Court Opinion

ID: 9700598
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 21:37:05.541485+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:21:12.163327
License: Public Domain

HENDERSON, Justice
(dissenting).
Based upon the decision of United States v. Battle, 836 F.2d 1084, 1086 (8th Cir.1987), I dissent. Further, I additionally dissent based upon Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79, 96-97, 106 S.Ct. 1712, 1723, 90 L.Ed.2d 69 (1986).
A Caucasian was the victim. The jury was all Caucasian. Honomichl was an American Indian. Not one Indian was on the jury. An April, 1990, Federal census reflects there were 1,992 American Indians in Charles Mix County, venue of the trial. This author takes judicial notice thereof.* See, USD Business Research Bureau’s State Data Center’s Transcription of Summary Tape File 2. With one thousand nine hundred and ninety-two Indians in this county, it is apparent that the legal system could have found at least one Indian to sit on the jury. Having heard the evidence, the habeas court found that Honomichl established a “prima facie” case of discrimination. This shifted the proof to the State to rebut this presumption. State says it did, Honomichl says it did not.
State relies on:
1) a question-mark by the juror’s name; (no probative value);
2) a “gut feeling” that prosecutor Gary Conklin had about the juror; (a “feel*643ing” of what?) (a feeling of antipathy?);
3) Conklin’s discussion with Sheriff’s Office about the jury panel (but there is no record on what the discussion was); and
4) that the Huapapi name struck a chord in Conklin’s mind, (what kind of chord?).
State did not, by the above four arguments, raise its level of proof to a “clear and reasonably specific” race-neutral explanation for its peremptory challenge, as required by Batson. These four reasons are so weak, to establish a neutral explanation, that the prima facie case is not rebutted. In Jones v. Jones, 938 F.2d 838, 840 (8th Cir.1991), it was held that a prosecutor must give a “clear and reasonably specific” explanation of his “legitimate reasons” for “exercising the challenges.” Faced with overcoming a presumption, the State failed to produce evidence which is clear and reasonably specific.
Coupled with the above is the haunting question and complication that a majority of the voir dire reporter’s notes were lost. Honomichl was unable to develop his case to its full potential. He did not have a transcript to probe into the voir dire phase of the trial.
In United States v. Hughes, 880 F.2d 101, 102 (8th Cir.1989), the federal appellate court held that the striking of a single juror for racial reasons violates the Equal Protection Clause, and this applies if there were valid reasons for striking the other jurors (here, McBride and Hare and Ca-dotte); and this rule is applicable even when there are members of the involved minority race seated on the jury. In the case before us, the State of South Dakota struck the last American Indian from the jury panel. Trial court held, by Finding Number 10(A), that a prima facie case of discrimination was established and it cannot be denied that State did not object to this finding nor did it file a Notice of Review on this finding.
Let us examine Conklin’s testimony at the hearing. Prosecutor Conklin was asked by the State why he saw fit to exercise a peremptory challenge on Ella Haupa-pi. Conklin answered:
I had a list of jurors I was given by the Clerk of Courts before the trial began and, as was my practice with all jury trials, I went over the list with the sheriff’s office. Some of these people I had dealt with during the course of my duty as state’s attorney and I made notes on that list as to various persons on the list and I recall as to her I had a question mark beside her name. I guess because of the nature of this type of case I decided I didn’t want to have a juror on the panel with a question mark that I wasn’t sure of. So I struck her name off.
Conklin further revealed that he recalled prosecuting a John Haupapi for a DWI. He indicated that he believes that John was somehow related to Ella. However, he indicated that he did not know that fact at the time of the trial, and “didn’t make the connection right away.” (Emphasis supplied mine).
On cross-examination by Honomichl, Mr. Conklin’s testimony was clarified. Conklin was asked if the prosecution of John Hau-papi by Conklin entered into his reason for using the peremptory challenge on Mrs. Haupapi. He stated: “No. But the question mark did.” Conklin was then asked directly what the question mark reflected. Conklin then reiterated his position that he was not sure what kind of juror she would make, so he put a question mark by her name. Honomichl pursued the issue, and asked him again if there was any definite reason for taking Mrs. Haupapi off the stand. Mr. Conklin’s reply was: “No. Other than a gut feeling I didn’t think I wanted her on the jury panel.”
This “gut feeling” is not a neutral explanation; nor is a question mark. It is, in reality, no explanation at all. Without an explanation which is meaningful, how does this Court decide if there was racial or nonracial motivation in questioning the impartiality of Ella Haupapi?
There is no evidence in this record to support a “sub-conscious spark.” Instead of dealing with facts (upon which to predicate a finding of fact), trial court was con*644cerning itself with the sub-conscious of the prosecutor’s mind.
If assertions and conclusions that “gut feelings” and a “spark” in the sub-conscious “memory” can rebut Honomichl’s prima facie case, “the equal protection clause would be a vain and illusory requirement.” Batson at 98, 106 S.Ct. at 1724.
Batson was the controlling law when this case was tried in 1986. In fact, Bat-son was handed down on the second day of the trial. One of the distinguishing aspects-of this case is that the court reporter’s notes on voir dire examination were lost. Overt evidence of discrimination, as suggested by the new law established by the majority opinion in Hernandez v. New York, 500 U.S. -, 111 S.Ct. 1859, 114 L.Ed.2d 895 (1991), is, thus, impossible. Honomichl is trapped, and unfairly so, because he has no way of comparing that which was testified to by Conklin at the habeas corpus hearing relevant to the testimony at the voir dire. Another sad commentary on this case is that trial counsel testified at the habeas corpus hearing that had he been aware of the Batson case, he would have made a motion for the State to make a neutral explanation after the two Native Americans were excluded. A trial is supposed to be fair. As we examine the cumulative affect of the discriminatory impact, it overwhelms one with the idea that Honomichl was treated with inefficiency and discrimination. Hernandez followed the Batson test which states that after the defendant makes a prima facie showing, the burden shifts to the prosecutor to articulate a race-neutral explanation for striking the jurors in question. Hernandez, 500 U.S. at -, 111 S.Ct. at 1866. In Hernandez, the prosecutor explained that his striking of the Hispanic jurors was based upon those jurors being bilingual, and he believed that they would ignore the interpreter. Thus, the prosecutor articulated a race-neutral explanation. Instanter, the prosecutor offered no explanation except “gut feeling.” The prosecutor has failed to meet the burden as established by the highest court in this land.

 Judicial notice may be taken at any stage of the proceeding. SDCL 19-10-6. Obviously, this would include appeal and particularly where the focus is alleged racial discrimination. See also, SDCL 19-10-2.