Opinion ID: 2336472
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: trial court's refusal to excuse jurors with racist views

Text: Upon individual questioning, Juror # 170 indicated that he had been assaulted at gunpoint by an African-American in Tennessee. When asked if he had ever used racial terms to describe this incident, Juror # 170 stated that he had used the phrase some nigger robbed me at gunpoint. During the questioning of Juror # 54, he indicated that he had moved from his prior neighborhood because he had a young daughter and he never felt safe because there were black guys always around their house. He indicated a strong opposition to inter-racial relationships, stating that he generally thought of people involved in such relationships as low class, and of low class people as more likely to commit crime. Juror # 54 stated that he could not deny his prejudices and that upon entering the courtroom he automatically assumed Gamble to be the defendant because he figured a black had to be the person accused. Both Juror # 170 and Juror # 54 indicated that they could base their decision solely on the evidence presented at trial. Neither Juror # 170 nor Juror # 54 served on Appellant's jury. According to Appellant, the trial court refused to exclude these jurors for cause and Appellant exercised peremptory challenges in order to avoid having them serve on the jury. However, Appellee points out, and the record reflects, that the Court, in fact, eventually struck Juror # 170, though how that came about is unclear from the record. Appellee further notes that Gamble did not allege that he used all of his peremptory challenges, even having stricken Juror # 54. Thus, the Commonwealth argues that the issue is not properly preserved for appeal, citing Derossett v. Commonwealth, Ky., 867 S.W.2d 195, 197 (1993); and Wilson v. Commonwealth, Ky., 836 S.W.2d 872 (1992). The error attributed to the failure to excuse either or both jurors for cause is not properly postured for further review insofar as neither juror sat, nor has prejudice been shown as the record does not disclose that appellant exhausted all peremptory challenges as to these venirepersons. Derossett at 197. CR 9.40 provides that, for the charge of a felony offense, the defendant or defendants jointly are entitled to eight (8) peremptory challenges. If one (1) or two (2) additional jurors are called, each defendant gets an additional peremptory challenge, and where more than one (1) defendant is being tried, each defendant is entitled to at least one additional peremptory challenge to be exercised independently of any other defendant. While a motion was made for additional challenges, the record does not indicate that the motion was granted. The record reveals that Appellant and Bradley struck eight (8) jurors jointly, and Appellant struck an additional two jurors independently. Thus it would appear that Appellant did, in fact, use all of his peremptory challenges. While it is true that the decision of whether a juror should be excused for cause is a matter within the sound discretion of the trial court, Mills v. Commonwealth, Ky., 996 S.W.2d 473 (1999), Foley v. Commonwealth, Ky., 953 S.W.2d 924 (1997), the exchange between Juror # 54, counsel for the Appellant and Ms. Bradley, and the trial judge, is very disturbing. While Juror # 54 was hesitant to label himself a bigot, and clearly embarrassed when voicing his views on race, he did state that: (1) he was racially biased; (2) he left his neighborhood because young black men were hanging around in the area; (3) when he walked into the courtroom he assumed that Appellant was the accused because of the color of his skin; (4) and he was opposed to, in fact, offended by, inter-racial relationships. Juror # 54 specifically stated that he felt that people who were involved in such relationships were low class, and that low class people were more likely to commit crimes. Juror # 54 stated that it was hard to say how the presence of an inter-racial relationship would affect his decision in this case. While Juror # 54 did eventually state that he could be fair and reach a decision on the evidence, every indication was that he holds racist ideas which affected his view of Appellant before the first piece of evidence was presented to him. In short, he had indicated a bias so strong that he could not be rehabilitated. As stated in Montgomery v. Commonwealth, Ky., 819 S.W.2d 713, 718 (1991), further questions do not provide a device to `rehabilitate' a juror who should be considered disqualified by his personal knowledge or his past experience, or his attitude as expressed on voir dire. This juror had indicated a bias so strong that the prosecutor's questions did not serve to remove the disqualification. Thomas v. Commonwealth, Ky., 864 S.W.2d 252, 255 (1993). As this Court stated in Montgomery : One of the myths arising from the folklore surrounding jury selection is that a juror who has made answers which would otherwise disqualify him by reason of bias or prejudice may be rehabilitated by being asked whether he can put aside his personal knowledge, his views, or those sentiments and opinions he has already, and decide the case instead based solely on the evidence presented in court and the court's instruction. This has come to be referred to in the vernacular as the magic question. But, as Chief Justice Hughes observed in United States v. Wood, 299 U.S. 123, 57 S.Ct. 177, 81 L.Ed. 78 (1936), impartiality is not a technical conception. It is a state of mind. A trial court's decision whether a juror possessed this mental attitude of appropriate indifference must be reviewed in the totality of circumstances. It is not limited to the juror's response to a magic question. In this case, the record is replete with circumstances establishing an inference of bias or prejudice on the part of jurors so pervasive that the jurors were beyond being rehabilitated as appropriate jurors by affirmative answer to such a question, however well intentioned. Id. at 718. For Appellant's challenge to succeed, it is not necessary that an unqualified juror actually sat on the jury. As the Court noted in Thomas v. Commonwealth, Ky., 864 S.W.2d 252, 259 (1993), it has always been the law in Kentucky that prejudice is presumed, and the defendant is entitled to a reversal in those cases where a defendant is forced to exhaust his peremptory challenges against prospective jurors who should have been excused for cause. All that is required is that [a] party must exercise all of his peremptory challenges in order to sustain a claim of prejudice due to the failure of the court to grant a requested challenge for cause. Thomas , citing Abramson, Kentucky Practice, (Criminal Rules) Vol. 9, Sec. 25.50 (1987). Inasmuch as our decision on this issue is dispositive, the additional issues raised by Appellant on appeal, which are unlikely to arise at a second trial, will not be addressed further. LAMBERT, C.J.; COOPER and JOHNSTONE, JJ., concur. KELLER, J., dissents by separate opinion, with GRAVES and WINTERSHEIMER, JJ., joining that dissent.