Supreme Court of Louisiana
State of Louisiana v. Kenneth Jones
October 22, 2019
Summary
The court held that the district court did not adequately demonstrate that it followed the required three-step process for evaluating the defense's reverse-Batson objection. Because the record did not show that the court properly separated the production and persuasion burdens or weighed the State's proof against the defense's stated reasons, the court reversed, vacated the convictions and sentences, and remanded for a new trial. The court left the admissibility of the extensive other-crimes evidence unresolved but directed the district court to examine its competence, relevance, hearsay basis, and potential prejudice on retrial.