Opinion ID: 1725949
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: whether the state violated the first and fourteenth amendments of the constitution by striking two jurors on the basis of their religious beliefs.

Text: ¶ 7. Thorson maintains that the trial judge erred in holding that the State did not violate the Equal Protection Clause when the prosecutor struck two jurors based on their religious beliefs. He is referring to the fact that the State struck Patty Jackson and Margaret Peters because they were members of the Holiness faith. Thorson asserts that striking a person based on her religious beliefs is tantamount to striking a juror based on her race or gender. He claims that by striking a person based on her religious beliefs, the prosecutor not only violated the Equal Protection clause, but also violated Section 13-5-2 of the Mississippi Code of 1972, as amended. ¶ 8. The issue of whether or not a juror may be struck based on his religious preference alone has not yet been decided by the United States Supreme Court. In fact, the Supreme Court denied certiorari in a case in which the Supreme Court of Minnesota held that peremptory strikes based on religious affiliation were Constitutional. See State v. Davis, 504 N.W.2d 767 (Minn.1993), cert. denied, 511 U.S. 1115, 114 S.Ct. 2120, 128 L.Ed.2d 679 (1994). A majority of jurisdictions have declined to extend the Batson holding to include religion, but instead have held that individual state constitutions prohibit exercising peremptory challenges on the basis of religious affiliation. [1] Contra, a growing number of jurisdictions have held that religious affiliation is a valid reason for striking potential jurors. [2] There are also some jurisdictions which have not specifically addressed the issue of whether or not religion based strikes are Constitutional, but have held that peremptory strikes based on religion are sufficient race-neutral Batson reasons. [3] Finally, a minority of jurisdictions have held that Batson protection extends beyond race and incorporates religious groups. [4] We find that Mississippi Constitutional and Statutory law prohibit exercising peremptory challenges based solely on a person's religious beliefs. Article 3, Section 18 of the Mississippi Constitution decrees in part that: No religious test as a qualification for office shall be required; and no preference shall be given by law to any religious sect or mode of worship; but the free enjoyment of all religious sentiments and the different modes of worship shall be held sacred.... Section 18 prohibits preference to any particular religion and insures that each citizen of this state shall enjoy freedom of worship. Peremptory challenges based on a person's membership in a particular religious order or denomination violate our State Constitution by permitting preference of one religion over another. Serving on a jury is a right, privilege and responsibility of all our citizens. We will not allow the State or any other party to impede a citizen's rights to participate in our legal proceedings based solely on his or her religion. ¶ 9. In addition to our Constitution, Mississippi statutory law clearly prohibits peremptory challenges based on religion. Miss.Code Ann. § 13-5-2 reads: It is the policy of this state that all persons selected for jury service be selected at random from a fair cross section of the population of the area served by the court, and that all qualified citizens have the opportunity in accordance with this chapter to be considered for jury service in this state and an obligation to serve as jurors when summoned for that purpose. A citizen shall not be excluded from jury service in this state on account of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or economic status. Miss.Code Ann. § 13-5-2 (Supp.1997) (emphasis added). This statute mandates that the jury pool be selected from a random cross-section of the population. It also prohibits excluding a person from serving on a jury based on her race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or economic status. This chapter of our code is not limited only to grand jury proceedings. It applies equally, unless stated otherwise, to all jury proceedings. It follows that peremptory strikes cannot be exercised to exclude a juror for any of these reasons. [5] Thus, Mr. Grissom violated this statute when he struck Patty Jackson solely because she was a member of the Holiness Faith. [6] ¶ 10. Religion or lack thereof is an inseparable part of a person's character. Unlike race and gender, religious beliefs are not ordained at birth. A person may belong to a particular religious group without adopting all of the tenets and dogma of that religion. The critical determination is an individual's beliefs, not the doctrines or dogma espoused by her religion. ¶ 11. In the case sub judice, Grissom testified that he struck Ms. Jackson because she belonged to the Holiness Faith. He maintained that members of the Holiness Faith did not like to sit in judgment of their fellow man, and thus, they did not make good jurors. The critical question Grissom should have asked Jackson was whether or not she felt that she could sit in judgment of her fellow man regardless of the position of the Holiness Faith. If this question had evinced that she could not, then Grissom would have had a valid reason for striking her. Thus, while we will permit a party to strike a potential juror for her actual beliefs, even if that belief springs from her religion, we will not allow challenges based solely on a potential jurors' religious affiliation. An individual's affiliation with the religious group of his or her choice shall not be a badge of second class citizenship in Mississippi. Therefore, we must reverse and remand for a new trial before a jury untainted by religious bias.