Opinion ID: 77433
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Composition of Grand and Petit Juries

Text: 32 Valle next claims that the grand jury that indicted him, as well as all other grand juries dating back to 1971, were selected from venires chosen in a way that resulted in a gross underrepresentation of Latins in violation of the Equal Protection Clause. Castaneda v. Partida, 430 U.S. 482, 493, 97 S.Ct. 1272, 1279, 51 L.Ed.2d 498 (1977). He also claims that the process for selecting petit juries systematically excluded distinctive groups in the community and thereby violated the Due Process Clause. See, e.g., Taylor v. Louisiana, 419 U.S. 522, 538, 95 S.Ct. 692, 702, 42 L.Ed.2d 690 (1975); Alexander v. Louisiana, 405 U.S. 625, 630-31, 92 S.Ct. 1221, 1225, 31 L.Ed.2d 536 (1972). Here, the state courts and the district court concluded that Valle failed to prove that Latins were an identifiable minority and denied his requests for an evidentiary hearing. Because his contention that Latins are a cognizable minority has not been subjected to evidentiary development, Valle argues that the district court should have granted an evidentiary hearing. 33 The State contends that the state courts properly denied these claims without granting an evidentiary hearing. Castaneda requires a defendant to show that a group is a cognizable class by demonstrating that the group is singled out for different treatment under the laws, as written or as applied. 430 U.S. at 494, 97 S.Ct. at 1280. Based on the conclusory allegations that Valle proffered, the State argues that the state courts did not act unreasonably or in a way contrary to federal law in finding that Valle failed to show that Latins are a cognizable class or in denying Valle's requests for an evidentiary hearing. See Rojas v. State, 288 So.2d 234, 237 (Fla.1973). Further, the State says that the district court properly denied the evidentiary hearing because Valle failed to develop the record as required by § 2254(e). 34 To show a violation of the Equal Protection Clause in the context of grand jury selection, a defendant must demonstrate that the procedure employed resulted in substantial underrepresentation of his race or of the identifiable group to which he belongs. Castaneda, 430 U.S. at 494, 97 S.Ct. at 1280. To make such a showing, a defendant must first show that the group is a recognizable, distinct class, singled out for different treatment under the laws, as written or applied. Id. Next, the defendant must show the degree of underrepresentation by comparing the proportion of the group in the total population to the proportion of the group chosen to serve as grand jurors over a significant period of time. Id. Finally, a selection process that is prone to abuse or one that is not racially neutral supports a presumption of discrimination. Id. 35 The Due Process Clause is violated when petit juries are not drawn from a source fairly representative of the community. Taylor, 419 U.S. at 538, 95 S.Ct. at 702. To prove a prima facie violation of the fair cross-section requirement, a defendant is required to demonstrate that: (1) the allegedly excluded group is distinctive in the community; (2) the representation of the excluded group in venires is not fair and reasonable relative to the number of such persons in the community; and (3) this underrepresentation is caused by the systematic exclusion of the group in the process of jury selection. Duren v. Missouri, 439 U.S. 357, 364, 99 S.Ct. 664, 668, 58 L.Ed.2d 579 (1979). 36 Here, the trial court summarily denied Valle's motions to dismiss the indictment and to strike the petit venire. The Florida Supreme Court affirmed the denial of these motions, concluding that in light of Castaneda and Duren, Valle failed to establish that Latins were an single, cognizable group. Valle, 474 So.2d at 800. Both courts denied Valle's requests for evidentiary hearings. 37 Because Valle attempted to secure an evidentiary hearing in the state courts, Valle's failure to develop a factual basis for his claim in state court does not preclude this Court from granting an evidentiary hearing. § 2254(e)(2); see also Breedlove v. Moore, 279 F.3d 952, 960 (11th Cir.2002). Even so, no evidentiary hearing is necessary where the proffered evidence would not affect the resolution of the claim. Bolender v. Singletary, 16 F.3d 1547, 1555 n. 9 (11th Cir.1994). Therefore, in order to obtain an evidentiary hearing, Valle must demonstrate that his factual allegations, if proven, would indicate that the state courts acted contrary to, or unreasonably applied, clearly established federal law when they rejected his Equal Protection and Due Process claims. See § 2254(d). 38 Valle's factual proffer in state court included the following: (1) the Dade County Commission's creation of the Department of Latin Affairs in 1973 based on a recognition of difficulties encountered by people from Cuba, Mexico, Spain, and other Latin American countries who do not speak English; (2) expert testimony that Latins differ from other residents of Dade County because of language and culture; (3) an expert's conclusion that grand jury venires had not been randomly selected with regard to Latins; (4) and evidence that showed that no Latin forepersons had been selected to preside over grand juries between 1967 and 1977, and the foreperson on the grand jury indicting him was a non-Latin male. Because Valle does not offer any evidence in support of his claim that was not already considered by the state courts, we consider whether the state courts acted contrary to, or unreasonably applied, clearly established federal law when they rejected his claims. See Bolender, 16 F.3d at 1555 n. 9; see also § 2254(d). 39 Here, the Florida Supreme Court's conclusion that [t]he term `Latin American' encompasses people from too many different countries and different cultural backgrounds and attitudes to constitute a single cognizable class for equal protection analysis is not contrary to or an unreasonable application of Castaneda or Duren. See Valle II, 474 So.2d at 800; see also United States v. Rodriguez, 588 F.2d 1003, 1007 (5th Cir.1979) (stating that appellant's mere assertion that his statistics indicated that the number of Latin registered voters had more than doubled since the master jury wheel was last filled indicated purposeful discrimination was insufficient to show that persons of such diverse national origins as Cubans, Mexicans, and Puerto Ricans possess such similar interests that they constitute a cognizable group. . . . (quotation omitted)). Therefore, Valle is not entitled to habeas relief on this ground.