People v. Saunders

The defendant argues that he was deprived of a fair trial because the prosecutor exercised four racially motivated peremptory challenges against black venirepersons in violation of Batson v Kentucky (476 US 79). However, the defendant failed to meet his burden of demonstrating that the race-neutral explanations proffered by the prosecutor were merely pretextual (see, People v Allen, 86 NY2d 101; People v Hernandez, 75 NY2d 350, affd 500 US 352; People v Gooden, 220 AD2d 683; People v Waldo, 221 AD2d 390). Thus, the court did not err in dismissing the four venirepersons.

The defendant’s…