Bias Challenge to Prosecutor’s Dismissal of Black Juror Fails

A Black defendant representing himself during a trial on drug and gun charges failed to make out a claim of racial discrimination by only saying a prospective juror was struck from the jury pool because she was Black, the Eighth Circuit said Thursday.

When Robert Hill objected to Juror 10 being struck by the prosecutor, he said she was Black and “there’s no really substantial reason for striking” her. Hill didn’t identify any similarly situated non-Black person that wasn’t stricken.

The prosecutor said that Hill’s statement didn’t make out a prima facie racial discrimination claim and that no race-neutral alternative ...