Rick Thaler, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division v. Anthony Cardell Haynes (559 U.S. 1088)
U.S. Supreme Court · decided February 22, 2010 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Citation
- 559 U.S. 1088 · 130 S. Ct. 2141
- Decided
- February 22, 2010
- Term
- October Term 2009
- Vote
- 9–0
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome
- Petitioning party won
- Ideological direction
- Conservative
Opinion excerpt
Cite as: 559 U. S. ____ (2010) 1 Per Curiam SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES RICK THALER, DIRECTOR, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE, CORRECTIONAL INSTI- TUTIONS DIVISION v. ANTHONY CARDELL HAYNES ON PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT No. 09–273. Decided February 22, 2010 PER CURIAM. This case presents the question whether any decision of this Court “clearly establishes” that a judge, in ruling on an objection to a peremptory challenge under Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U. S. 79 (1986), must reject a demeanor based explanation for the challenge unless the judge per sonally observed and recalls the aspect of the prospective juror’s demeanor on which the explanation is based. The Court of Appeals appears to have concluded that either Batson itself or Snyder v. Louisiana, 552 U. S. 472 (2008), clearly established such a rule, but the Court of Appeals read far too much into those decisions, and its holding, if allowed to stand, would have important implications. We therefore grant the petition for certiorari, grant respon dent’s motion to proceed in forma pauperis, and reverse the judgment of the Court of Appeals. I Respondent was tried in a Texas state court for the murder of a police officer, and the State sought the death penalty. During voir dire, two judges presided at different stages. Judge Harper presided when the…
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