Finds the State’s four race-neutral reasons for peremptory challenge to only African-American venireperson to have been pretextual because the trial judge made no finding which of the four reasons it relied on to reject the Batson challenge and because the State failed to “develop anything beyond the most superficial of records regarding its reasons.”
N. Vaidik
Mitchell v. State, No. 49A02-1003-CR-340, __ N.E.2d __ (Ind. Ct. App., Apr. 6, 2011)
Traditional rule that a post-conviction court may not take judicial of the transcript in the original proceedings appears to have been ended by the 2010 amendment to Evidence Rule 201(b)(5) allowing judicial notice of “records of a court of this state,” but since petitioner did not request judicial notice and court did not sua sponte take it the transcript was not in evidence in the post-conviction proceeding.
Burke v. State, No. 49A02-1006-CR-660, __ N.E.2d __ (Ind. Ct. App., Feb. 21, 2011)
Sentence enhancement for burglary of a structure used for religious worship does not violate federal Constitution’s Establishment Clause or Indiana Constitution’s prohibition of government preference for a particular religion.
State v. Laker, No. 24A04-0912-CR-736, __ N.E.2d __ (Ind. Ct. App., Dec. 29, 2010)
Operating a farm tractor while intoxicated is an operating while intoxicated offense, but operating a farm tractor while driving privileges are suspended is not an offense.
Jewell v. State, No. 32A04-1003-CR-187, __ N.E.2d __ (Ind. Ct. App., Dec. 30, 2010)
Defendant’s federal and state constitutional rights to counsel were not violated when police had minor, for whom defendant was charged with assisting to get a tattoo, call the defendant and elicit statements police recorded about defendant’s prior criminal sexual conduct with the minor.