Opinion
2d Crim. No. B328160
10-08-2024
The PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. Joel SANMIGUEL, Defendant and Appellant.
Matthew Alger, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Rob Bonta, Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Susan Sullivan Pithey, Assistant Attorney General, Scott A. Taryle and Blythe J. Leszkay, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.
Superior Court County of Ventura, Ryan J. Wright, Judge (Super. Ct. No. 2022002116) (Ventura County)
Matthew Alger, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant.
Rob Bonta, Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Susan Sullivan Pithey, Assistant Attorney General, Scott A. Taryle and Blythe J. Leszkay, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.
GILBERT, P. J.
Joel SanMiguel appeals from a judgment following a trial at which the jury found him guilty of willful, deliberate, and premeditated attempted murder (Pen. Code,1 §§ 664, 187, subd. (a), 189) (count 1) and assault with a deadly weapon (id., § 245, subd. (a)(1)) (count 2). As to both counts, the jury found true allegations that SanMiguel personally inflicted great bodily injury. (Id., § 12022.7, subd. (a).) As to count 1, the jury also found SanMiguel personally used a deadly and dangerous weapon. (Id., § 12022, subd. (b)(1).) The court sentenced SanMiguel to a total term of 11 years to life. We affirm.
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 asked Soto, "Is Capi the one that did this to you?" Soto nodded his head up and down two or three times. Zamora said the nodding was a "very deliberate act." Soto was not moving his head from side to side. "It was just a straight up and down head nod." Zamora was wearing a body camera but the glare from his flashlight obscured Soto’s head.
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. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966), 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 did not know Soto had been injured until he was interviewed by the police after he was arrested. SanMiguel denied trying to flee from the police when he was arrested. He said he was in the backyard to put a cover on a birdcage.
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 Code of Civil Procedure section 231.7. SanMiguel’s counsel indicated SanMiguel is of Latino descent and that S.M. was apparently "the only Latino man left of the 18."
All further statutory references are to the Code of Civil Procedure unless otherwise stated.
California Constitution, article VI, section 13 provides: "No judgment shall be set aside, or new trial granted, in any cause, on the ground of misdirection of the jury, or of the improper admission or rejection of evidence, or for any error as to any matter of pleading, or for any error as to any matter of procedure, unless, after an examination of the entire cause, including the evidence, the court shall be of the opinion that the error complained of has resulted in a miscarriage of justice." (Ibid., italics added.)
I respectfully depart from Justice Yegan’s view that the methodology of section 231.7, subdivision (j) is unconstitutional. "Because the state constitution does not limit the Legislature’s power to define a miscarriage of justice, we must conclude it has properly exercised its authority to do so here." (People v. Simmons (2023) 96 Cal.App.5th 323, 339, 314 Cal.Rptr.3d 319.)
When asked to justify the strike, the prosecutor noted the victim in the case was also Hispanic. The prosecutor "wouldn’t have a reason to kick Hispanic people when [he had] a Hispanic on Hispanic crime." The prosecutor indicated S.M.’s "responses were extremely brief’ and S.M. "didn’t have much of anything to say." The prosecutor added: "There are other people in the following six … that I believe will be jurors that I prefer more to [S.M.]" The prosecutor stated a different prospective juror had a Hispanic surname and he had not challenged her. That prospective juror ultimately did serve as a trial juror. The prosecutor concluded his initial justification by asking the court to make a finding that he "did not violate [section 231.7] by excusing someone just because he happens to be Hispanic."
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 section 231.7 objection. The court then noted, "[S.M. entered] the courtroom at a time when nobody else did, which I don’t think that’s a violation of a Court order, necessarily, but it shows that he’s not paying attention to what everybody else is doing
…."
DISCUSSION
I. Objection to Peremptory Challenge
SanMiguel contends the trial court erred in denying his section 231.7 objection to the peremptory challenge of S.M.
Section 231.7, subdivision (a) provides: "A party shall not use a peremptory challenge to remove a prospective juror on the basis of the prospective juror’s race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, or religious affiliation, or the perceived membership of the prospective juror in any of those groups." The Legislature implemented a complex statutory scheme to ensure parties do not violate this prohibition.
Once a party objects to the use of a peremptory challenge as violative of section 231.7, subdivision (a), the party exercising the challenge must state the reasons it did so. (§ 231.7, subds. (b), (c).) The court evaluates those reasons "in light of the totality of the circumstances," without speculating on or assuming the existence of other possible justifications. (Id., subd. (d)(1).) "If the court determines there is a substantial likelihood that an objectively reasonable person would view [actual or perceived cognizable group membership] as a factor in the use of the peremptory challenge, then the objection shall be sustained. The court need not find purposeful discrimination to sustain the objection." (Ibid.) Indeed, under section 231.7, "an objectively reasonable person is aware that unconscious bias, in addition to purposeful discrimination, have resulted in the unfair exclusion of potential jurors" in California. (Id., subd. (d)(2)(A).)
Section 231.7, subdivision (d)(3) provides a non-exhaustive list of circumstances the court may consider in evaluating the reasons given to justify a peremptory challenge. The enumerated circumstances include whether the objecting party is a member of the same perceived cognizable group as the challenged juror, as well as whether the alleged victim or witnesses are not members of that group. (Id., subd. (d)(3)(A)(i)-(iii).) Trial courts are to consider "whether the party exercising the peremptory challenge failed to question the prospective juror about the concerns later stated by the party as the reason for the peremptory challenge" (id., subd. (d)(3)(C)(i)), and "[w]hether the party exercising the peremptory challenge engaged in cursory questioning of the challenged potential juror" (id., subd. (d)(3)(C)(ii)).
[1] Section 231.7, subdivisions (e) and (g) provide two separate lists of presumptively invalid reasons for exercising a peremptory challenge. "Each subdivision sets out a distinct process by which a court determines whether a presumptively invalid reason can be absolved of that presumption." (People v. Ortiz (2023) 96 Cal. App.5th 768, 793, 314 Cal.Rptr.3d 732.)
Section 231.7, subdivision (g)(1) identifies the following reasons for peremptory challenges as having been "historically … associated with improper discrimination in jury selection:
"(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, section 231.7, subdivision (g)(2) provides that these reasons "are presumptively invalid unless the trial court is able to confirm that the asserted behavior occurred, based on the court’s own observations or the observations of counsel for the objecting party. Even with that confirmation, the counsel offering the reason shall explain why the asserted demeanor, behavior, or manner in which the prospective juror answered questions matters to the case to be tried. " (Italics added.)
[2–4] We review the overall denial of a section 231.7 objection de novo, but we review the trial court’s express factual findings for substantial evidence. (Id., subd. (j).) The statute precludes appellate courts from imputing any findings to the trial court. (Ibid.) Likewise, the reviewing court can consider only the reasons stated under section 231.7, subdivision (c)-that is, the party’s actual justification for the challenge. The court may not speculate about or consider other possible reasons for the challenge. (Ibid.)
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." (§ 231.7, subd. (j).)
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. (§ 231.7, subds. (d)(1), (j).) We are limited to the prosecutor’s stated reasons for challenging S.M. (Id., subds. (c), (j).) The prosecutor offered the following reasons:
(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.
(3) 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."
(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.
[5] We acknowledge the second and third points listed above are presumptively invalid under section 231.7, subdivision (g). That subdivision specifically describes inattentiveness; failing to make eye contact; lack of rapport; and problematic attitude, body language, or demeanor as having been "historically … associated with improper discrimination in jury selection." (§ 231.7, subd. (g)(1).) The prosecutor cited S.M.’s inattentiveness, body language, and lack of eye contact. The prosecutor also identified inattentiveness as the significance of S.M. entering the courtroom when the jury had been excused. The prosecutor’s claim that S.M. was less "engaged" than other prospective jurors similarly cri- tiqued some combination of S.M.’s demeanor and inattentiveness.
Section 231.7, subdivision (g)(2) prescribes the circumstances under which these presumptively invalid reasons "can be absolved of that presumption." (People v. Ortiz, supra, 96 Cal.App.5th at p. 793, 314 Cal.Rptr.3d 732.) The trial court must confirm the "asserted behavior occurred." (§ 231.7, subd. (g)(2).) Here, the trial court did so. However, "[e]ven with that confirmation, the counsel offering the reason shall explain why the asserted demeanor, behavior, or manner in which the prospective juror answered questions matters to the case to be tried." (Ibid., italics added; see Ortiz, at p. 794, 314 Cal.Rptr.3d 732 [section 231.7, subdivision (g)(2) contains both " ‘confirmation’ " and " ‘explanation’ " requirements].)
We agree with the dissent that one may wonder why behaviors like inattentiveness would require further explanation. And we acknowledge that the prosecutor and trial court could have made a more extensive and thorough inquiry. Nevertheless, we think reversal is unwarranted.
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 section 231.7, subdivision (g)(2). The peremptory challenge here was unrelated to a conscious or unconscious bias. The prosecution had a legitimate reason to be concerned about S.M.’s ability to be "fair and impartial." (Id., subd. (f).) No matter what a person’s background, race, or economic standing, if the juror does not pay attention, the juror does not belong on any jury.
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, 319 Cal.Rptr.3d 898, 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. )
See footnote *, ante.
DISPOSITION
The judgment is affirmed.
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 of Code of Civil Procedure (C.C.P.) section 231.7, subdivision (j) unconstitutional. (See People v. Simmons (2023) 96 Cal.App.5th 323, 340-345, 314 Cal.Rptr.3d 319 (dis. opn. of Yegan, J.) [automatic reversal aspect of Racial Justice Act (Pen. Code § 745) is unconstitutional because it usurps California Constitution "miscarriage of justice" standard which requires an examination of the entire record before reversal].) Our recent prior appellate opinion in People v. Uriostegui (2024) 101 Cal.App.5th 271, 319 Cal.Rptr.3d 898 (opn. of Baltodano, J., conc. of Cody, J., dis. opn. of Gilbert, P.J.), should be overruled.
C.C.P. section 231.7, subdivision (j) provides: "The denial of an objection made under this section shall be reviewed by the appellate court de novo, with the trial court’s express factual findings reviewed for substantial evidence. The appellate court shall not impute to the trial court any findings, including findings of a prospective juror's demeanor, that the trial court did not expressly state on the record. The reviewing court shall consider only reasons actually given under subdivision (c) and shall not speculate as to or consider reasons that were not given to explain either the party’s use of the peremptory challenge or the party’s failure to challenge similarly situated jurors who are not members of the same cognizable group as the challenged juror, regardless of whether the moving party made a comparative analysis argument in the trial court. Should the appellate court determine that the objection was erroneously denied, that error shall be deemed prejudicial, the judgment shall be reversed, and the case remanded for a new trial."
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, 1 157-1158, 218 Cal.Rptr.3d 289, 395 P.3d 186.) We are bound by this holding. (Auto Equity Sales, Inc. v. Superior Court (1962) 57 Cal.2d 450, 455, 20 Cal.Rptr. 321, 369 P.2d 937.) In the last sentence of the statute, the Legislature has codified the rule.
Undesignated statutory references are to the Code of Civil Procedure.
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 C.C.P. section 231.7, subdivision (j) violates separation of powers jurisprudence. It is akin to statute telling a plumber how much torque is required when using a pipe wrench.
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, 48 P. 117; Yarrow v. State of California (1960) 53 Cal.2d 427, 438, 2 Cal.Rptr. 137, 348 P.2d 687; Rappleyea v. Campbell (1994) 8 Cal.4th 975, 981, 35 Cal.Rptr.2d 669, 884 P.2d 126.) Even an unsound course of reasoning is not fatal to a trial court order. (People v. Gibson (1987) 195 Cal.App.3d 841, 853, 241 Cal.Rptr. 126; People v. Patton (1976) 63 Cal.App.3d 211, 219, 133 Cal.Rptr. 533.) If this statute passes constitutional muster, over a hundred years of Supreme Court precedent has been "overruled."
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, 321 Cal.Rptr.3d 883, 549 P.3d 884.) 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.2a 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, 142 A.2d 263, overruled on another ground in Niederman v. Brodsky (1970) 436 Pa. 401, 413, 261 A.2d 84.)
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 court nevertheless denied appellant’s motion under Code of Civil Procedure section 231.7.1b This was error. The Legislature has determined such error is prejudicial.2b I would reverse and remand for a new 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 section 231.7, subdivision (g). I also agree the trial court confirmed the "asserted behavior occurred." (§ 231.7, subd. (g)(2).)
I disagree, however, with the majority’s conclusion that the presumption of invalidity was overcome. (Maj. opn. ante, at p. 187.) The prosecutor never explained why S.M.’s behavior "matter[ed] to the case to be tried." (§ 231.7, subd. (g)(2).) Section 231.7 subdivision (g)(2) expressly requires such an explanation to rehabilitate a presumptively invalid reason.
As recently articulated in People v. Caparrotta (2024) 103 Cal.App.5th 874, 890-891, 323 Cal.Rptr.3d 494: "[T]he only way to rebut the presumption of invalidity is by applying the statutorily prescribed two- step process of (1) confirmation of the behavior by the trial court, and (2) explanation by counsel of why the behavior matters to the case. If the presumption of invalidity for a particular reason identified by counsel is not rebutted through the two-step procedure set forth in subdivision (g)(2) of section 231.7, that reason must be treated as conclusively invalid. In other words, the trial court must treat as conclusive the presumption that the reason identified by counsel was actually based on ‘race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, or religious affiliation,’ or perceived membership in any such group, as prohibited by section 231.7, subdivision (a)."
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, 218 Cal.Rptr.3d 150, 394 P.3d 1074.) 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, 144 Cal.Rptr.3d 48 [" " ‘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, but he did not offer, for example, one-word or two-word answers. The court’s voir dire largely sought basic biographical information inconducive to lengthy reply.
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 section 231.7, subdivision (g), for the reasons discussed above.
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. (§ 231.7, subd. (d)(3)(C)(i), (ii).) The prosecutor directed a single question to S.M. specifically. The prosecutor asked whether S.M. would require the victim to testify to reach a decision. S.M. responded: "I don’t think I would require him to speak specifically." This response addressed the prosecutor’s question. The prosecutor made no other effort to probe S.M. specifically on this or any other topic. A party cannot pose a single, straightforward question to a prospective juror and then defeat a section 231.7 objection by claiming the juror’s responses were "very brief’ and the juror "did not have much to say" about the party’s questions. Otherwise, relying on many prospective jurors’ unwillingness to answer questions posed to the group, a party could remove members of cognizable classes with impunity simply by questioning them cursorily.
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 section 231.7.
Neither does so. A party need not remove all prospective jurors of a cognizable group for a section 231.7 objection to succeed. The statute does not support this type of binary, all-or-nothing thinking. Furthermore, while the victim in the case is Hispanic, appellant is as well. Section 231.7 identifies the shared group membership between appellant and S.M. as a circumstance the court may consider. (See § 231.7, subd. (d)(3)(A)(i).)
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, have resulted in the unfair exclusion of potential jurors" in California. (Id., subd. (d)(2)(A).) Moreover, even if some of the prosecutor’s reasons were supported by the record or were otherwise appropriate, the presence of conclusively invalid reasons required the court to sustain the objection under section 231.7. (§ 231.7, subd. (d); Caparrotta, supra, 103 Cal.App.5th at p. 896, 323 Cal.Rptr.3d 494 ["[T]he Legislature did not intend to allow a peremptory challenge to be exercised, even in part, for an invalid reason"].)
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. (§ 231.7, subd. (d)(1).) Under section 231.7, the error is prejudicial, and reversal and remand for a new trial is required. (Id., subd. (j).) 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, 319 Cal.Rptr.3d 898.) 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. 187.) 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 section 231.7’s framework to address potential implicit biases. The explanation requirement, for example, forces attorneys to articulate a connection between certain historically discriminatory reasons for a peremptory challenge and the current case. (§ 231.7, subd. (g)(2).) An attorney’s inability to do so increases the risk that bias factored into the challenge. Here, the prosecutor simply failed to offer the requisite explanation. I would reverse and remand for a new trial.