Opinion ID: 2492640
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: whether the jury selection process was constitutionally infirm under batson.

Text: ¶ 32. The defense made a Batson challenge when the State struck two African-American females from the jury venire. Because of the number of African-American females who already had been selected, the trial court found no prima facie showing of discrimination. At that time, seven African-American jurors and two white jurors had been selected. Four of the seven African-Americans were female. Earlier in the jury-selection process, the State made a reverse Batson challenge, claiming that the defense had struck the first two white males. The defense provided a race-neutral reason for striking the first white male, and the trial court accepted the defense's reason. The defense claimed that the second male should be struck because, although he was a gun owner, he did not understand the concept of people owning guns only for self-defense or protection. The defense also claimed that, because this juror was an accountant, he would not be able to view all of the evidence as a whole. The trial court found that the defense did not provide a sufficient race-neutral reason for striking this juror, stating that several of the prospective jurors owned and carried guns for different reasons and that the juror being an accountant could benefit the defense, in that he would expect the State to prove each element of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. ¶ 33. On appeal, Bailey contends that the trial judge abused his discretion in not finding that Bailey had presented a prima facie case concerning his Batson challenge and that the judge failed to follow proper procedure once Bailey had made his prima facie showing. Further, Bailey asserts that the trial judge abused his discretion by rejecting the race-neutral reasons offered by the defense in response to the State's reverse Batson challenge. ¶ 34. This Court employs the following standard when reviewing a trial court's ruling on a Batson challenge: [A] trial court's determinations under Batson are accorded great deference because they are largely based on credibility.... This Court will reverse only when such decisions are clearly erroneous. Birkhead v. State, 57 So.3d 1223, 1229 (Miss.2011) (quoting Berry v. State, 802 So.2d 1033, 1037 (Miss.2001)) (other citations omitted). ¶ 35. When faced with a Batson challenge, the trial court should employ the following procedure: First, the defendant must establish a prima facie case of discrimination in the selection of jury members. Berry v. State, 703 So.2d 269, 294 (Miss.1997) (citing Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79, 106 S.Ct. 1712, 90 L.Ed.2d 69 (1986)). The prosecution then has the burden of stating a racially neutral reason for the challenged strike. If the State gives a racially neutral explanation, the defendant can rebut the explanation. Finally, the trial court must make a factual finding to determine if the prosecution engaged in purposeful discrimination. If the defendant fails to rebut, the trial judge must base his decisions on the reasons given by the State. Thorson v. State, 721 So.2d 590, 593 (Miss.1998). Birkhead, 57 So.3d at 1229 (quoting Berry, 802 So.2d at 1037).
¶ 36. The defense made a Batson challenge after the State struck two African-American females. After looking at the racial composition of the jurors who already had been selected, the trial judge determined that the defense had not made a prima facie case of discrimination. At the time the defense made its Batson challenge, nine jurors had been selected; seven were African-American and two were white. Of the seven African-Americans selected, four were female. ¶ 37. When deciding whether a defendant has made a prima facie case of racial discrimination, the trial court should consider all relevant circumstances. Batson, 476 U.S. at 96, 106 S.Ct. at 1712. As such, the trial judge in today's case considered that the majority of the jurors who had been selected were African-American and consequently decided that the defense had failed to make a prima facie case of discrimination on the part of the State. The record does not reveal the racial composition of the jurors selected after Bailey's Batson challenge. ¶ 38. The trial court did not abuse its discretion in finding that Bailey had failed to make a prima facie case of discrimination. Bailey challenged the State's striking of two African-American females, yet the majority of the jurors at the time of Bailey's challenge were African-American females. Accordingly, Bailey's argument is without merit.
¶ 39. Bailey also contends that the trial court abused its discretion in not accepting the defense's reason for striking a white male juror. The defense claimed that it struck the juror because he was an accountant and a gun owner. The juror owned one gun that he used for hunting and another gun that he had inherited from his father. Bailey's attorney stated that the juror seemed to be a person who doesn't understand the concept that people can just own guns for self protection in rough neighborhoods. With regard to the juror being an accountant, Bailey's attorney stated: [A]ccountants tendand this is a categorical assumption, but we still stereotype accountants as people that like everything cabined off, and there needs to be a box for everything, and sometimes in a case there just isn't. And so when you have a person in the jury room that's going to need everything set and our defense can't have enough that way, we feel like his being an accountant is hurtful. After the State responded to the defense's arguments, the trial court found that there was no indication that the juror was biased or prejudiced against people who carried guns for protection. The trial judge also noted that the juror being an accountant could weigh in favor of either side, stating: that could cut both ways because they could find that the State had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, which is, of course, a high burden, and an accountant would expect them to prove their case meticulously, so that could also work in favor of the defendant. ¶ 40. The reasons the defense provide for striking the white male juror were not accepted by the trial judge as valid, race-neutral reasons for striking a juror. The defense seemed to infer from the juror's response that because he used his guns for reasons other than self-defense, he would not relate to one who uses a gun for that reason. The defense also made the inference that, because the juror was an accountant, he would not be able to view the evidence presented as a whole. Again, this was no more than an inference that was not supported by the questions and responses during voir dire. ¶ 41. In sum, we find that this issue, both as to Bailey's Batson challenge, and Bailey's response to the State's reverse- Batson challenge, is without merit.