Juries

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

Upset by fatal child-abuse trial, juror creates post-verdict college fund for survivor sibling

Josh Henle was initially aggravated to be called for jury duty in a Clackamas County, Ore., case that interfered with his work schedule and Hawaiian vacation plans. Then, as he began to learn about the fatal child-abuse case for which he’d been selected, Henle realized the importance of his role…

Apr 12, 2013 4:00 PM CDT

71 percent of young people surveyed would favor an individual over an insurance company at trial

SURVEY SAYS 50.7 months—or almost 11 percent of a 40-year career—is how long the average physician spends with an unresolved, open malpractice claim. Source: Health Affairs, January 2013. 71% of survey respondents between the ages of 18 and 29 say they would be more likely to favor an individual over…

Apr 1, 2013 8:50 AM CDT

Ex-prosecutor guilty of law firm racketeering shouldn’t have tried his own case, juror says

A former state and federal prosecutor convicted this week of operating his law firm as a racketeering enterprise and participating in drug-dealing, prostitution and even a conspiracy to murder witnesses, might have done better to let a defense lawyer handle his trial, a juror says. As he himself questioned witnesses…

Mar 20, 2013 7:40 PM CDT

Attorney General Eric Holder reports for jury duty in cellphone robbery case

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder fulfilled his civic obligation Tuesday and reported for jury duty in a Washington, D.C., courthouse at which he formerly served as a judge. His three FBI bodyguards waited in a hallway as the nation’s top law enforcement officer waited to see whether he would be…

Mar 20, 2013 3:00 PM CDT

‘Rigged’ jury pool has no black men, lawyer complains; judge then issues gag order

A federal judge overseeing the tax evasion trial of a Chicago politician issued a gag order Wednesday prohibiting lawyers from talking to the media after his defense counsel complained that the 50-member jury pool contained no black men. U.S. District Judge James Zagel did not expressly mention Tuesday’s out-of-court comments…

Mar 13, 2013 8:50 PM CDT

Search ordered on juror’s computer drive to see if she violated Web research ban

Terri Wright says a Florida newspaper reporter misunderstood her when he said in an article that she conducted Internet research while serving as the forewoman of a jury hearing a 2011 drug case against a Grammy-winning reggae star. But a federal judge in Tampa plans to have a forensics expert…

Feb 19, 2013 8:16 PM CST

Let grand jurors decline indictment when law is too harsh, ABA House resolves

The wording in the Model Grand Jury Charge for federal courts should be changed to recognize the principle that a grand jury is not bound to indict in every case where a conviction can be obtained, according to a resolution approved on Monday by the ABA House of Delegates. Currently…

Feb 11, 2013 8:13 PM CST

Judge who had jury deliberate at 3 a.m. to save her vacation agrees to reprimand

A Nevada judge who admittedly had a jury deliberate for nearly 18 hours in December 2010 in order to ensure that she could go on vacation as planned has agreed to a public reprimand. District Judge Valorie Vega also admitted that on six occasions she recessed the trial in the…

Feb 7, 2013 12:13 PM CST

Can grand juries serve as check on prosecutorial overreach? Law profs offer ideas

The suicide of Internet “hactivist” Aaron Swartz is shining a light on proposals to rein in prosecutors through more powerful grand juries. Swartz took his life as he was awaiting a felony trial for downloading scholarly papers, leading to criticism that the U.S. Attorney’s stance in the case amounted to…

Feb 6, 2013 12:00 PM CST