People v. Payne

Defendant, Stanley Payne, was found guilty by a jury and sentenced on three counts of aggravated battery and one count of armed violence. The jury was unable to reach a verdict as to other counts against him. Defendant, who is black, contends that, over his objections, the prosecutor systematically used peremptory challenges during the voir dire examination of the jurors to exclude blacks from the jury solely because they were blacks. It is defendant’s position that he was denied the type of fair trial guaranteed under the sixth amendment of the United States Constitution because the State…