Opinion ID: 2607237
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: exercise of peremptory challenge on the basis of race

Text: Mr. Luvene argues that the prosecutor's exercise of a peremptory challenge against one of the two African-Americans in the venire was done so on the basis of race and thereby violated Mr. Luvene's right to equal protection. The use of a peremptory challenge by the prosecutor on the basis of race violates a defendant's right to equal protection. Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79, 89, 106 S.Ct. 1712, 1719, 90 L.Ed.2d 69 (1986). In order to contest a peremptory challenge, the defendant must first make out a prima facie case of racial motivation. The burden then shifts to the State to articulate a race-neutral explanation for the exercise of the peremptory challenge. Batson, 476 U.S. at 96-98, 106 S.Ct. at 1722-24. However, if, as in this case, the prosecutor has offered a race-neutral explanation and the trial court has ruled on the question of racial motivation, the preliminary prima facie case is unnecessary. Hernandez v. New York, 500 U.S. 352, 359, 111 S.Ct. 1859, 1866, 114 L.Ed.2d 395 (1991). The determination of the trial judge is accorded great deference on appeal, and will be upheld unless clearly erroneous. Hernandez, at 364, 111 S.Ct. at 1868. Upon exercising the peremptory challenge, the prosecutor immediately offered two race-neutral explanations, presumably for the purpose of avoiding a Batson challenge. He stated that the challenged juror's brother had been convicted of an armed robbery and had been committed to the Washington Department of Corrections. He also noted that the challenged juror was very vague on the topic of the death penalty. The prosecutor indicated he felt, based on the juror's body language, that he was attempting to avoid answering questions about the death penalty. Finally, the prosecutor mentioned that he did not intend to exercise a peremptory challenge against the other African-American person in the venire. The trial court overruled the Defendant's objection to the peremptory challenge, finding that the reasons for the challenge given by the prosecutor were race neutral. The trial court specifically stated that the challenged juror answered very, very defensively on the questions concerning the death penalty. As a matter of fact, his defensiveness in my mind, and I'm mak[ing] a finding of fact, was just that he said he simply didn't care to state his views publicly on how he felt about the use of the death penalty in this state. I'm satisfied that that is clearly a race neutral reason for excusing [the juror] in this case, and the Batson challenge is denied. Report of Proceedings, vol. 8, at 1174. Mr. Luvene notes that the prosecutor did not challenge four jurors in the venire who had relatives with criminal histories, nor did he challenge other jurors who were neutral or ambivalent on the issue of the death penalty. However, as the State points out, no jurors other than the one challenged had both traits. [W]here there are two permissible views of the evidence, the factfinder's choice between them cannot be clearly erroneous. Hernandez, at 369, 111 S.Ct. at 1871 (quoting Anderson v. Bessemer City, 470 U.S. 564, 574, 105 S.Ct. 1504, 1511-12, 84 L.Ed.2d 518 (1985)). In the present case, the reasons given by the prosecutor for the peremptory challenge, taken as a whole, support the trial court's decision that the prosecutor's motivation was race neutral. Thus, because it was not clearly erroneous, we uphold that determination.