State Ex Rel. Curry v. Bowman

885 S.W.2d 421, 1993 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 195, 1993 WL 500500
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 8, 1993
Docket71606
StatusPublished
Cited by58 cases

This text of 885 S.W.2d 421 (State Ex Rel. Curry v. Bowman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State Ex Rel. Curry v. Bowman, 885 S.W.2d 421, 1993 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 195, 1993 WL 500500 (Tex. 1993).

Opinions

OPINION ON ORIGINAL APPLICATION FOR WRIT OF MANDAMUS AND ORIGINAL APPLICATION FOR WRIT OF PROHIBITION

OVERSTREET, Judge.

This is a writ of mandamus and prohibition action filed by Tim Curry, Criminal District Attorney of Tarrant County, seeking this Court to compel the Honorable Wallace Bowman, Judge of County Criminal Court Number Four of Tarrant County, to comply with the mandates of Article 35.261 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure. The State (hereinafter the relator) moved for a mistrial after Judge Bowman (hereinafter the respondent) granted the defendant’s Batson1 motion and ordered two of the struck venire-members reinstated on the panel to serve as jurors. Relator asks that the array be dismissed and a new array called pursuant to Article 35.261.2

We are requested to resolve whether the prosecution is entitled to, as a remedy, the dismissal of the array pursuant to Article 35.261 when a defense Batson motion has been sustained and the defendant acquiesces to a remedy other than that prescribed in [423]*423Article 35.261(b). We are also requested to resolve whether in this case, where the trial court denied dismissal of the array, there was a violation of the prosecution’s right to exercise its peremptory challenges pursuant to Article 35.15.

PERTINENT FACTS

On January 29, 1993, the parties were engaged in the jury selection of cause number 0426042, wherein the defendant was accused of driving while intoxicated. After completing voir dire and after both sides exercised their peremptory strikes, the defendant made a Batson motion alleging that relator had exercised its peremptory strikes against three veniremembers based solely upon the veniremembers’ race and requested that respondent quash the panel or disallow the strikes.

Respondent conducted a Batson hearing and determined that relator had purposely discriminated against two of the three veniremembers. Respondent disallowed two of the strikes and based on his understanding of Batson, ordered the two veniremembers reinstated on the panel and seated them on the jury. Relator objected to this procedure and asserted that Article 35.261 mandates that the array should be dismissed and a new one be called. Respondent allowed the relator to use both of the voided strikes on other members of the array; however, relator declined, stating that none of the other venire-members were unacceptable to the State. Over relator’s objections, respondent impaneled the jury and ordered the parties to prepare for trial. The proceedings were then adjourned for the weekend.

Relator filed a previous mandamus action against respondent predicated upon the conduct which is the subject of the instant petition in the Second Court of Appeals. The Second Court of Appeals stayed the proceeding, ordered pleadings filed and set a hearing. However, a week prior to the hearing, it withdrew its order as improvidently granted and dismissed the relator’s petition and vacated the stay. This application was then filed.

Relator contends that he is entitled to a writ of mandamus compelling respondent to vacate his order reinstating the jurors on the jury because respondent violated his legal duty under Article 35.261. Relator argues that once a Batson motion is sustained it is mandatory pursuant to Article 35.261 that respondent dismiss the array and bégin with a new panel. Relator further contends that respondent’s order was violative of another mandatory statute, Article 35.15(c),3 because reinstating the stricken veniremembers on the jury denied the State its minimum number of peremptory strikes. Finally, relator contends that the State may not be limited to any less than the three peremptory strikes allowed by law under any circumstances.

MANDAMUS

In order to be entitled to the extraordinary relief of mandamus, the relator must establish two essential requirements: (1) that the act sought to be compelled is ministerial as opposed to discretionary and (2) no other adequate remedy at law is available. Steames v. Clinton, 780 S.W.2d 216, 219 (Tex.Cr.App.1989).

The primary concern in deciphering whether an act is ministerial “ ‘is whether the respondent had the authority’ to do what is the subject of the complaint.” Id. Citing State ex rel. Thomas v. Banner, 724 S.W.2d 81, 83 (Tex.Cr.App.1987). In this instance, that act is to order the struck venireperson reinstated on the panel and seated on the jury.

I. BATSON AND IT’S PROGENY

In Batson, the United States Supreme Court held that the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment prohibits the state’s use of peremptory challenges to purposefully or deliberately exclude black persons from jury participation solely on account of their race. Id. at 86, 106 S.Ct. at 1717. Thereafter, the Supreme Court extended the [424]*424focus of Batson, Powers v. Ohio, 499 U.S. 400, 111 S.Ct. 1364, 113 L.Ed.2d 411 (1991) (holding that the Fourteenth Amendment protects every person against purely racially motivated exercise of peremptory challenges), civil litigants, Edmonson v. Leesville Concrete Co., 500 U.S. 614, 111 S.Ct. 2077, 114 L.Ed.2d 660 (1991) (holding that courts must entertain a challenge to a private litigant’s racially discriminatory use of peremptory challenges in a civil trial), and to criminal defendants, Georgia v. McCollum, — U.S. —, 112 S.Ct. 2348, 120 L.Ed.2d 33 (1993) (holding that the Constitution prohibits a criminal defendant from engaging in purposeful discrimination on the ground of race in the exercise of peremptory challenges).

Batson and its,progeny recognized that Batson “was designed ‘to serve multiple ends,’ ” only one of which was to protect individual defendants from discrimination in the selection of jurors. Powers, 499 U.S. at 406, 111 S.Ct. at 1368. (citations omitted). As in Powers and Edmonson, the extension of Batson’s proscriptions is to remedy the harm done to the “dignity of persons” and the “integrity of the courts.” McCollum, supra, — U.S. at—, 112 S.Ct. at 2353. The harm caused by a Batson violation is inflicted not only upon the parties but the excluded juror and the entire community as well. “[If] a court allows a juror to be excluded because of group bias, it is a willing participant in a scheme that could only undermine the very foundation of our system of justice — our citizens’ confidence in it.” McCollum, — U.S. at —, 112 S.Ct. at 2354. The group bias may stem from gender, religion, ethnic or any other cognizable group. “In our heterogeneous society, policy as well as constitutional considerations militate against the divisive assumptions — as a per se rule — that justice in a court of law may turn upon the pigmentation of skin, the accident of birth, or the choice of religion.” Id., — U.S. at —, 112 S.Ct. at 2359 (citations omitted). As a practical matter, the excluded juror has considerable barriers and little incentives to set in motion the arduous process needed to vindicate his own rights. Powers,

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
885 S.W.2d 421, 1993 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 195, 1993 WL 500500, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-curry-v-bowman-texcrimapp-1993.