Opinion ID: 754313
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Issue (1)--Death Qualification

Text: 25 Mr. Jackson contends that New Mexico's jury death qualification process, which disqualifies prospective jurors who indicate they will not impose the death penalty under any circumstances, resulted in the disqualification of the only two African-Americans in the jury pool and deprived him of due process and a fair trial. Mr. Jackson does not raise a Batson challenge, see Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79, 100, 106 S.Ct. 1712, 1725, 90 L.Ed.2d 69 (1986); United States v. Johnson, 941 F.2d 1102, 1108 (10th Cir.1991); instead, he seeks a new trial before a jury which has not been death qualified. We are constrained, however, by the Supreme Court's decision in Lockhart v. McCree, 476 U.S. 162, 106 S.Ct. 1758, 90 L.Ed.2d 137 (1986), which held that the Constitution does not prohibit states from death qualifying juries in capital cases. See id. at 173-74, 106 S.Ct. at 1764-65. Mr. Jackson is thus not entitled to a new trial on this ground.