Opinion ID: 2492640
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The State's Reverse Batson Challenge

Text: ¶ 39. Bailey also contends that the trial court abused its discretion in not accepting the defense's reason for striking a white male juror. The defense claimed that it struck the juror because he was an accountant and a gun owner. The juror owned one gun that he used for hunting and another gun that he had inherited from his father. Bailey's attorney stated that the juror seemed to be a person who doesn't understand the concept that people can just own guns for self protection in rough neighborhoods. With regard to the juror being an accountant, Bailey's attorney stated: [A]ccountants tendand this is a categorical assumption, but we still stereotype accountants as people that like everything cabined off, and there needs to be a box for everything, and sometimes in a case there just isn't. And so when you have a person in the jury room that's going to need everything set and our defense can't have enough that way, we feel like his being an accountant is hurtful. After the State responded to the defense's arguments, the trial court found that there was no indication that the juror was biased or prejudiced against people who carried guns for protection. The trial judge also noted that the juror being an accountant could weigh in favor of either side, stating: that could cut both ways because they could find that the State had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, which is, of course, a high burden, and an accountant would expect them to prove their case meticulously, so that could also work in favor of the defendant. ¶ 40. The reasons the defense provide for striking the white male juror were not accepted by the trial judge as valid, race-neutral reasons for striking a juror. The defense seemed to infer from the juror's response that because he used his guns for reasons other than self-defense, he would not relate to one who uses a gun for that reason. The defense also made the inference that, because the juror was an accountant, he would not be able to view the evidence presented as a whole. Again, this was no more than an inference that was not supported by the questions and responses during voir dire. ¶ 41. In sum, we find that this issue, both as to Bailey's Batson challenge, and Bailey's response to the State's reverse- Batson challenge, is without merit.