Juries

Judge Scheindlin Might Require Jurors in Weapons Case to Sign Pledge They Will Avoid the Internet

The Manhattan federal judge known for her opinions setting out rules for e-discovery has turned to the problem of “Google mistrials.” U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin says she is “keenly aware” of convictions set aside because jurors have looked up information on the Internet during trial, the New York Times…

Sep 19, 2011 12:33 PM CDT

Judge Expresses Outrage over Law Firm’s Threat to Fire Employee for Jury Service

A Michigan judge overseeing the murder retrial of a comic store owner expressed outrage on Wednesday after a juror claimed her law firm employer planned to fire her because of her lengthy service. The threat was contained in a letter from the firm to a juror deciding the fate of…

Sep 15, 2011 11:41 AM CDT

Deputy Sheriff’s Comments Taint Jury Pool, Delays Criminal Trials

Several criminal trials were postponed this week in Kentucky after a deputy sheriff told nearly 200 prospective jurors to punish criminal defendants. Jefferson County Judge Charles Cunningham reported that he overhead the deputy tell the jury pool that his car had been broken and items, including a gun were stolen.…

Sep 2, 2011 6:24 PM CDT

Judge’s Wily Secret Jury Selection in High-Profile Child-Murder Case Wins Admiration and Criticism

Faced with the potential expense and inconvenience of having to look far afield for potential jurors unfamiliar with a high-profile child-murder case, a Pennsylvania judge came up with an innovative solution that experts say could very well be legal. Judge John S. Kennedy kept the doors to his York County…

Sep 2, 2011 4:36 PM CDT

Jurors Critique Lawyers After Guilty Verdicts in Gang Racketeering Trial

Federal jurors who convicted six of seven MS-13 gang members in a San Francisco racketeering case on Tuesday gathered after the trial to assess the lawyers’ work. Jurors joked about Assistant U.S. Attorney William Frentzen’s “pimp walk” and the way he introduced himself, the Recorder reports. His greeting—“Hi, I’m Wil…

Sep 1, 2011 5:21 PM CDT

Convicted Serial Killer Loses Bid for New Trial Based on Juror Upset by His Wink

Convicted serial killer Anthony Sowell won’t get a new trial based on a juror’s reaction to his wink. Judge Dick Ambrose of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, refused Sowell’s defense attorneys’ request on Tuesday, report CNN and the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The motion had claimed the jury forewoman revealed she was prejudiced…

Aug 31, 2011 1:46 PM CDT

Juror Held in Contempt, Gets Community Service for Effort to Friend Defendant on Facebook

In what a prosecutor in Tarrant County, Texas, says is the first such matter of its kind there, a juror in a civil auto accident case has been held in contempt for trying to friend the defendant on Facebook and discussing the case on his Facebook page. Jonathan Hudson, 22,…

Aug 29, 2011 7:55 PM CDT

As Workers Battle Jurors for Parking During Court Construction, Lawyer Offers a Pricey Leaseback

Parking is going to be scarce for the next several years at a South Florida courthouse, as construction of a new facility eliminates a former parking lot. But should jurors or workers at the Broward County Judicial Center be inconvenienced by having to take a trolley from a remote county…

Aug 16, 2011 5:15 PM CDT

Juror’s Hidden Legal Past Spurs New Trial Motion by Convicted Tax Lawyers

A Manhattan juror who voted to convict two former Jenkens & Gilchrist partners in a tax shelter scheme never disclosed she was a suspended lawyer with an arrest record, according to a motion for a new trial. Defense lawyers began to investigate juror Catherine Conrad after prosecutors turned over a…

Aug 16, 2011 12:44 PM CDT

Therapy Dog Is Cute, but Sends Jurors Wrong Message, Defense Lawyers Say

No one denies that Rosie, a New York therapy dog who works with witnesses in criminal cases, is very cute. However the defense lawyers of a man convicted of raping his daughter claim that the golden retriever’s cuteness swayed a jury too much. During trial, the New York Times reports,…

Aug 8, 2011 5:08 PM CDT

Tweeting Jurors to Face Jail Time With New California Law

Starting in 2012, California jurors who tweet during trial or deliberations can be sentenced to jail time, under a new law Gov. Jerry Brown signed Friday. The new legislation states that trial judges must inform jurors that the prohibition of communication or research about a case includes all forms of…

Aug 8, 2011 4:14 PM CDT

Jurors Shouldn’t Be Excluded For Sexual Orientation, Lawyers Tell 9th Circuit

In a case involving a gay California inmate convicted of assault after hugging a security guard, federal public defenders told a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel yesterday that judges should consider sexual orientation in Batson challenges. Prosecutors maintain that they excluded a woman from Daniel Osazuwa’s jury because…

Aug 5, 2011 6:28 PM CDT

It’s a Gift: Evasive Witnesses Are Doing You a Favor if You Know to Take Advantage

Barbara Swanson was fuming. “Is it justifiable homicide if I strangle an evasive witness in the middle of cross-examination?” she said. “Sounds like you’re more than half-serious,” I said. “Try 100 percent serious,” said Barbara. “This design engineer I’m cross-examining is the most obnoxious, argumentative, evasive witness I’ve ever seen.…

Aug 1, 2011 7:00 AM CDT

Handwriting Analyst Helps in Jury Selection, Weighs in on Casey Anthony Verdict

A handwriting analyst in Houston uses her abilities to help lawyers select jurors. The Houston Chronicle has a profile of Alice Weiser, author of Judge the Jury: Experience the Power of Reading People. Weiser plies her trade on cruise ships, in corporate hiring departments and in courtrooms. She also appears…

Jul 13, 2011 10:30 AM CDT

Around the Blawgosphere: Bloggers Sound off on Casey Anthony Trial, Verdict, ‘Caylee’s Law’ Proposal

Many legal bloggers took time this week to post on the wind-up, verdict and aftermath of Casey Anthony’s murder trial. Many expressed a degree of satisfaction that the tone of the extensive media coverage of the case didn’t have an impact on the jurors’ decision to acquit the 25-year-old mother…

Jul 8, 2011 1:30 PM CDT