Opinion ID: 1058506
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: rejection of batson challenge

Text: The defendant contends that the trial court's conclusory rejection of a timely Batson challenge to the state's striking of five African-American members of the venire, without any contemporaneous findings and without requiring the state to proffer an explanation, warrants a remand for a hearing to determine whether a new trial should be granted. During voir dire, seven jurors were excused by the state as a result of peremptory challenges. After their dismissal, the defense raised an objection and noted that five of these jurors were African-American. The trial court found there was no basis to declare that any of the challenges were based upon race. A state's use of peremptory challenges to intentionally exclude jurors of the defendant's race violates the defendant's right to equal protection. Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79, 89, 106 S.Ct. 1712, 90 L.Ed.2d 69 (1986). The Court upheld this principle in Powers v. Ohio, but eliminated the requirement that the defendant and the potential juror share the same race. 499 U.S. 400, 415, 111 S.Ct. 1364, 113 L.Ed.2d 411 (1991). A defendant seeking to raise a Batson claim must first make a prima facie showing of purposeful discrimination against a prospective juror. Batson, 476 U.S. at 93-94, 106 S.Ct. 1712. The defendant must establish that a consideration of all the relevant circumstances raises an inference of purposeful discrimination. Woodson v. Porter Brown Limestone Co., 916 S.W.2d 896, 903 (Tenn.1996). If a prima facie showing of purposeful discrimination is established, the burden then shifts to the state to establish a neutral basis for the challenge. Batson, 476 U.S. at 97, 106 S.Ct. 1712. The trial court must give specific reasons for each of its factual findings in ruling on peremptory challenges. Woodson, 916 S.W.2d at 906. This should include the reason the objecting party has or has not established a prima facie showing of purposeful discrimination. The trial court's findings are to be accorded great weight and will not be set aside unless they are clearly erroneous. Id.; see also Miller-El v. Cockrell, 537 U.S. 322, 123 S.Ct. 1029, 154 L.Ed.2d 931 (2003) (noting deference to the trial court is necessary relating to credibility). The trial court found that the defendant had not made a prima facie showing of discrimination. In determining whether the defendant has established a prima facie case, the trial court may consider whether similarly situated members of another race were seated on the jury. State v. Stout, 46 S.W.3d 689, 711 (Tenn.) (citations omitted), cert. denied, 534 U.S. 998, 122 S.Ct. 471, 151 L.Ed.2d 386 (2001). The trial court may also consider the demeanor of the attorney who exercised the challenge, which is often the best evidence of the credibility of proffered explanations. Id. at 711-12 (citations omitted). In the instant case, the record reveals that the final jury consisted of six African-Americans and six Caucasians. At the motion for new trial, the court commented that the only reason advanced by the defense to establish a prima facie case was the number of strikes used against African-Americans. While the court conceded that a prima facie case may be established by numbers alone, the trial court further explained that was not done in the instant case. Indeed, the trial court stated: ... if all you're standing up and saying is ... numbers alone, that's my prima facie case, I stilland I know what the case law saysbut I'm still of the opinion that at the time of my observations, my being present, listening to the jurors testify, observing the demeanor of the jurors, watching and taking notes of what was going on, I was not convinced at that time that there was a systematic exclusion of African-Americans from this jury, and that was the basis for it; not strictly on numbers, but it was based on the overall circumstances of what was occurring in the courtroom. We cannot conclude that the trial court's findings were clearly erroneous. See State v. Keen, 31 S.W.3d 196, app. at 227-29 (Tenn.2000) (holding there was no showing of purposeful discrimination where four African-American jurors were peremptorily challenged by the state), cert. denied, 532 U.S. 907, 121 S.Ct. 1233, 149 L.Ed.2d 142 (2001). In light of the trial court's findings, we conclude this issue is without merit.