory strikes, we have no factual finding to which to defer, and can look to the record to determine whether it supports the proffered justifications. See Miller-El, 125 S.Ct. at 2323, 2326-30 (where the state courts and the Supreme Court looked to the voir dire record to determine whether the proffered reasons were pretextual). If a prosecutor's proffered reason for striking a black panelist applies just as well to an otherwise-similar nonblack [panelist] who is permitted to serve, that is evidence tending to prove purposeful discrimination to be considered at Batson's third step. Miller-El, 125 S.Ct. at 2325. 6 The record is replete with examples of veniremembers who were struck arguably because of their race, but three strikes are especially troubling, specifically the exercise of peremptory challenges to eliminate Thelma Butler, Ricky Thomas, and Emerson Davis. 23 Briley claims that he struck Thelma Butler because he successfully prosecuted her brother-in-law twelve years prior. He also claims that Butler was somewhat hostile. From the record, it appears that Butler was an ideal juror for a prosecutor seeking the death penalty. Butler felt that people tried for murder are treated too leniently. She was strongly in favor of the death penalty. She felt that mitigating circumstances must be proven before she would consider imposing a life sentence. Her answers alone undermine the veracity of Briley's proffered justification, especially since he never questioned Butler about her brother-in-law. Even more striking is the fact that Briley declined to strike a non-black juror, Michael Hensler, who, himself, had been convicted of and imprisoned for voluntary manslaughter by Briley's office. 24 In another example, Ricky Thomas's father had been convicted of killing his mother. Because of this conviction and the fact that Thomas had lived with his father after his father's release, the prosecutor struck him speculating that Thomas may possibly identify his father's case with Hightower's. Yet, Thomas indicated that he was in favor of the death penalty, and that he did not even remember the circumstances surrounding his mother's killing because he was too young at the time. The prosecutor never questioned Thomas about his relationship with his father or the potential impact on his ability to decide the case fairly. Again, the pretext is more apparent when viewed in light of the fact that Hensler was not struck. 25 Emerson Davis was struck because the prosecutor claimed that Davis was somewhat opposed to the death penalty, more so than other veniremembers. Davis never stated that he was opposed to the death penalty, but rather had to hear the case before imposing the penalty. The prosecutor mischaracterized his voir dire, thereby undermining a claim that the prosecutor's reason was race-neutral. In fact, Davis's views were in line with several non-black jurors 7 whom the prosecutor declined to challenge. If Davis was undesirable as compared to other veniremembers on the question about the death penalty, then the prosecutor would have used his remaining peremptory strikes to eliminate other veniremembers who gave similar answers. However, the non-black veniremembers who gave similar answers were not struck. 26 Viewing the evidence in its totality, including the smoking gun memorandum penned by Briley, it is clear that Briley's proffered justifications were pretextual.