Opinion ID: 691683
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Racially-Motivated Peremptory Challenges

Text: 23 All three defendants allege that the prosecution illegally used its peremptory juror challenges by intentionally excluding a venireman for racial reasons. Defendants allege that the prosecution excluded the venireman at issue, a caucasian man, because he is married to a hispanic woman. They argue that the prosecution's strike of this venireman violated the rule established in Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79, 85-87 (1986), that a prosecutor violates the Equal Protection Clause if he excludes potential jurors solely because of their race. To make a prima facie showing of a Batson violation, a defendant must show that he is a member of a cognizable racial group, that peremptory challenges have been used against members of that group, and that the facts raise the inference that the prosecutor intended to exclude one or more veniremen because of their race. Batson, 476 U.S. at 96; United States v. Ferguson, 23 F.3d 135, 141 (6th Cir.), cert. denied, 115 S.Ct. 259 (1994). 24 We know of no cases that purport to abandon the requirement that, in order to offend the Batson rule, the challenged strike be made because of the venireman's race as opposed to, for example, the race of one of the venireman's relatives. Here, defendants do not allege that the prosecution excluded the venireman at issue because of his race. 3 Defendants have therefore failed to make a prima facie showing of a Batson violation.