Opinion ID: 1829968
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: A Batson Issue

Text: Hansen argues that the Circuit Court erred when it denied his motion to preclude the prosecuting attorney's use of peremptory challenges to exclude black persons from the jury. He cites Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79, 106 S.Ct. 1712, 90 L.Ed.2d 69 (1986). He complains specifically that the Court excluded prospective juror, Courtenay Stringer, said to be a black person. Hansen says he is entitled to the benefit of Batson even though he is of the white or Caucasian race, and in his fundamental premise he is right. [2] Powers v. Ohio, ___ U.S. ___, 111 S.Ct. 1364, 113 L.Ed.2d 411 (1991); Holland v. Illinois, 493 U.S. 474, 110 S.Ct. 803, 107 L.Ed.2d 905 (1990). The short answer is that nothing in the record suggests the race of juror Stringer or any of the jurors the prosecution challenged peremptorily. Although defense counsel was given permission to include in the record the questionnaires of the jurors the prosecution struck, we have found no questionnaires. It is elementary that a party seeking reversal of the judgment of a trial court must present this Court with a record adequate to show that an error of reversible proportions has been committed and that the point has been procedurally preserved. (citations omitted) Queen v. Queen, 551 So.2d 197, 199 (Miss. 1989). This Court must decide each case by the facts shown in the record, not assertions in the brief... . Burney v. State, 515 So.2d 1154, 1160 (Miss. 1987) (quoting Mason v. State, 440 So.2d 318, 319 (Miss. 1983)). The burden falls upon an appellant to ensure the record contains sufficient evidence to support his assignments of error on appeal. Burney, 515 So.2d at 1160 (quoting Robinson v. State, 345 So.2d 1044, 1045 (Miss. 1977)). In the present state of the record, we may not credit this charge of error.