Opinion ID: 783829
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Harris's Challenge to the Prosecutor's Use of Peremptory Strikes During Jury Selection

Text: 70 On January 2, 1985, the state trial court began jury selection. The first black venire person to be examined was named McGruder. Both the prosecution and the defense accepted McGruder for the jury panel. However, on the following day, before any additional jurors had been selected, McGruder told the court that in 1961 he had been charged with a misdemeanor involving the carrying of weapons, that he was convicted, that he received a suspended sentence, and that he thereafter was granted a certificate of relief from civil disabilities. McGruder had failed to provide this information when questioned by the judge during his examination the previous day. Id. at 552. 71 After this disclosure, the prosecutor asked that McGruder be dismissed for cause or, in the alternative, that he — the prosecutor — be permitted to utilize a peremptory challenge to strike McGruder. The court denied the challenge for cause, but allowed the prosecutor to exercise a peremptory challenge. Harris's counsel objected to the exclusion of McGruder, arguing that McGruder was one of the few blacks on the panel of prospective jurors. The court nevertheless granted the prosecutor's application for leave to strike McGruder peremptorily. Id. at 552-58. 72 Later that afternoon, the prosecutor excused two more black potential jurors with peremptory challenges. Harris's counsel objected to their removal, stating: 73 Judge, I want the record to reflect that at this time [the prosecutor] has challenged the two black jurors that we had sitting in the jury box, in addition to Mr. McGruder, okay, and both of those jurors I found to be acceptable. I think this is a purposeful attempt by [the prosecutor] to exclude black jurors. 74 Id. at 566-67. The judge offered to allow the parties to make a separate argument afterwards, to which Harris's counsel replied, Well, I say it's purposeful. Under [ McCray v. Abrams, 750 F.2d 1113, 1133 (2d Cir.1984)]. 4 Id. at 567. The prosecutor responded: I certainly would indicate just because [Harris's counsel] finds certain jurors qualified, does not mean the People do. I have specific reasons why I excluded the jurors that I have. I selected yesterday Mr. McGruder, who was a black juror, who was, I believe, the first one that came into view and because he was excused today had nothing to do with the fact that he was picked yesterday. 75 Id. at 568. After Harris's counsel declined the judge's invitation to respond to this argument, the judge proceeded with jury selection without further comment. Id. 76 The next time the judge asked for peremptory challenges, Harris's counsel may have again attempted to raise an issue regarding the prosecutor's exercise of peremptory challenges. Unfortunately, the record is not entirely clear what the issue was at that time, because the prosecutor interrupted, asking: Can we do this after? The judge replied: We'll do this after. Id. at 605. 77 At the end of jury selection, all five black venire persons, including McGruder, had been peremptorily challenged by the prosecutor and subsequently removed from the panel. Harris's counsel again objected to the prosecutor's use of his peremptory challenges to strike these five potential jurors. Id. at 687. The judge, after hearing Harris's counsel's argument, responded: 78 Now, I'm troubled by what you stated because it seems to me that Mr. McGruder was a black man on Wednesday and on Thursday, but he was the same black man that he had accepted on Wednesday. Now, how could you argue that there is a systematic attempt to exclude blacks by the District Attorney's office of Nassau County when we had here, which was proof positive of the fact that the prosecutor had accepted a black man on Wednesday? 79