State of Florida v. Geovani Johnson

Summary

The court held that a party opposing a peremptory strike must specifically object to the proponent’s facially race-neutral explanation, and explain why the reason is not genuine, to preserve a challenge to the trial court’s step-three determination. Because Johnson did not make that specific objection, his appellate challenge was unpreserved, so the court quashed the contrary decision below. The court rejected contrary dicta suggesting that trial courts must independently create an appellate record of genuineness whenever a Melbourne objection is made.