Opinion ID: 2310530
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Racial Bias in Jury Selection

Text: In this allegation, Appellant complains that the prosecution employed peremptory challenges on a racial basis in order to achieve a jury of eight white persons in violation of Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79, 106 S.Ct. 1712, 90 L.Ed.2d 69 (1986), which outlaws purposeful discrimination in jury selection. See, also, Commonwealth v. Abu-Jamal, 521 Pa. 188, 555 A.2d 846 (1989). Appellant's brief, pp. 28-29, is utterly devoid of any specifics whatsoever offered to prove the allegation. Judge Geisz, slip opinion, p. 25, concluded that the defense has again failed to specify the exact number of illegal challenges alleged to have been made by the prosecutor, nor has he cited any place in the record in support of such unproven allegations. On the other hand, this trial judge has searched the record and there is nothing on the record to indicate that any juror was of any specific race, the defendant never made any request of the court to record the race or racial appearance of any juror. We agree that no basis exists for this assignment of error.