Jones v. State

Appellant Henry Jones appeals his convictions of first degree murder with a firearm and burglary of a dwelling with assault or battery. For the reasons explained herein, we hold that the trial court reversibly erred during the voir dire phase of jury selection by barring Appellant’s attorney from questioning prospective jurors regarding their attitudes on interracial cidme. As such, we remand for a new trial.1

Background

The relevant facts on appeal are as follows. During voir dire, Appellant’s attorney sought to question the prospective jurors about their attitudes regarding a black defendant…