Opinion ID: 2630726
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Prospective Juror And

Text: During voir dire, Juror And testified that her brother had been arrested and convicted of assault and battery a year earlier. She stated that her brother was treated unfairly because there was not enough evidence to convict him. She said that the trial came down to her brother's word against the victim's word, but the victim did not tell the truth, and the jury convicted her brother based solely on the testimony of one person the victim. Even though she felt that her brother was treated unfairly, she stated that she does not hold it against the police or the district attorney, and the situation would not affect her deliberation in Ford's case. When giving reasons for excluding Juror And, the prosecutor stated that even though Juror And's brother had gone through a jury trial, Juror And felt it was unfair because the jury relied on the testimony of just one person. The prosecutor reiterated Juror And's concern that the victim in her brother's case was untruthful. To the prosecutor, Juror And's answers showed distrust of the jury system. Two jurors who were not excluded by the StateJuror Ste and Juror Haualso had close family members who had been convicted of crimes. Juror Ste stated during voir dire that he had a wayward brother who had been arrested and served prison time for everything in Missouri, Tennessee, and Arkansas. When asked whether his brother had been treated fairly, he replied, Every time. Juror Ste also stated that he could be fair and impartial and that his brother's indiscretions would not affect his ability to deliberate in Ford's case. Juror Hau stated that of his seven children, he had one daughter who had been arrested for a DUI. When asked whether he thought his daughter was treated fairly, Juror Hau stated that she was. Juror Hau indicated that he could remain fair and impartial and that his daughter's arrest would not affect his ability to deliberate. Unlike Juror Ste and Juror Hau, Juror And felt as though her brother was treated unfairly. Therefore, the State's reasons for striking Juror And were inapplicable to Juror Ste and Juror Hau, both of whom thought that the system had treated their relatives fairly. Juror And's answers to voir dire questions were not similar to Juror Ste and Juror Hau and no Miller-El violation occurred.