Howard v. State

Barnes, Judge.

After a jury convicted Michael B. Howard of the offense of possession of cocaine, the trial court sentenced Howard as a recidivist. In his only enumeration of error, Howard contests the denial of a challenge made under Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U. S. 79 (106 SC 1712, 90 LE2d 69) (1986), in which he contested the State’s exercise of its peremptory strikes. Finding no error in the trial court’s ruling, we affirm.

After the State struck two African-American prospective jurors, Howard asserted a Batson challenge, alleging that the strikes were racially motivated. The prosecutor…