The People of the State of New York, Respondent v. Tarkisha Brown, Appellant

Summary

The Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction, holding that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting expert testimony on street‑level narcotics transactions and that the defendant failed to establish a prima facie Batson violation requiring the prosecutor to give race‑neutral reasons for peremptory challenges. The decision relied on established authority that trial courts have broad discretion over expert evidence and on the Batson framework requiring more than mere statistics to show purposeful discrimination. Justice Smith dissented, arguing that the expert testimony was prejudicial and that a Batson prima facie case existed, while Chief Judge Kaye concurred, emphasizing the Batson standards and urging reduction of peremptory challenges.