People v. SanMiguel CA2/6People v. SanMiguel CA2/6
CERTIFIED FOR PARTIAL PUBLICATION*
Joel SanMiguel appeals from a judgment following a trial at which the jury found him guilty of willful, deliberate, and premeditated
FACTS
Rosario Soto lived with his girlfriend, Emperatriz Marroquin, at a homeless encampment in Thousand Oaks known as “the Jungle.” Marroquin had been friends with SanMiguel for three or four years and knew him as “Capi.” SanMiguel did not live at the Jungle but visited frequently.
Events of January 8, 2022
At about 8:00 p.m. on January 8, 2022, Soto and Marroquin were in their small, wooden home at the Jungle when they heard a disturbance. They stepped outside, and Soto put on a headlamp. Marroquin saw SanMiguel and Hugo Arias running toward a man she knew as Mike. SanMiguel was holding a thick, black metal bar and Arias had a baseball bat. SanMiguel and Arias attacked Mike, but he was able to get away.
Soto‘s headlamp illuminated the attack. SanMiguel approached Soto and told him to turn off the headlamp. Soto tried to comply but could not turn it off. SanMiguel struck Soto in the head with the metal bar. Soto fell to the ground unconscious.
Marroquin begged SanMiguel to leave Soto alone, but SanMiguel took the bat from Arias and struck Soto on his legs or feet with it. Still unconscious, Soto did not react. Marroquin got down on the ground and placed her body over Soto to protect him. SanMiguel struck Soto on his head right next to Marroquin‘s face. SanMiguel told Marroquin to move. She did not move and again begged SanMiguel to leave Soto alone. SanMiguel and Arias walked away.
Marroquin called 911. She told the operator that the person who hit Soto with a metal bar and bat was an older Hispanic person named Capi. Sheriff‘s Deputy Paul Zamora responded to the call. He found Soto lying on the ground with a large laceration to his head.
Zamora asked Soto several open-ended questions, but Soto did not respond. Because the radio dispatch call identified Capi as a suspect, Zamora
An ambulance took Soto to the hospital where he remained for three days. On discharge Soto had 10 staples in his head.
Sheriff‘s deputies went to SanMiguel‘s home. His wife answered the door. A deputy called out SanMiguel‘s name and a male voice responded. A deputy looking through a window could see SanMiguel moving toward the back of the house. The deputy heard a sliding glass door open and the sound of someone trying to climb the back fence. The deputy saw SanMiguel at the rear of the residence. The deputy shouted, “Sheriff‘s Department, stop.” SanMiguel did not comply. He was hiding in the backyard when deputies arrested him.
The deputies took SanMiguel to the Thousand Oaks police station. After being advised of his rights pursuant to Miranda v. Arizona (1966) 384 U.S. 430, he agreed to talk. SanMiguel said that on January 8, 2022, he had gone to the park with his son in the late morning and to a liquor store between 2:00 and 3:00 p.m. The park and store are near the Jungle. But he claimed he was at home with his children when Soto was assaulted. He did not see anyone who could testify to his whereabouts that day.
Michelle Rodriguez testified that on the night of January 8, 2022, she heard SanMiguel‘s distinctive voice near her tent in the Jungle.
Jessica Geiser, an intelligence analyst with the sheriff‘s department, testified that records of SanMiguel‘s cell phone show him to have been in the vicinity of the Jungle from between 7:18 p.m. and 9:11 p.m. on the night in question. Had SanMiguel been at home with his children that night, it is unlikely his cell phone would have used the same cell towers.
(a) Defense
SanMiguel testified in his own defense. He denied he went to the Jungle at any time on January 8, 2022, or any time after Christmas. He said he had a good relationship with everyone at the Jungle. He often went to the Jungle to bring blankets and food or to play baseball. Soto was one of his closest friends. He last saw Soto two or three weeks before Christmas.
SanMiguel said he was mistaken when he told the police he was home all evening on January 8, 2022. He had the day confused with a Mexican holiday. He said at about 5:45 p.m. he walked 30 minutes to a Vons store. He returned home about 7:30 p.m. and stayed home with his wife and children for the rest of the night.
Robert Aguero testified as an expert in cell phone tower data analysis. He said determining where SanMiguel‘s cell phone was between 7:18 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. would be pure guesswork.
(b) Jury Selection
During the trial court‘s voir dire, prospective juror S.M. provided basic information like his name and place of residence. S.M. had a Hispanic surname. He was a college student studying film at UC Santa Barbara. He was single with no children and no prior experience serving as a juror. When the court asked if he thought he could be a fair and impartial juror on a case like this, S.M. replied, “I think so.”
In response to a question from SanMiguel‘s counsel, S.M. provided an 85-word answer explaining why he would “[n]ot necessarily” think a non-testifying defendant was hiding something or did something wrong. SanMiguel‘s counsel later asked whether S.M. could draw his own conclusions despite his youth. S.M. stated, “I think I would be considering all the information that‘s presented.” When asked if he could adhere to his own beliefs, S.M. replied: “I think I would be able to. I think I have a strong ground to my own thoughts as to what I would believe.”
The prosecutor asked S.M. whether he would require the victim to testify to reach a decision. S.M. responded: “I don‘t think I would require him to speak specifically.” The prosecutor directed no other questions to S.M. in particular.
The prosecutor exercised a peremptory challenge to excuse S.M., and SanMiguel‘s counsel objected based on
The trial court sought clarification on the explanation. The prosecutor stated, “It was that [S.M.] had very brief responses, that he did not have much to say about what my questions were.” The prosecutor added that S.M. did not fully follow the court‘s orders because he walked out of the courtroom with papers—apparently, the court‘s questionnaire—and walked back in during breaks. When the court indicated it gave no orders about leaving with the questionnaire, the prosecutor said: “Okay. Just the fact that he walked back in when the rest of the jury had already been excused. . . . [Y]ou look at these small little things of what jurors are doing and how close they‘re paying attention to the process, and those are things that you pick up on versus what other jurors are doing or are not doing.”
The prosecutor continued: “Eye contact that they‘re making, body language that they have, you know, other jurors are being – I feel like they‘re being more attentive. They‘re giving more eye contact to me where he‘s kind of looking down. I don‘t feel like he‘s being as engaged as other people are, and there‘s no – there‘s absolutely no pattern. I have zero intent of kicking [another prospective juror] who I believe is also a Hispanic juror.”
The trial court confirmed “exactly what the prosecutor did say, though, about [S.M‘s] body language.” The court said, “I did notice that too, that [S.M.] has a very flat affect, and he is looking down most of the time. He is not responding to questions the same way everybody else does. There is no – he‘s not making eye contact at all. He was doing the same thing with the Court. I did notice that, and I did take note of that.” The court denied the
I. Objection to Peremptory Challenge
SanMiguel contends the trial court erred in denying his
Once a party objects to the use of a peremptory challenge as violative of
“(A) The prospective juror was inattentive, or staring or failing to make eye contact.
“(B) The prospective juror exhibited either a lack of rapport or problematic attitude, body language, or demeanor.
“(C) The prospective juror provided unintelligent or confused answers.”
Procedurally,
We review the overall denial of a
If the appellate court determines the objection was improperly denied, the error “shall be deemed prejudicial, the judgment shall be reversed, and the case remanded for a new trial.” (
Analysis
We must determine de novo whether, in light of the totality of the circumstances, there is a substantial likelihood an objectively reasonable person would view S.M.‘s cognizable group membership as a factor in the use of the peremptory challenge. (
-
The prosecutor preferred prospective jurors in the next group of six. - S.M. seemed less attentive than other prospective jurors, based on eye contact and body language. Other prospective jurors gave the prosecutor more eye contact, whereas S.M. was “kind of looking down.” Other prospective jurors seemed more engaged than S.M.
- S.M.‘s decision to walk back into the courtroom when the rest of the jury had already been excused was indicative of whether he paid close “attention to the process.”
- S.M.‘s “responses were extremely brief“; S.M. “didn‘t have much of anything to say“; and S.M. “did not have much to say about what [the prosecutor‘s] questions were.”
- The prosecutor intended to retain a female Hispanic prospective juror, who ultimately did serve as a trial juror.
- The victim in the case is also Hispanic.
We acknowledge the second and third points listed above are presumptively invalid under
We agree with the dissent that one may wonder why behaviors like inattentiveness would require further explanation. And we acknowledge that
As the People point out, both the prosecutor and the trial court noted how different S.M. acted from the other jurors. That he walked back in the courtroom when the other jurors had been excused caught the attention of both the prosecutor and the judge. His response to questions was noticeably different than that of other jurors. In this instance, to attribute his dismissal to a lack of sensitivity to characteristics of his ethnicity could well be insulting to S.M.
S.M.‘s lack of attention alone was a sufficient reason for his dismissal. It overcomes the presumption of invalidity under
We appreciate the Legislature‘s concern relating to the problem of bias, whether explicit or implicit. Nevertheless, no capable attorney would fail to challenge such a juror unless the attorney had what is known in the trade as a dead-bang loser.
As I pointed out in my dissent in People v. Uriostegui (2024) 101 Cal.App.5th 271, 283, the trial judge‘s ruling is well supported. It is not necessary for the trial judge to specifically say on the record, ” ‘I find by clear and convincing evidence the reasons of the prosecutor for the peremptory challenge bear on the prospective juror‘s ability to be fair and impartial in the case.’ ” (Ibid.)
[[II. Hearsay Exception
(a) Spontaneous Statement Exception to Hearsay Rule
SanMiguel contends the trial court abused its discretion when it admitted the evidence regarding Soto‘s head nod as a spontaneous statement.
“Evidence of a statement is not made inadmissible by the hearsay rule if the statement:
“(a) Purports to narrate, describe, or explain an act, condition, or event perceived by the declarant; and
“(b) Was made spontaneously while the declarant was under the stress of excitement caused by such perception.”
To be admissible as a spontaneous statement ” ‘(1) there must be some occurrence startling enough to produce . . . nervous excitement and render the utterance spontaneous and unreflecting; (2) the utterance must have been before there has been time to contrive and misrepresent, i.e., while the nervous excitement may be supposed still to dominate and the reflective powers to be yet in abeyance; and (3) the utterance must relate to the circumstance of the occurrence preceding it.’ [Citation.]” (People v. Sanchez (2019) 7 Cal.5th 14, 39.)
All the elements of a spontaneous statement exist here: (1) Soto had just been attacked without warning. He had a deep gash in his head and had been rendered unconscious. Anyone would be in a state of nervous excitement sufficient to render his head nod spontaneous and unreflecting. (2) The head nodding was made while Soto was still lying on the ground recovering from being knocked unconscious. His nervous excitement undoubtedly still dominated, and his reflective powers were still held in abeyance. (3) Soto‘s head nod directly related to the circumstances of the preceding occurrence. In short, the circumstances here are precisely the circumstances
SanMiguel argues that Zamora was the declarant, not Soto. SanMiguel claims Soto merely responded to Zamora‘s leading question. But that the statement is in response to a question does not make the statement inadmissible under
SanMiguel argues that the circumstances were not sufficiently trustworthy to admit the evidence. He points out that Soto had been generally unresponsive to Zamora‘s questions, and only responded to that one question, and that the head nod could not be seen on Zamora‘s body camera video. He also suggests the head nod may not have been a nod, but only movement caused by the paramedics as they were working on Soto.
But Zamora testified Soto nodded his head in response to his question, and that the head nodding was a deliberate act. The factors cited by SanMiguel go to the weight of the evidence, not its admissibility.
(b) Not Testimonial Hearsay
In Crawford v. Washington (2004) 541 U.S. 36 [158 L.Ed.2d 1354] (Crawford), the United States Supreme Court considered the relationship between the Sixth Amendment‘s Confrontation Clause and exceptions to the hearsay rule. The Supreme Court held that testimonial statements of a witness who did not appear at a trial violate the Confrontation Clause unless the witness was unavailable, and the defendant had a prior opportunity for cross-examination. (Id. at pp. 53-54.) The Crawford rule does not apply to hearsay exceptions that were recognized at the time of the Sixth Amendment‘s adoption. (Id. at p. 56, fn. 6.)
Crawford did not define “testimonial statements.” That definition was provided in Davis v. Washington (2006) 547 U.S. 813, 822 [165 L.2d.2d 224], as follows: “Statements are nontestimonial when made in the course of police interrogation under circumstances objectively indicating that the primary purpose of the interrogation is to enable police assistance to meet an ongoing emergency. They are testimonial when the circumstances objectively indicate that there is no such ongoing emergency, and that the primary purpose of the interrogation is to establish or prove past events potentially relevant to later criminal prosecution.”
SanMiguel argues the circumstances objectively indicate Zamora‘s primary purpose in interrogating Soto was to establish past events potentially relevant to later criminal prosecution. But that is not the case. Zamora found Soto lying on the ground suffering from severe blunt force trauma. The perpetrator was at large, and public safety was at risk. Zamora needed to identify the perpetrator to protect public safety.
This case is very similar to People v. Pedroza, supra, 147 Cal.App.4th 784. In Pedroza, the police responded to a call of a house fire. When they arrived, they found a woman lying on the ground outside the house suffering from severe burns. The police asked the woman what happened. She responded that her husband burned her by throwing gas on her. The woman died of her burns. Her statement to the police was admitted at husband‘s trial for murder under the spontaneous statement exception to the hearsay rule.
In affirming the trial court, the Court of Appeal determined that the victim‘s statement was not testimonial hearsay. The officers encountered the victim during an ongoing emergency; the officers’ conversations with the victim were brief; the statements were not taken under the calm circumstances of a formal interrogation; and the victim‘s statement did not purport to describe an event that occurred some time ago. (People v. Pedroza, supra, 147 Cal.App.4th at pp. 793-794.) The Court of Appeal also pointed out that it is difficult to identify the circumstances where a spontaneous statement qualifying under
SanMiguel‘s reliance on People v. Cage (2007) 40 Cal.4th 965 is misplaced. In Cage, a sheriff‘s deputy was dispatched to defendant‘s residence on report of a family fight. As the deputy approached the house, he saw a bloody towel and drops of blood. Inside he found defendant picking up broken glass. The glass top of a nearby coffee table was missing. The deputy spoke with the defendant, her mother, and her daughter. The deputy departed, believing no crime had been committed. About an hour later, the deputy was dispatched to an intersection a mile or two away to look for an injured person. The deputy found John, the defendant‘s son, sitting on the curb. John had a large cut on his face. An ambulance and emergency personnel were already on the scene. The ambulance transported John to the hospital. The deputy did not accompany John but went to the hospital ” ‘at a later point.’ ” (Id. at p. 971.) When the deputy arrived at the hospital, John was in the emergency room but had not yet been treated. The deputy asked John what happened. John told him he got into an argument with his mother; his mother pushed him, and he fell onto the coffee table, breaking the glass top; his grandmother held him while his mother cut his face with a piece of glass.
In determining that John‘s statement was testimonial hearsay, our Supreme Court said: “Thus, by the time [the deputy] spoke with John in the hospital, the incident that caused John‘s injury had been over for more than an hour. The alleged assailant and the alleged victim were geographically separated, John had left the scene of the injury, and he thereafter had been taken to a remote location to receive medical treatment. Though he apparently had not yet been treated by a doctor when Mullin questioned him, he was in no danger of further violence as to which contemporaneous police intervention might be required.” (People v. Cage, supra, 40 Cal.4th at p. 985.)
Here there are none of the factors that led the Supreme Court in Cage to conclude the victim‘s statement is testimonial hearsay. When Zamora spoke to Soto, the incident had not been over for more than an hour. Zamora did not know the location of the alleged assistant. Soto had not left the scene of the injury. Whether Soto or other members of the public were in danger was unknown to Zamora.
III. There Was No Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
SanMiguel contends he received ineffective assistance of counsel when his counsel failed to object to the dual use of facts to impose the upper term on count 2.
The trial court sentenced SanMiguel to a total of 11 years to life consisting of: on count 1, attempted murder, seven years to life, plus one year for personal use of a dangerous weapon, plus three years for inflicting great bodily injury; on count 2, assault with a deadly weapon, the upper term of four years, stayed pursuant to
The following factors in aggravation were found true by the jury: SanMiguel personally inflicted great bodily injury; the crime involved great bodily harm and other acts disclosing a high degree of cruelty, viciousness, or callousness; and SanMiguel was armed with and used a weapon.
SanMiguel points out that an enhancement may not be used to impose an upper term unless the court has the power to strike the enhancement and does so. (Cal. Rules of Court, rule 4.420(g).) In addition, a fact that is an element of the crime being punished cannot be used to impose the upper term. (
SanMiguel claims that the first two factors in aggravation are indistinguishable in that they both involve great bodily harm. But the second factor is distinguishable in that it not only requires great bodily harm, but also other acts involving a high degree of cruelty, viciousness, or callousness. Here SanMiguel‘s attack on Soto was entirely unprovoked. He hit Soto on the head with a metal bar with enough force to render him unconscious. As Soto was defenseless on the ground and with Marroquin begging him to leave Soto alone, SanMiguel hit Soto again with a baseball bat. Finally, Marroquin placed her body over Soto and continued to beg SanMiguel to leave him alone. SanMiguel hit Soto in the head again next to Marroquin‘s face. SanMiguel walked away, not caring whether Soto was dead or alive. The jury‘s finding that the crime involved a very high degree of cruelty, viciousness, or callousness is well supported by the evidence. That the offense was committed with a high degree of cruelty, viciousness, or callousness is not an element of the offense or any enhancement alleged here. Thus imposing the upper term on that basis does not constitute a dual use of facts.
The trial court stated that it chose the upper term on count 2 because of the factors in aggravation found true by the jury. But it only takes a single aggravating factor to impose the upper term. (People v. Sperling (2017) 12 Cal.App.5th 1094, 1103.) In sentencing SanMiguel, the court said, “This case was far more serious than other case of this type.” The court also stated, “I find that [SanMiguel] poses an unreasonable risk of public safety and is likely to offend in the future. This was completely unprovoked and extremely violent attack on somebody. And [SanMiguel] has shown absolutely zero insight or remorse as to why the offense happened.”
If the trial court erred, the error was harmless by any standard. There is no reasonable doubt that the court would have imposed the upper term based on the single aggravating factor that the crime was committed with a high degree of cruelty, viciousness, or callousness.
Moreover, in order to prevail on the claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, SanMiguel must demonstrate on appeal that counsel had no valid tactical reason for his action or failure to act. If the record on appeal sheds no light on why counsel acted or failed to act in the manner challenged, the claim of incompetence must be rejected unless counsel was asked for an explanation and failed to provide one, or unless there simply could be no satisfactory explanation. (People v. Mendoza Tello (1997) 15 Cal.4th 264, 266.)
Here there is a very good reason why counsel would not object. The trial court sentenced SanMiguel to the four-year upper term for assault with a deadly weapon, but did not impose a term for the great bodily injury enhancement. The court could have imposed the three-year middle term for the assault, plus a three-year great bodily injury enhancement, for a total of six years instead of four. Given the trial court‘s comments at sentencing, counsel was wise to leave well enough alone.
IV. Dismissal of an Enhancement on Count 1
SanMiguel contends the trial court erred in refusing to dismiss an enhancement on count 1.
“(1) Notwithstanding any other law, the court shall dismiss an enhancement if it is in the furtherance of justice to do so, except if dismissal of that enhancement is prohibited by any initiative statute.
“(2) In exercising its discretion under this subdivision, the court shall consider and afford great weight to evidence offered by the defendant to prove that any of the mitigating circumstances in subparagraphs (A) to (I) are present. Proof of the presence of one or more of these circumstances weighs greatly in favor of dismissing the enhancement, unless the court finds that dismissal of the enhancement would endanger public safety. ‘Endanger public safety’ means there is a likelihood that the dismissal of the enhancement would result in physical injury or other serious danger to others.
“[¶] . . . [¶]
“(B) Multiple enhancements are alleged in a single case. In this instance, all enhancements beyond a single enhancement shall be dismissed.” (Italics added.)
Here the trial court refused to dismiss an enhancement on count 1, finding that SanMiguel is a danger to public safety. SanMiguel argues the words “shall be dismissed” in
SanMiguel concedes that every appellate court that has considered the matter has rejected his argument. After SanMiguel filed his opening brief, our Supreme Court decided People v. Walker (2024) 16 Cal.5th 1024. Walker held that the existence of one or more factors listed in
Instead, our Supreme Court said, “[I]f the court does not find that dismissal would endanger public safety, the presence of an enumerated mitigating circumstance will generally result in the dismissal of an enhancement unless the sentencing court finds substantial, credible evidence of countervailing factors that “may nonetheless neutralize even the great weight of the mitigating circumstance such that dismissal of the enhancement is not in furtherance of justice.” ” (People v. Walker, supra, 16 Cal.5th at p. 1029, quoting People v. Ortiz (2023) 87 Cal.App.5th 1087, 1098.) Walker makes it clear that dismissal is not mandatory.]]
DISPOSITION
The judgment is affirmed.
CERTIFIED FOR PARTIAL PUBLICATION.
GILBERT, P. J.
I concur:
YEGAN, J.
YEGAN, J., Concurring:
I fully concur in the well-written opinion by Presiding Justice Gilbert. But I would go further and declare the methodology
Our California Supreme Court has said that dismissal of a potential juror for racial bias is “structural error.” (People v. Gutierrez (2017) 2 Cal.5th 1150, 1157-1158.) We are bound by this holding. (Auto Equity Sales, Inc. v. Superior Court (1962) 57 Cal.2d 450, 455.) In the last sentence of the statute, the Legislature has codified the rule.
The legislative attack upon the California Constitution and the separation of power theory of government continues. This time, the Legislature dictates, in the context of empaneling a criminal jury trial, that the dismissal of a juror for perceived racial basis, is to be viewed wearing “horse blinders.” The “micromanagement” of
The time-honored appellate rule is that a reviewing court indulges in all reasonable inferences to uphold any ruling on appeal. (E.g., 9 Witkin, Cal. Procedure, (6th ed. 2021) §§ 385-387, pp. 420-424.) There has never been a requirement that the exact reason given by the trial court for its order precludes the appellate court from using its own judgment in reviewing the propriety of the order under review. We review the ruling of the trial court, not its rationale. (E.g., Davey v. Southern Pacific Co. (1897) 116 Cal. 325, 329-330; Yarrow v. State of California (1960) 53 Cal.2d 427, 438; Rappleyea v. Campbell (1994) 8 Cal.4th 975, 981.) Even an
Recently, the California Supreme Court, albeit in another context reminded everyone that the “‘term “constitution” implies an instrument of a permanent and abiding nature . . . .‘” (Legislature of the State of California v. Weber (2024) 16 Cal.5th 237, 256.) I am in complete agreement. The California Constitution expressly requires that an appellate court affirm a judgment unless, the court determines there has been a miscarriage of justice.2 The Legislature cannot, and should not, mandate a “form over substance” appellate rule purporting to put a California appellate court in a “straight jacket.” The judiciary cannot force the executive branch of government to charge someone with having committed a crime. The judiciary cannot force the legislative branch of government to enact or refrain from enacting a statute relating to the definition of crime or punishment. And, these two branches of government cannot tell judges how to judge. These are basic “separation of powers” observations which have stood the test of time. They should not be abandoned.
I applaud legislative efforts to combat the perception of racial bias it sees in our judicial system. But the Legislature may not enact laws which violate our state constitution. Here, the Legislature has again stepped over the line. Unless, and until, the California Supreme Court directs otherwise, I will continue to object to any legislative attempt to “overrule” our California Constitution. As Justice Musmanno says in his famous dissenting opinion, “I shall continue to dissent . . . until the cows come home.” (Bosley v. Andrews (1958) 393 Pa. 161, 195, overruled on another ground in Niederman v. Brodsky (1970) 436 Pa. 401, 413.)
CERTIFIED FOR PUBLICATION.
YEGAN, J.
CODY, J., Concurring and Dissenting:
I concur in the majority opinion except for its affirmance of the judgment and Part I of the Discussion section, from which I respectfully dissent. The prosecution challenged a prospective juror for reasons that were legally invalid, unsupported by the record, or otherwise unpersuasive. In light of the totality of the circumstances, there was a substantial likelihood an objectively reasonable person would view cognizable group membership as a factor in the peremptory challenge. The trial
For ease of reference, I repeat the reasons the prosecutor offered to justify striking S.M.:
- (1) The prosecutor preferred prospective jurors in the next group of six.
- (2) S.M. seemed less attentive than other prospective jurors, based on eye contact and body language. Other prospective jurors gave the prosecutor more eye contact whereas S.M. was “kind of looking down.” Other prospective jurors seemed more engaged than S.M. did.
- (3) S.M.‘s decision to walk back into the courtroom when the rest of the jury had already been excused. This behavior was indicative of whether S.M. paid close “attention to the process.”
- (4) S.M.‘s “responses were extremely brief“; S.M. “didn‘t have much of anything to say“; and S.M. “did not have much to say about what [the prosecutor‘s] questions were.”
- (5) The prosecutor intended to retain a female Hispanic prospective juror, who ultimately did serve as a trial juror.
- (6) The victim in the case is also Hispanic.
I agree with the majority that the reasons outlined in the second and third points listed above are presumptively invalid under
I disagree, however, with the majority‘s conclusion that the presumption of invalidity was overcome. (Maj. opn. ante, at p. 12.) The prosecutor never explained why S.M.‘s behavior “matter[ed] to the case to be tried.” (
Because the prosecutor failed to explain why S.M.‘s behavior mattered in this case, I must treat as conclusive the presumption that he was excused for invalid, discriminatory reasons.
One may well wonder why behaviors like inattentiveness would require further explanation. Our function, however, is not to evaluate the wisdom of the Legislature‘s choices. Rather, “‘“‘our fundamental task here is to determine the Legislature‘s intent so as to effectuate the law‘s purpose.‘“‘” (People v. Gonzalez (2017) 2 Cal.5th 1138, 1141.) We are not at liberty to delete the unambiguous explanation requirement. (See, e.g., Melissa R. v. Superior Court (2012) 207 Cal.App.4th 816, 822 [“’ “Appellate courts may not rewrite unambiguous statutes” ‘“].) To the extent any ambiguity exists, the Legislature recorded its intent “that this act be broadly construed to further the purpose of eliminating the use of group stereotypes and discrimination, whether based on conscious or unconscious bias, in the exercise of peremptory challenges.” (Stats. 2020, ch. 318, § 1, subd. (c).) I believe my interpretation is consonant with this capacious intent.
The prosecutor‘s remaining reasons for challenging S.M. are unsupported by the record or are otherwise unpersuasive. The prosecutor‘s unelaborated preference for other prospective jurors over S.M. lacks explanatory value. Implicit in every rational peremptory challenge is a belief that other prospective jurors would be more favorable in some respect. Simply making that universal assumption explicit does not explain the prosecutor‘s decision in this instance.
The brevity of S.M.‘s responses is an unconvincing rationale. The record shows not all S.M.‘s responses were brief. S.M. offered an 85-word reply to one of the several questions counsel posed specifically to him. S.M.‘s responses to counsels’ other questions were only one or two sentences each,
Even granting S.M.‘s answers were brief, however, it is unclear why brief answers made S.M. an undesirable juror. To the extent they indicated his lack of attention or a problematic demeanor, this rationale is invalid under
Moreover, the prosecutor engaged in “cursory questioning” of S.M. and did not question him about the concerns of inattentiveness or disinterest—circumstances the statute invites courts to consider. (
The prosecutor‘s final two reasons—the presence of a Hispanic juror he did not challenge and the victim also being Hispanic—did not attempt to explain why he removed S.M. That the prosecutor did not challenge a female Hispanic juror does not explain why he did challenge S.M. Nor does the victim‘s race or ethnicity explain why S.M. was an undesirable juror from the prosecutor‘s perspective. Instead, the prosecutor offered these two justifications to refute a claim of bias under
Neither does so. A party need not remove all prospective jurors of a cognizable group for a
The prosecutor‘s reliance on unsupported or unpersuasive reasons increases the likelihood S.M.‘s cognizable group membership factored into the challenge, especially from the perspective of an objectively reasonable person who “is aware that unconscious bias, in addition to purposeful discrimination,
I believe that, in light of the totality of the circumstances, there is a substantial likelihood an objectively reasonable person would view S.M.‘s cognizable group membership as a factor in the peremptory challenge. (
In reaching my conclusion, “[I] need not, and do not, determine whether the prosecutor was motivated by bias. (People v. Uriostegui (2024) 101 Cal.App.5th 271, 281.) The statute‘s contemplation of both implicit and explicit bias obviates this inquiry. I also do not attribute the prosecutor‘s challenge or court‘s ruling “to a lack of sensitivity to characteristics of [S.M.‘s] ethnicity . . . .” (Maj. opn. ante, at p. 12.) The statute addresses reasons historically associated with improper discrimination in jury selection. Neither the statute nor I endorse the belief that those reasons, in fact, accurately describe any group.
I expect that counsel challenging prospective jurors will avail themselves of CERTIFIED FOR PUBLICATION CODY, J.