King v. State

The defendant was tried by jury and convicted of possession of cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia. Having considered each of the three issues raised, we find merit in only his claim that the trial court erred in allowing the State to peremptorily strike three African-American jurors without conducting the “genuineness” analysis required by Melbourne v. *968State, 679 So.2d 769 (Fla.1996). We write to address this issue.

When the exercise of a peremptory strike is challenged, the courts must follow the three-step process set forth by the supreme court in Melbourne.

A party objecting to the…