Opinion ID: 848572
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Neutral Explanation for the Challenge

Text: Once a prima facie showing is made, the burden shifts to the challenger to provide a neutral explanation for the challenge. Upon the trial court's finding that defense counsel's challenge of juror ten was based on race, defense counsel requested an opportunity to make a record. The trial court initially denied defense counsel's request, but reconsidered upon defense counsel's objection. Defense counsel stated: I would bring to the Court's attention that the number of white males on that panel still exceeds the number of the minorities on that panel. Why don't you talk about the whole racial composition of that panel? There's still a vast majority of white members on that panel than it is [sic] black members on that panel. The trial court responded by stating that defense counsel's reason supported its prima facie finding that counsel had exercised the challenge on the basis of race and upheld its disallowance of the challenge. After the prosecutor objected to defense counsel's peremptory challenge of juror five, the trial court disallowed the challenge for the same reasons as asserted before. Defense counsel objected and attempted to make a record, but the trial court interrupted him. The trial court then allowed defense counsel to make a record, but only after the prosecutor asked to approach the bench. The prosecutor stated that defense counsel's three previous peremptory challenges, including juror five, were of Caucasian males. Defense counsel responded by giving race-neutral reasons for two of the challenges. The trial court noted that it was only concerned with defense counsel's reasons for challenging juror five. Defense counsel replied: Judge, again, if there were no other white males on that jury, or white males were a minority on that jury, then there may be some persuasive force to [the assistant prosecutor's] argument about a Battson [sic] challenge. That simply is not the case. The demographics of that jury do not hold up to that kind of a challenge. And I think I don't have to have a reason for exercising a peremptory challenge. Defense counsel gave no other reason for his challenge. The trial court stated that peremptory challenges could not be based on race and found that defense counsel's peremptory challenge of juror five had been based on gender and race. The Court of Appeals concluded that even if a prima facie case had been established, the trial court failed to comply with steps two and three of the Batson process. It found that the trial court erred by denying defense counsel the opportunity to make a record before disallowing the per-emptory challenge of juror ten. It further found that the trial court failed to inquire whether defense counsel had a race-neutral reason for striking juror five. We agree that the trial court initially erred in denying defense counsel the opportunity to provide race-neutral reasons for his challenges. We conclude, however, that these errors were cured when the trial court, almost immediately after each challenge, permitted defense counsel to make a record. It then based its ultimate conclusion to disallow the challenges on defendant's race-conscious reasons. Because the trial court did perform the steps required by Batson, albeit somewhat belatedly, it did not improperly deny defendant the right to exercise two of his statutorily prescribed peremptory challenges. We reject the claim that the trial court failed to inquire whether defense counsel had a race-neutral reason for striking juror five because the record shows otherwise. Defense counsel provided only one reason for his challenges, which was not race-neutral and did not refute the prima facie showing that his challenges were based on race. Just as a challenger may not exclude a prospective juror on the basis of race, it is equally improper for a challenger to engineer the composition of a jury to reflect the race of the defendant. Finally, defendant claims on appeal that his responses were not given as race-neutral reasons for his challenges, but, rather, as attempts to disprove the trial court's and the prosecution's prima facie showings of racial discrimination. We are not persuaded by this argument. Defense counsel never contended that the trial court and the prosecution had not made a prima facie case of racial discrimination. If he was merely attempting to disprove the prima facie showings, defense counsel would not have stopped there, but would have also provided race-neutral reasons for the challenges in the event that the trial court refused to accept his argument. Additionally, the record indicates that defense counsel understood that he was to provide race-neutral reasons. The prosecution objected to the challenge of juror five because defense counsel's three previous peremptory challenges, including juror five, were of Caucasian males. Defense counsel then furnished race-neutral reasons for two of the challenges. But with respect to juror five, defense counsel merely stated that the prosecution's argument failed because Caucasian males still remained on the jury. Defendant clearly demonstrated his understanding and ability to provide race-neutral reasons when needed. In juror five's case, he failed to do so. [10] While defense counsel may not have effectively used his opportunity to provide race-neutral reasons for his challenges, he had the opportunity. Defendant cannot complain now that the opportunity was insufficient.