People v. Rice

Judgment unanimously reversed on the law and new trial granted. Memorandum: During the course of jury selection, defendant used a peremptory challenge to remove a prospective juror after County Court refused to discharge him for cause. Defendant subsequently exhausted his peremptory challenges before the completion of jury selection and the court denied his request for additional peremptory challenges. In response to questions from both the District Attorney and defense counsel, the prospective juror stated that he did not like lawyers; that he did not "think it is fair that people have the…