avoidingdiscriMination: the‘ genuinenessinquiry’ forpereMptorychaLLenges
Diversity Committee Co-Chairs: TimMartin – MartinLawOffice, P. A. & JudyHoffman – LAAWHL, PLLC
denyingaperemptorystrike mustbesupportedbythe record, evenwherethejudge believesthearticulated reasontobepretextual.
Two recent decisions— Carballo v. State, 434 So. 3d 825( Fla. 3d DCA 2026), and Hernandez v. State, 435 So. 3d 1177( Fla. 3d DCA 2026)— clarify that denial of a peremptory challenge(“ strike”) cannot rest on a judge’ s impressions alone. The Record must contain evidence supporting the court’ s finding of a pretextual peremptory strike on improper grounds.
When ruling on peremptory strike objections, Florida trial courts apply the framework set forth in Melbourne v. State, 679 So. 2d 759( Fla. 1996). First, the opponent( of a strike) must timely object, identify the juror as a member of a distinct protected group, and request the striking party’ s basis. Hernandez, at 1180. Second, the striking party must offer a race-, ethnicity-, and gender-neutral explanation. Id.; Carballo, at 828. Third, if that explanation is facially neutral and not pretextual in context, the strike is sustained. Hernandez, at 1180. The inquiry turns on the explanation’ s genuineness, not on reasonableness, and the burden of persuasion remains with the
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