Opinion ID: 1751529
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Joann Wilson:

Text: The third challenge exercised by the State was to excuse Joann Wilson for writing a series of bad checks. Mack contends that a history of writing bad checks is not a race-neutral reason sufficient to overcome Batson. Mack also contends that there was a Rule 4.06 violation, because the State did not furnish him with the information relating to Wilson's history of writing bad checks prior to the jury selection. Unif.Crim.Rules Cir. Ct. 4.06. Mack asserts that he was denied access to the information that the district attorney had on potential jurors and claims that since the State only placed into the record information on African-American venire persons, he could not determine if the State accepted similarly situated white veniremen. Mack's argument that the prosecutor violated Rule 4.06 by failing to give him information on the jurors is a novel one. This Court has not extended Rule 4.06 to information concerning prospective jurors and declines to do so here. That is not to say, however, that the prosecutor may, with impunity, withhold information concerning a prospective juror which impacts upon the juror's ability to be fair and impartial. See, Marshall Durbin, Inc. v. Tew, 381 So.2d 152, 155 (Miss. 1980) (Judgment reversed where plaintiff's counsel failed to disclose that he represented one of jurors in violation of his duty as officer of the court.); United States v. Kyle, 469 F.2d 547, 550 (D.C. Cir.1972) (Basic fairness may generate a duty to disclose where facts affecting jurors are of a nature likely to escape the attention even of reasonably diligent appointed counsel.); Couser v. State, 282 Md. 125, 383 A.2d 389, 398 (1978) (Prosecutor is under a duty to disclose facts within his knowledge indicating that a prospective juror has a fixed prejudice or bias against the defendant.); People v. Drake, 841 P.2d 364, 367 (Colo. App. 1992) (Prosecutor has duty to disclose that one of prosecution witnesses revealed he or she knew one of jurors.) There is no claim here of a failure to disclose information impacting upon a juror's ability to be fair and impartial. Mack's argument that writing bad checks is not race-neutral must also fail. This Court has held that criminal activity, even for a minor crime, is an appropriate race-neutral reason. Conerly v. State, 544 So.2d 1370 (Miss. 1989). In Conerly, the Court upheld the striking of a prospective juror, who had been convicted of possession of open beer, and another, who had been arrested for public drunkenness seven years earlier. Id.; see also Griffin v. State, 607 So.2d 1197, 1202 (Miss. 1992) (the striking of a potential juror on the basis that the juror had been convicted and sentenced to jail for DUI and had other problems with the police upheld as race-neutral); Lockett v. State, 517 So.2d 1346, 1356 (Miss. 1987) (Appendix I) (criminal record is a race-neutral reason). In addition, the prosecutor is not required to question prospective jurors about the race-neutral reasons later given, as long as the source of the information and the practice itself are not racially discriminatory. Johnson v. State, 529 So.2d 577, 584 (Miss. 1988). This contention has no merit. The reason offered by the State to excuse Wilson was race-neutral.