Opinion ID: 507389
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Prosecutors' Strikes with Black Defendants

Text: Total-1851 (100%) White-343 (18.5%) Black-1508 (81.5%) J. Prosecutors' Strikes with White Defendants Total-388 (100%) White-125 (32.2%) Black-263 (67.8%) K. Prosecutors' Strikes with D.A. Peters as Prosecutor Total-574 (100%) White-135 (23.5%) Black-439 (76.5%) 2 See also Sullivan, Deterring the Discriminatory Use of Peremptory Challenges, 21 Am.Crim.L.Rev. 477 (1984); Note, 92 Harv.L.Rev. 1770 (1979) 3 For reasons advanced by the court en banc in United States v. Leslie, 783 F.2d 541, 549-61 (5th Cir.1986) (en banc), we also reject petitioner's claim that the state's racially based peremptory challenges violated rights secured to him by the sixth amendment 4 The state argues that the district court erred in declining to respect the Mississippi Supreme Court's determination that this claim, which was not raised on direct appeal, was procedurally barred under Mississippi law. The district court held that the procedural bar invoked by the Mississippi Supreme Court would not preclude consideration of Edwards' federal habeas claims because the Mississippi Supreme Court had established a practice of addressing the merits of issues raised on post-conviction petitions for writ of coram nobis in capital cases even if the issue had not been raised on appeal. Because the Mississippi Supreme Court departed from its usual practice in this case the district court, for reasons adequately stated in its opinion, correctly considered the merits of this claim. See Edwards, 595 F.Supp. at 1277-79 5 District Attorney Peters argued in rebuttal: What's the other reason for not giving this defendant the death penalty? That, if he gets a life sentence for murder, why he'll be up there at Parchman and won't see daylight for ten years. Do you believe that? Do you believe they're going to put him in some hole and he isn't gonna see daylight for ten years? Or do you believe he's gonna go up there and watch television and live off the taxpayers' money for ten years? And get fed and housed and given all the conveniences of life. For what. For killing him (Mr. Peters holding up exhibit [of victim]. Trial transcript at 710. 6 The argument to which Edwards objects is as follows: They'll never convince [the victim] [Edwards is] still in jail (Mr. Peters holding exhibit [of victim] up). They'll never convince his fiance [sic] he's still in jail. Nor his mother, nor his daddy, nor all of the people that can't get up here and testify for him.... So don't just say: Putting him in jail is enough. Trial transcript at 712-13. 7 Maynard v. Cartwright, --- U.S. ----, 108 S.Ct. 1853, 100 L.Ed.2d 372 (1988), just decided by the Supreme Court does not undermine this conclusion. In Maynard, the petitioner was sentenced to death following a finding by an Oklahoma jury of two statutory aggravating circumstances: an especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel murder and the defendant knowingly created a great risk of death to more than one person. The Supreme Court determined that the first aggravating circumstance was invalid; the second remained unchallenged. The Court, however, instead of reinstating the death penalty, approved a remand of the case to the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. But the opinion makes it clear that the Court approved this remand because Oklahoma law was unclear on whether the sentence of death should be set aside if one of the aggravating circumstances was found invalid and others remained unchallenged. Consequently, the case was remanded to the Oklahoma court to determine as a matter of state law whether the sentence should be set aside. Unlike Oklahoma law, however, Mississippi law is clear that one invalid aggravating circumstance will not suffice to overturn a death penalty where other valid aggravating circumstances remain. Edwards v. State, 441 So.2d 84, 89, 92 (Miss.1983)