Opinion ID: 1599358
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Gender and Racial Neutral Explanations

Text: ¶ 37. All that is required here is that the proponent of the strike give race or gender neutral reasons for the strike. Batson, 476 U.S. at 97, 106 S.Ct. 1712. Any reason which is not facially violative of equal protection will suffice. Purkett v. Elem, 514 U.S. 765, 767-68, 115 S.Ct. 1769, 131 L.Ed.2d 834 (1995). Henley's gender and race neutral explanations for striking panelist # 19 was that she was a housewife and unemployed. Additionally, he felt that she could not be fair and impartial, but was unable to give specific reasons because the information was received in confidence. While being a housewife is by its definition not gender neutral, Henley's other reasons are not facially violative of equal protection, and thus they pass the second prong of the Batson analysis. However, the teachings of Purkett make clear that a facially neutral reason under step two is not necessarily a non-pre-textual one under step three.