Barnes

facts in this opinion. Instead, we shall discuss the salient facts where needed while addressing the issues Barnes raises. 3 challenge to strike a Black prospective juror. We agree with Barnes’s contention. B. Background Barnes is a Black male. Prospective Juror No. 15 (PJ No. 15) is a Black female. She was called to the jury box in the first group of 18 prospective jurors. PJ No. 15 was the sole Black juror in the jury box at that time. The court questioned each of the first 18 prospective jurors in turn. Regarding PJ No. 15, the exchange was as follows: “Q (BY THE COURT:) Number 15, good afternoon.

“A Good afternoon, sir.

“Q And – oh, so you[‘re] a supervisor for Walt Disney?

“A Yes.

“Q And what do you supervise?

“A A guest information and ticket sales team. There are 298 people underneath me.

“Q Okay. And where is your main office?

“A My home.

“Q Oh, you work from home. Did that change in the last few years?

“A Due to COVID, sir.

“Q You used to drive to Orange County?

“A Yes, sir.

“Q How long have you worked for them?

“A Six months.

“Q How long?

4 “A Six months, and then 3 years prior to 2019.

“Q Okay. And so you had a gap in time?

“A Yes, sir.

“Q And what did…