Jackson v. State

DISSENTING OPINION TO REFUSAL OF APPELLANT’S PETITION FOR DISCRETIONARY REVIEW

Believing appellant’s petition for discretionary review should be granted to determine whether questioning veniremembers about their religious preference is proper, I respectfully dissent.

I

A. The Trial Court

In three indictments, appellant was charged with five counts of aggravated sexual assault. Prior to voir dire, appellant objected to a question on the venire questionnaire which asked: “What is your religious preference?” Appellant objected on the grounds that the question violated the veniremembers’…