Opinion ID: 1751529
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: whether the state used its peremptory challenges in an unconstitutional manner to strike blacks from the jury?

Text: Mack contends that the State used its peremptory challenges in an unconstitutional manner to exclude potential black jurors from the jury. Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79, 106 S.Ct. 1712, 90 L.Ed.2d 69 (1986). The State used only four (4) of its twelve (12) challenges, all against blacks. Mack used seven (7) of his challenges against whites, three (3) challenges against blacks, and one (1) challenge against a Latina of Mexican descent. The defendant declined to give reasons and, out of an abundance of caution, the court did not order that he give reasons. The jury which was seated to try Mack's case included nine (9) blacks and three (3) whites. Four alternates were chosen, three of whom were black. The state used none of the four challenges accorded it against alternates. The defendant struck two whites and one black. Under Batson, a defendant must show that (1) he is a member of a cognizable racial group; (2) that the prosecutor exercised peremptory challenges to excuse a venire person of the defendant's race; and (3) that there is an inference that the venire persons were excluded on account of their race. Batson, 476 U.S. 79, 96, 106 S.Ct. 1712, 1722-23. The burden then shifts to the State to come forward with a race-neutral explanation for challenging the jurors. Id. Here, Mack raised the Batson issue prior to the State's use of its peremptory challenges. The trial court observed that the motion was premature and judicially noted that the county where the trial was held was 36.4% white and 62.9% black. Without ruling on whether a prima facie case was presented, the court required the State to state the reasons for its strikes, and the following reasons were given: (1) Marcus Mitchell  excluded because he was unemployed [1] ; (2) Lillie Terrell  excluded because she was asleep during the court's voir dire, was extremely bored, was looking around, was yawning, put her head down, started fiddling around in her lap, she was wearing short pants, and because the prosecutor had information that she is related to Hope Terrell, one of the witnesses; (3) Joann White  excluded for writing a series of bad checks; and (4) Delora Banks  excluded because she stated that she had conscientious scruples against the death penalty. Mack offered no rebuttal argument but did contest, through cross examination the evidence concerning White's alleged bad checks. The court found that the reasons were race-neutral. Mack now contends that the reasons offered by the State were pretextual. It is incumbent upon a defendant claiming that proffered reasons are pretextual to raise the argument before the trial court. Whitsey v. State, 796 S.W.2d 707 (Tex. Crim. App. 1989.) The failure to do so constitutes waiver. Even if Mack had not waived the issue, we would find that the trial court did not err. We examine each challenge by the state.