Opinion ID: 2632351
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: Juror 4 - L. Green

Text: The prosecutor noted to the court that Green was a fairly young black male and asserted that Green was removed because he wore hair braids. At the time the crime was committed in this case, the defendant had also worn hair braids. The prosecutor claimed that he was concerned that because no other members of the panel wore hair braids, Green would bond with the defendant, or Green might develop a concern about possible negative connotations that might be drawn about individuals with hair braids. The prosecutor rationalized that he was down to his eleventh strike at this point, stating that he had to start looking at stereotypes and that hair braids stuck out. Bolton argued that the presence of hair braids was not a race-neutral reason for striking Green. He claimed that this bordered on being a racial argument because Green had this particular type of hair because he is African-American and because the defendant and Green shared this same racial characteristic. In its brief, the State asserts this was not a racial characteristic, but a characteristic that both the defendant and Green happened to share. The State likens it to a tattoo, ear piercing, or certain style of clothing in attempting to show that the race of the juror was not determinative. The State contends that the sole issue at trial was identity, and that because Green was the only member of the jury with hair braids, he or other jurors might have been affected if testimony came in that the defendant wore hair braids.