State v. Brown

In 1991, appellant Vernon Brown was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to death. A motion for post-conviction relief was filed and overruled. This Court has jurisdiction of the appeal. Mo. Const, art. V, sec. 3.

During the jury selection process, the state used ten of its twelve peremptory strikes to remove women from the jury panel. Defense counsel objected to the state’s use of its strikes to eliminate women from the venire. The trial court refused to allow a hearing on whether the state removed these venireper-sons solely on the basis of their gender.

The Equal Protection Clause…