Opinion ID: 547646
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Government's Standing to Object to De Gross' Peremptory Challenge

Text: 8 In Batson v. Kentucky, the Court held that a prosecutor's discriminatory peremptory challenge violates the defendant's right to equal protection of the laws because the defendant is entitled to be tried by a jury chosen pursuant to racially nondiscriminatory criteria. 476 U.S. at 85-89, 106 S.Ct. at 1716-19. The Court also held, however, that racial discrimination in the selection of jurors harms not only the accused, but also the excluded juror and the entire community. Id. at 87, 106 S.Ct. at 1718. The Court stated that by denying a person participation in jury service on account of his race, the State unconstitutionally discriminated against the excluded juror. Id. (citing Carter v. Jury Comm'n of Greene County, 396 U.S. 320, 329-30, 90 S.Ct. 518, 523-24, 24 L.Ed.2d 549 (1970)). We hold that the United States may object to a criminal defendant's discriminatory peremptory challenge because the United States has standing to assert the equal protection rights of the venireperson sought to be excluded. 5 9 First, the government's relationship to the venireperson is sufficient to ensure that it will vigorously defend his or her rights. See Singleton v. Wulff, 428 U.S. 106, 114-15, 96 S.Ct. 2868, 2874-75, 49 L.Ed.2d 826 (1976). The government has a direct interest in protecting the rights of its citizens, including potential jurors. Additionally, the government has an interest in maintaining a venireperson's perception of the criminal justice system as fair, impartial, and free from discrimination. The mere existence of discriminatory practices in jury selection cast[s] doubt on the integrity of the whole judicial process. Peters v. Kiff, 407 U.S. 493, 502-03, 92 S.Ct. 2163, 2168-69, 33 L.Ed.2d 83 (1972). Selection procedures that violate a venireperson's equal protection rights undermine public confidence in the fairness of our system of justice. Batson, 476 U.S. at 87, 106 S.Ct. at 1718. 10 Second, several obstacles exist to prevent an excluded venireperson from asserting his own rights. See Singleton, 428 U.S. at 115-16, 96 S.Ct. at 2874-75. In the context of racial discrimination, Justice Kennedy has noted that: 11 Individual jurors subjected to peremptory racial exclusion have the legal right to bring a suit on their own behalf, Carter v. Jury Comm'n of Greene County, 396 U.S. 320 [90 S.Ct. 518, 24 L.Ed.2d 549] (1970), but as a practical matter this sort of challenge is most unlikely. The reality is that a juror dismissed because of his race will leave the courtroom with a lasting sense of exclusion from the experience of jury participation, but possessing little incentive or resources to set in motion the arduous process needed to vindicate his own rights. 12 Holland, 110 S.Ct. at 812 (Kennedy, J., concurring). Even if a civil suit were brought by excluded jurors, it may prove to be an ineffective remedy against discrimination by defendants. See Note, Discrimination by the Defense: Peremptory Challenges After Batson v. Kentucky, 88 Colum.L.Rev. 355, 367 (1988). 13 In other situations, a venireperson may not be aware initially that he or she has been discriminated against. Such discrimination may not become apparent until a number of similarly situated venirepersons have been struck. Also, the venireperson is not a party to the litigation and, therefore, may not be in a position to complain to the trial judge that her right not to be excluded from jury service on the basis of her group membership has been violated. Thus, she may lack an immediate remedy for her unconstitutional exclusion from the trial. 14 Third, violation of the venireperson's rights injures the United States by impugning the jury system. In addition, when a criminal defendant, through discriminatory peremptory challenges, attempts to achieve a jury partial to her, the government's interest in fair trials is injured. See Singer v. United States, 380 U.S. 24, 36, 85 S.Ct. 783, 790, 13 L.Ed.2d 630 (1965) ([T]he Government, as a litigant, has a legitimate interest in seeing that cases in which it believes a conviction is warranted are tried before the tribunal which the Constitution regards as most likely to produce a fair result.) 15 We therefore conclude that the government has standing to object to De Gross' peremptory challenge of Tiffany under these circumstances.