ABA Journal

Juries

963 ABA Journal Juries articles.

Appeals court tosses convictions in wake of Supreme Court ruling on jury verdicts

The Louisiana 4th Circuit Court of Appeal has overturned two manslaughter and molestation convictions in response to a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that nonunanimous jury verdicts are unconstitutional.

Afternoon Briefs: Texas justice has COVID-19; 7th Circuit win for strip clubs seeking payroll loans

Texas Supreme Court justice tests positive for COVID-19

Texas Supreme Court Justice Debra Lehrmann said Thursday she and her husband, Greg, have tested positive for COVID-19. The couple got tested…

Potential jurors questioned via Zoom for summary jury trial in Texas

Potential jurors were questioned in Texas on Monday in what may be the first Zoom jury trial during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Could Zoom jury trials become the norm during the coronavirus pandemic?

Just weeks ago, the idea might have seemed inconceivable. Now, as remote meetings using videoconferencing tools such as Zoom become a regular fixture in courts, some are concerned that virtual trials would deprive defendants of the constitutional right to confront witnesses, an impartial jury, due process of law and effective counsel.

State supreme court allows in-person jury trial, which ends with defendant nearly collapsing

An Ohio judge tried to hold Tuesday what may be the nation’s first in-person jury trial since shutdown orders began. But it ended when the defendant was carried out of the courthouse on a stretcher.

Court tosses $177K sanction against prominent lawyer accused of using poll to influence opinion

The Texas Supreme Court has vacated a $177,000 sanction against a prominent lawyer accused of commissioning a telephone survey before a trial that was intended to influence potential jurors rather than gauge community attitudes.

Fighting for compensation in a state that offers no relief to the wrongfully convicted

In Gorsuch opinion, Supreme Court rules unanimous verdict is needed to convict

A unanimous verdict is needed to convict a defendant of a serious criminal offense, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday.

Afternoon Briefs: Reform group backs cost metric in law school rankings; California suspends jury trials

US News’ ranking methodology is the cheese for law school rat race, report says

The U.S. News & World Report’s annual law school rankings rely on categories including law school…

Afternoon Briefs: Harvey Weinstein gets 23 years; Sen. Rand Paul keeps $582K verdict in neighbor assault suit

Harvey Weinstein gets 23-year prison sentence

Former film producer Harvey Weinstein, 67, was sentenced Wednesday to 23 years in prison for sexually assaulting two women. The minimum sentence was…

Afternoon Briefs: LGBTQ students sue for sex ed equality; judge’s law license is suspended 5 times

South Carolina LGBTQ students fight for equality in sexual education

Eli Bundy, a 15-year-old sophomore at Charleston County School of the Arts in South Carolina, is the leader of the…

Murder conviction tossed after prosecutor conducts background check on only black juror

A New Jersey appeals court has overturned a murder conviction after the prosecutor conducted a criminal background check on the only black person among the potential jurors, resulting in an arrest.

Afternoon Briefs: Trump campaign sues NY Times; DOJ can withhold grants to sanctuary jurisdictions, 2nd Circuit says

Trump campaign is suing the New York Times for libel

President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign says it is filing a libel suit against the New York Times for a

New podcast from ‘Making a Murderer’ lawyers sheds light on false confessions

Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions is a new podcast hosted by two of the nation’s foremost experts in the field, Steve Drizin and Laura Nirider, law professors and co-directors of Northwestern University’s Center on Wrongful Convictions. The new series was born from their experience on the Netflix documentary Making a Murderer.

Op-ed by Harvey Weinstein lawyer spurs prosecutor complaint and gag order

The judge overseeing the sexual assault trial of film producer Harvey Weinstein barred the defense from talking to the press Tuesday after a member of the team wrote an op-ed asking jurors to “do what they know is right.”

Read more ...