Witness harassment has gone digital, and the justice system is playing catch-up

Aug 1, 2013 9:40 AM CDT

Phase out court reporters, judge says; How would a ‘price point law firm’ work?

Senior U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf of Nebraska sang the praises of digital audio recording as an alternative to court reporters at Hercules and the umpire. Digital audio recordings can be quickly uploaded for public consumption, Kopf wrote. “By uploading the digital audio recording of a trial or hearing every…

Jul 26, 2013 1:30 PM CDT

Juror who cursed at being selected is axed from panel and fined $500, despite apology

There was good news and bad this week for a woman who used what a local Pennsylvania newspaper describes as “the worst curse word of them all” when she was selected for jury duty on Tuesday. Kathleen Port was axed from the panel, after Judge Ernest DiSantis was told by…

Jul 25, 2013 6:30 PM CDT

Juror No. 3, also a judge, is nixed by defense; prior jury duty pointed him toward legal career

Some individuals try to avoid jury service. But not Sohail Mohammed. A sitting judge in New Jersey Superior Court, he credits long-ago jury service, just after he had been sworn in as a U.S. citizen some 25 years ago, with pointing him toward a legal career. Before seeing how the…

Jul 24, 2013 6:05 PM CDT

Why didn’t prosecutors nix juror B37?

The juror identified as B37 in the trial of George Zimmerman found herself in the middle of controversy after the defendant’s acquittal in the slaying of unarmed teen Trayvon Martin. There was an announcement of plans to write a book. There was an appearance on CNN in which the juror…

Jul 17, 2013 5:07 PM CDT

At least one juror appears to snooze during CDO testimony in ‘Fabulous Fab’ securities trial

Jurors appeared bored and sleepy during complex testimony on Tuesday in the civil securities fraud trial of former Goldman Sachs Group vice president Fabrice Tourre, who once described himself as “Fabulous Fab” in an email. Tourre is accused of failing to tell investors about a client’s role in creating an…

Jul 17, 2013 2:50 PM CDT

Would US jurors convict Edward Snowden?

Edward Snowden remains at a Russian airport where he officially applied for temporary asylum in the country on Tuesday. But what it he is returned to the United States? Would a jury convict him for leaking information about U.S. data collection? The Atlantic and the Lawfare blog consider the possibility,…

Jul 17, 2013 11:00 AM CDT

House arrest for disbarred lawyer in $400K client theft; another gets time in $885K case

A twice-disbarred Massachusetts lawyer avoided jail for stealing over $400,000 from multiple clients. However, Raymond J. Paczkowski Sr., 77, was sentenced on Wednesday in Middlesex Superior Court to spend two years on house arrest, wearing a GPS monitor, after he pleaded guilty to multiple larceny counts, reports the Lowell Sun.…

Jun 28, 2013 1:55 PM CDT

Six jurors picked for Zimmerman trial; none are male and none are black

An all-woman jury that includes no blacks has been picked to consider the fate of George Zimmerman, the man accused in the slaying of Trayvon Martin. One of the six jurors appears to be Hispanic, report the New York Times, the Associated Press and Fox News. Zimmerman, who identifies as…

Jun 21, 2013 3:15 PM CDT

Cuffed murder defendant bolts from courthouse, is captured; judge says trial will continue

Already serving a 54-year federal sentence over prior robberies, Keith Lauchon Jackson apparently felt he had little to lose by bolting Monday afternoon from the North Carolina courthouse where he is being tried on a first-degree murder charge. After a lunch break, the 24-year-old defendant slipped out of his leg…

Jun 11, 2013 5:12 PM CDT

In Trayvon Martin slaying trial, jurors will be anonymous but not sequestered, judge rules

A Florida judge has nixed a defense lawyer’s request to sequester the entire jury pool in the high-profile second-degree murder case over the slaying of Trayvon Martin but agreed that the jurors’ names should be kept confidential. Jury selection is expected to begin Monday in Sanford in the controversial case…

Jun 5, 2013 5:20 PM CDT

Juror in contempt for posting online comments in news article about trial of attorney murder case

A juror has been held in contempt for posting online comments, during trial last year, in a newspaper article about the felony-murder case against one of nine defendants accused of playing a role in the slaying of a Kansas attorney. James M. Reeder must either pay a $1,000 fine or…

May 21, 2013 1:20 PM CDT

Judge denies defense motion to withdraw during penalty phase in Arias murder case

Lawyers for convicted murderer Jody Arias asked the court to declare a mistrial Monday, on the basis that a key witness was receiving death threats. The judge declined to do so and also denied their motion to withdraw as counsel, which the Associated Press reports was done as a protest…

May 20, 2013 10:33 PM CDT

Repeatedly tardy juror fails to appear for contempt hearing

Jailed for four hours last week after he was late to court two days running, a prospective juror failed to appear on Tuesday for a contempt hearing. Rickey Christopher had been dismissed from the jury pool after being late for the second time. And Oklahoma County District Judge Ray C.…

May 14, 2013 9:10 PM CDT

Juror’s glow reflected cellphone no-no; judge put him in jail

Judge Dennis Graves might never have known that juror Benjamin Kohler was violating his instructions about using his cellphone during a Salem, Ore., armed robbery trial this week. However, the judge’s attention was drawn to an unusual glow on the chest area of the 26-year-old’s shirt after the lights were…

Apr 19, 2013 9:33 PM CDT