Opinion ID: 1858107
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: Peremptory Challenge/Supplemental Assignment of Error 3

Text: Defendant argues the trial court committed reversible error when it allowed the State to use a peremptory challenge to remove prospective juror Sandy Douglas Albert, a black woman, from the panel in violation of Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79, 106 S.Ct. 1712, 90 L.Ed.2d 69 (1986). In Batson, the United States Supreme Court formulated a three-step analysis to determine whether jury selection had been unconstitutionally compromised by impermissible racial discrimination. First, a defendant must make a prima facie showing the State has used peremptory challenges to exclude prospective jurors on the basis of race. Second, if the requisite showing is made, the burden shifts to the prosecutor to come forward with a race-neutral reason for the strike. Lastly, if a race-neutral explanation is tendered, the trial court must then decide whether the defendant has proved purposeful racial discrimination. State v. Green, 94-0887, p. 23-24 (La.5/22/95), 655 So.2d 272, 287-88. After defendant objected to the State's exercise of a peremptory challenge as to Ms. Albert, the trial court never acknowledged defendant had made a prima facie case of purposeful discrimination, and, instead, specifically said the State had exercised all of its challenges in a racially neutral manner. Likewise, the prosecutor specifically stated she did not believe such a showing had been made, but nevertheless voluntarily offered racially neutral reasons for challenging Ms. Albert. In Green, 94-0887 at p. 24, 655 So.2d at 288, this court said a defendant could make out a prima facie case of racial discrimination by offering facts such as: [A] pattern of strikes by a prosecutor against members of a suspect class, statements or actions of the prosecutor which support an inference that the exercise of peremptory strikes was motivated by impermissible considerations, the composition of the venire and of the jury finally empaneled, and any other disparate impact upon the suspect class which is alleged to be the victim of purposeful discrimination. Referring to these factors, the record shows the prosecutor in voir dire had not made any statements or taken any actions which seemed in any way racially discriminatory. In fact, the record reveals that when defendant made his Batson challenge, the State had exercised only 6 peremptory challenges, excusing four white persons and two black persons. Additionally, only the day before defendant made his challenge, the State had accepted a black prospective juror whom the defense subsequently struck. Given the above, we agree with the trial judge that defendant did not prove a prima facie case of discrimination, and, therefore, it is unnecessary for us to address the remainder of the Batson analysis. In this assignment of error, defendant also makes the sub-argument that the method of dividing the venire into 5 panels and calling them in that order front-loaded the panels with white prospective jurors and did not result in a fair representation of blacks on the jury which, ultimately, was composed of eleven white jurors, one Asian-Indian juror, and one white alternate. The record shows the venirepersons were randomly divided by card shuffle into 5 panels, labeled A through E. Each panel was comprised of 24 jurors. The panels were called one at a time for general instructions and questioning and were then broken up into sub-panels for detailed individual questioning. Panel A was composed of 4 blacks, 19 whites, and 1 Asian-Indian. Panel B was composed of 9 blacks and 15 whites. Panel C was composed of 11 blacks and 13 whites. The sub-panel of Panel D from which the final, alternate juror was ultimately selected was composed of 1 black and 5 whites. Thus, at the time voir dire was completed, and the alternate juror selected, the defense and prosecution had reviewed 25 black prospective jurors (32% of total) and 52 white prospective jurors (68%). We do not find defendant was prejudiced in any way by the method in which the panels were selected or examined or deprived in any way of a venire which did not constitute a fair crosssection of society. This assignment of error has no merit.