Opinion ID: 1189145
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Justina Gonzalez

Text: Faller stated that he had excused Gonzalez because she was young, because she was defensive and lacked confidence, and because he did not think she could cooly analyze the evidence. In explaining his challenge to several jurors, Faller expressed his desire to have a jury a bit more mature in basic overall age because he did not want to risk juror sympathy based on age identification with the defendants. The majority does not suggest that a juror's potential age identification with a particular defendant cannot give rise to specific bias, but simply rejects the prosecutor's professed reliance on this factor as insincere, in large part, apparently, because the prosecutor did not explicitly question the jurors as to their age. ( Ante, at p. 691.) It is hardly unusual, however, to make a rough judgment about age on the basis of appearance, and the trial court  who viewed the jurors in question  evidently did not find the prosecutor's explanation suspicious. In addition, the majority disbelieves Faller's explanation that he excused Gonzalez because she was defensive. The majority states that the district attorney condemn[ed] Longoria for expressing herself `rather haltingly,' then [took] the opposite approach and criticize[d] Gonzalez' perceived verbosity. ( Ante, at p. 692.) This is not true. Faller never criticized Gonzalez' verbosity. On the contrary, he stated, apparently with approval, [Gonzalez] was very verbose and very interested in expressing her views on a great variety of subjects. [¶] Yet at the same time when approached even by defense counsel in regards to certain questions, she would say, `No, I don't want to answer that,' or `I want to talk to you in private,' and appeared to have a lack of confidence in her own ability to form opinions and to express herself. (Italics added.) Characterizing this as a criticism of her verbosity is simply incorrect. From the record it appears that Faller could have concluded in good faith that Gonzalez, while outwardly verbose, was actually defensive and lacked confidence. The trial court, of course, could find that he sustained his burden of justification in dismissing her on this ground as well.