Juries

How social media hijacked the Depp v. Heard defamation trial

Law firms are wondering what steps they can take to prevent bias like this going forward. And if they can’t prevent it, how can they use social media apps like TikTok in their favor?

Oct 1, 2022 1:00 AM CDT

Court can’t compel examination of juror’s electronic devices to look for misconduct, 6th Circuit rules

A federal appeals court has ruled that a district court has no power to order an examination of a juror’s electronic devices to determine whether an outside influence affected the verdict.

Sep 27, 2022 1:09 PM CDT

Jury finds millionaire litigant guilty in lawyer’s murder

A Missouri man has been found guilty of murdering a Kansas City, Missouri, lawyer who obtained a $5.75 million judgment against him for shooting and wounding a homeless man.

Sep 23, 2022 2:29 PM CDT

Prosecutor seeking judgeship says he has ‘moved on’ since impregnating defendant

A Kentucky prosecutor who admitted to impregnating a criminal defendant and having an affair with a dismissed juror is now running for a circuit court judgeship.

Aug 3, 2022 11:11 AM CDT

2nd Circuit partly rules for jury-nullification advocate challenging limit on protests near courthouses

A jury-nullification protester wasn’t able to persuade a federal appeals court that a New York law banning some protests near courthouses is unconstitutional on its face.

Aug 2, 2022 9:58 AM CDT

Lawyer flips the bird at opposing counsel after judge leaves the bench in Infowars host Alex Jones’ defamation case

A lawyer for Infowars host Alex Jones called an opposing lawyer a liar and raised his middle finger after a courtroom discussion last week in a defamation damages trial over false claims by Jones about the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting massacre in Newtown, Connecticut.

Aug 1, 2022 11:53 AM CDT

Mistrial declared in estate-planning malpractice suit against Nelson Mullins after jurors can’t agree

A judge in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has declared a mistrial in a malpractice lawsuit alleging that an estate-planning lawyer at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough failed to ensure that a wealthy couple’s five children each shared equally in trust money.

Jul 26, 2022 1:27 PM CDT

Weekly Briefs: Bannon convicted for contempt of Congress; suit targets Skittles ingredient

Steve Bannon convicted for contempt of Congress Jurors deliberated for less than three hours before convicting Steve Bannon, a former adviser for former President Donald Trump, on two counts of contempt of Congress on Friday. He was prosecuted for defying a subpoena from the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6,…

Jul 22, 2022 3:28 PM CDT

New Orleans district attorney goes on trial over federal tax-fraud charges

Jury selection began Monday in the federal tax-fraud trial of Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams in New Orleans.

Jul 19, 2022 12:49 PM CDT

Murder conviction of former Fisher Phillips partner is reversed; he claimed wife’s shooting was an accident

The Georgia Supreme Court has reversed the murder conviction of former Fisher Phillips partner Claud Lee “Tex” McIver III because the trial judge failed to allow jurors to consider a lesser misdemeanor charge.

Jun 30, 2022 3:39 PM CDT

5th Circuit tosses NAACP suit against Mississippi prosecutor accused of racial bias in jury selection

A federal appeals court has ruled that a local NAACP chapter and four Black plaintiffs have no standing to pursue a lawsuit alleging that a Mississippi prosecutor showed a pattern of racial bias during jury selection.

Jun 22, 2022 2:10 PM CDT

Weekly Briefs: Fish definition includes bees, court says; judge decries ‘fair-weather originalism’

Bees can sometimes be considered fish, court says Bees can be protected under the California Endangered Species Act because they are invertebrates within the law’s definition of fish, the California Third District Court of Appeal ruled May 31. The law defines fish as “a wild fish, mollusk, crustacean, invertebrate, amphibian…

Jun 10, 2022 11:56 AM CDT

Backlash follows lawyer’s recorded celebratory comments about how he won his case

A medical malpractice lawyer who bragged about obtaining a defense verdict, even though a man “was probably negligently killed,” didn’t know that his remarks to colleagues would be recorded.

Jun 7, 2022 11:25 AM CDT

Some trials by SEC administrative judges violate Seventh Amendment right to jury trial, 5th Circuit rules

A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that administrative trials by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission violate the Seventh Amendment right to a jury trial when civil penalties are sought.

May 19, 2022 11:15 AM CDT

Top Texas court questions subpoena efforts by Georgia grand jury probing efforts to overturn 2020 election