State v. Edwards, No. 26711.

• Court: United States State Supreme Court of South Carolina
• Writing for the Court: Toal
• Citation: 682 S.E.2d 820,384 S.C. 504
• Parties: The STATE, Respondent, v. Jason Sinatra EDWARDS, Maceo Latonya Edwards and Jonais Edwards, Petitioners.
• Docket Number: No. 26711.
• Decision Date: 31 August 2009

682 S.E.2d 820 384 S.C. 504 The STATE, Respondent,
v.
Jason Sinatra EDWARDS, Maceo Latonya Edwards and Jonais Edwards, Petitioners. No. 26711. Supreme Court of South Carolina. Heard June 11, 2009. Decided August 31, 2009.

[682 S.E.2d 821]

Steven S. McKenzie, of Coffee, Chandler & Kent, of Manning, for Petitioners.

Attorney General Henry Dargan McMaster, Chief Deputy Attorney General John W. McIntosh, Assistant Deputy Attorney General Donald J. Zelenka, and Senior Assistant Attorney General William Edgar Salter, III, all of Columbia; and Solicitor Cecil Kelly Jackson, of Sumter, for Respondent.

Chief Justice TOAL.

In this case, Petitioners, who were tried jointly, appeal their criminal convictions on the grounds that the trial court erred in quashing the first jury panel based upon a violation of Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79, 106 S.Ct. 1712, 90 L.Ed.2d 69 (1986). The court of appeals affirmed the trial court, and

682 S.E.2d 822

Petitioners filed a writ of certiorari asking this Court to review and reverse the court of appeals decision.

FACTUAL/PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Petitioners Jason, Maceo, and Jonais Edwards, all brothers, were tried jointly for the murders of Joe Woods and Jimmy Robinson in January 2006. During jury selection, the trial court was not able to impanel an entire twelve member jury because it ran out of venire persons during the selection process. During the selection process, Petitioners had used sixteen of a possible twenty preemptory strikes to strike nine Caucasian and seven African American potential jurors. The State made a Batson motion on the grounds that Petitioner's strikes were racially motivated, and the trial court heard the motion, despite the fact that a full jury was not yet impaneled. The trial court granted the State's Batson motion, holding that jurors 19, 50, and 131 were struck on racially cognizable grounds. The trial court quashed the first jury, and a new jury was selected. Jurors 50 and 131 were selected for the second jury, and the case proceeded to trial.

The jury found Petitioners Jason and Maceo Edwards guilty of murder and found Petitioner Jonais Edwards guilty of accessory after the fact of murder. Petitioners appealed their convictions and sentences, and the court of appeals affirmed. State v. Edwards, 374 S.C. 543, 649 S.E.2d 112 (Ct.App. 2007). This Court granted Petitioners' petition for a writ of certiorari to review the following question:

Did the trial court err in quashing the first jury panel based upon a violation of Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79, 106 S.Ct. 1712, 90 L.Ed.2d 69 (1986)?

STANDARD OF REVIEW

In criminal cases, this Court will review errors of law only. State v. Baccus, 367 S.C. 41, 48, 625 S.E.2d 216, 220 (2006). This Court is bound by the trial court's factual findings unless they are clearly erroneous. State v. Quattlebaum, 338 S.C. 441, 452, 527 S.E.2d 105, 111 (2000). On review, this Court is limited to determining whether the trial court abused its discretion. State v. Rochester, 301 S.C. 196, 200, 391 S.E.2d 244, 247 (1990). This Court does not re-evaluate the facts based on its own view of the preponderance of the evidence but simply determines whether the trial court's ruling is supported by any evidence. State v. Wilson, 345 S.C. 1, 6, 545 S.E.2d 827, 829 (2001).

LAW/ANALYSIS

Petitioners assert that the court of appeals erred in upholding the trial court's decision to grant the State's Batson motion. We agree.

The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the striking of a venire person on the basis of race or gender. State v. Hicks, 330 S.C. 207, 211, 499 S.E.2d 209, 211 (1998). When one party strikes a member of a cognizable racial group or gender, the trial court must hold a Batson hearing if the opposing party requests one. See State v. Haigler, 334 S.C. 623, 629-30, 515 S.E.2d 88, 90-91 (1999) (explaining the proper procedure for a Batson hearing). The proponent of the strike...