State v. James, 230 N.C. App. 346 (Nov. 5, 2013)

The trial court did not err by dismissing the defendant’s Batson objection. The prosecutor’s explanation for its peremptory challenge to the black juror was that she was unemployed and that the prosecutor recognized the juror’s name, possibly from a prior domestic violence case. The court noted that the State accepted a white juror who was unemployed. However, a review of the record revealed that the trial court conducted a full Batson inquiry and its conclusion that there was no purposeful discrimination was not erroneous.