Opinion ID: 1751529
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Marcus Mitchell:

Text: Mack argues that the State's reason for excluding Mitchell was pretextual because Susan Palacious, a white female, [2] who was also unemployed, was accepted by the State. Mack argues further that this pretextual reason had a disparate impact on black males from the Delta and indicates that the State had a lack of appreciation for the bleak economic conditions faced by men in Mitchell's circumstances. Mack concedes that perhaps if he were claiming an inability to find work as a defense for his actions or as a mitigating factor, Mitchell's employment status would be related to this particular case. However, he asserts that since this case does not raise the issue of unemployment, the fact that Mack is unemployed is unrelated to the case and is, therefore, pretextual under Batson. Mack asks this Court to follow Davis v. State, 551 So.2d 165, 170 (Miss. 1989), which states that the prosecutor must give reasons related to the case; and Whitsey v. State, 796 S.W.2d 707, 713 (Tex. Crim. App. 1989), where the court stated that pretext is shown where the reasons are not related to the facts of the case. In Batson, the Court stated that, The prosecutor therefore must articulate a neutral explanation related to the particular case to be tried. 476 U.S. at 98, 106 S.Ct. at 1724. Mack also asserts that the prosecutor's reason fails to rebut the claim of discrimination because it was not explored on voir dire. Mack cites Floyd v. State, 539 So.2d 357, 363-64 (Ala. Crim. App. 1987), where that court stated that the striking of black jurors because of their youth was not permissible where the prosecution failed to delve into age-related biases. Mack also cites St. Louis v. State, 584 So.2d 180, 182 (Fla.App. 1991), where the court found that the reason for the strike was pretextual when the prosecutor stated the juror was not educated enough but failed to determine educational background on voir dire, as well as, failed to show that a particular level of education was needed. Mack, therefore, asserts three factors which have been identified as indicia of pretext: (1) disparate treatment, that is, the presence of unchallenged jurors of the opposite race who share the characteristic given as the basis for the challenge; (2) the failure to voir dire as to the characteristic cited; and, (3) the characteristic cited is unrelated to the facts of the case. Whitsey, 796 S.W.2d at 707. (Other indices of pretextual strikes are lack of record support for the stated reason and group-based traits.) This Court addressed the race neutrality of a challenge based on a juror's employment status with respect to disparity in Porter v. State, 616 So.2d 899 (Miss. 1993). In Porter, after the State struck two prospective black jurors because they were of an age to be employed and had no occupation, the defense argued that the prosecution accepted three white jurors who were also unemployed, two were homemakers and the third was retired. Porter, 616 So.2d at 907. We reasoned that there exists a difference other than race between the two Black unemployed veniremen of employable age and the three Whites... . [h]omemaking is an honorable if somewhat tedious profession, and being unemployed is a race-neutral explanation that can be used to strike a juror. Id. See also Lockett v. State, 517 So.2d 1346 (Miss. 1987) (Appendix I at 1356-57) (unemployed with no roots in community is a race-neutral explanation). Mack's claim of pretext based on disparate treatment must fail. The failure to voir dire usually comes in to play when the prosecutor expresses some suspicion or uncertainty about the true situation involving the juror, such as when he believes that the juror is related to a criminal, or has been involved in some activities which might engender a negative attitude toward the defendant. This factor is closely related to the lack of an evidentiary basis. Here, the fact that Mitchell was unemployed was reflected in the jury questionnaire. The prosecutor was not acting on a mere suspicion. Still, voir dire on this issue may have revealed an explanation for this status which would not have been consistent with assumptions regarding the stability and community values of the unemployed. The failure to conduct voir dire must weigh against the state in an evaluation of the bona fides of the proffered reason. In the Batson formulation, the relationship of the reason to the facts of the case is to be considered. The usual role given this circumstance is as another factor tending to show that the proffered reason is pretextual. See Whitsey 796 S.W.2d at 714-15; State v. Slappy, 522 So.2d 18, 23-24 (Fla. 1988). This too, must weigh against the state. Nothing about the facts of this case suggests that a juror's employment status should be an issue. These two factors which weigh against the state must be viewed, however, in light of the relative strength of the prima facie case of discrimination. The stronger the prima facie case, the more cogent the explanations from the state and supporting evidence must be and vice versa. See Ex parte Bird & Warner, 594 So.2d 676 (Ala. 1991). Here the victim as well as the defendant was black. The jury seated was 75% black. The venire selected for the jury was 56% black, which was the approximate percentage of the total venire. The state used only one third of its challenges. It used none of its challenges against alternates, the first three of whom were black. Of its total challenges then, the state used only 20%. This is a weak prima facie case. Because the state gave reasons, the issue of whether there was a prima facie case is moot. Hernandez v. New York, 500 U.S. 352, 352-54, 111 S.Ct. 1859, 1862-63, 114 L.Ed.2d 395, 396 (1991). That is, the reasons given must be race neutral. Where the reasons are facially race neutral, however, a weak or non-existent prima facie case weighs against a finding of pretext. Here the fact that the prima facie case was weak, at best, compels the conclusion that we should not disturb the decision of the trial court that no discrimination was shown in the exclusion of juror Mitchell.