Opinion
March 23, 1998
Appeal from the Supreme Court, Queens County (Flug, J.).
Ordered that the judgment is affirmed.
The defendant's contention that the prosecutor improperly exercised peremptory challenges to exclude women from the jury (see, Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79) is unpreserved for appellate review (see, People v. Smith, 81 N.Y.2d 875; People v. Cruz, 200 A.D.2d 581; People v. Dyce, 196 A.D.2d 506), and we decline to reach the issue in the exercise of our interest of justice jurisdiction.
Rosenblatt, J. P., Sullivan, Santucci and Goldstein, JJ., concur.