Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1999

State v. Touissant

State v. Touissant
Supreme Court of Louisiana · Decided November 24, 1999 · Calogero, Grant, Knoll, Lemmon, Writ
750 So. 2d 980; 1999 La. LEXIS 3307 (Southern Reporter, Second Series)

State v. Touissant

Opinion of the Court

In re Touissant, Shawn; — Defendant; applying for writ of certiorari and/or review, Parish of Jefferson, 24th Judicial District Court Div. P, Nos. 97-4551; to the Court of Appeal, Fifth Circuit, No. 98-KA-1214.

Denied. Result correct.

KNOLL, J., not on panel. CALOGERO, C.J., would grant the writ.

Dissenting Opinion

LEMMON, J.,

dissents from the denial of the application. The trial judge has almost unlimited discretion in accepting or rejecting race-neutral reasons given by the prosecutor after exercising a peremptory challenge. Here, the prosecutor rejected the prosecutor’s reasons, but took no further action. At that point, the trial judge was required either to reinstate the juror in the venire or to dismiss the entire panel and select a new jury from a new petit venire. Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79, 100 n. 24, 106 S.Ct. 1712, 90 L.Ed.2d 69 (1986). The judge’s failure to take either action requires reversal of the conviction.

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