Juries

Judge in Senator’s Trial Refuses to Dismiss Juror for ‘Violent Outbursts’

The federal judge overseeing the corruption trial of Sen. Ted Stevens refused to dismiss a juror yesterday despite a note from the foreman that called her “rude, disrespectful and unreasonable.” The note said the woman had “violent outbursts” and was “not following the laws and rules that were stipulated in…

Oct 24, 2008 3:00 PM CDT

Spector Retrial Set to Open Next Week

Jurors were selected today for the retrial of legendary music producer Phil Spector. Opening statements are scheduled to begin Wednesday in the retrial of Spector, who is accused of murder in the 2003 shooting of actress Lana Clarkson. In its brief about jury selection, the Los Angeles Times reports that…

Oct 23, 2008 9:34 PM CDT

Neo-Nazi Charged with Threatening Federal Juror

Federal grand jurors have indicted a white supremacist in Virginia on charges that he posted the identity of a juror and urged others to cause him harm. William White, 31, is expected to be tried in Chicago. The underlying trial, of which the targeted juror was foreman, involved World Church…

Oct 22, 2008 8:56 PM CDT

O.J. Simpson Appeal to Target Jury Selection

O.J. Simpson, convicted of kidnapping and armed robbery late Friday, has some strong arguments for his planned appeal, according to his lawyer. Yale Galanter told the Associated Press that his client is being isolated from other prisoners for his own safety in a county jail where he will be held…

Oct 6, 2008 10:43 AM CDT

Trial Consultants Add Facebook/Myspace to Juror Research Toolbox

When trial consultant Robert B. Hirschhorn gets a new case, one of the first things he does is start surfing the Net. Increasingly for him and other jury experts, the Internet is the place to go to find out how a prospective juror might feel about a particular issue, the…

Sep 29, 2008 4:00 PM CDT

Jurors Read Newspaper in Jury Room; Judge Voids Verdict

Jurors in a medical malpractice case against a prominent Washington state physician accused of abusing his minor patients weren’t told at trial about an important issue concerning the plaintiffs’ damages. If they determined that he had communicated with minors for immoral purposes, the plaintiffs could get attorney fees. But they…

Sep 17, 2008 8:57 PM CDT

Simpson Judge Refuses to Dismiss Jury Pool Over Murder Trial Comment

A Las Vegas judge refused a defense motion to dismiss 27 potential jurors in the armed robbery trial of O.J. Simpson because one possible juror made an angry comment about the football star’s murder acquittal in the death of his ex-wife. The potential juror “blurted out a comment that stunned…

Sep 11, 2008 2:44 PM CDT

Prospective Jurors in O.J. Simpson Trial Lectured by Judge

Prospective jurors in the upcoming Las Vegas armed robbery and kidnapping trial of football great O.J. Simpson have quite a bit they’re not supposed to be thinking about. That includes not only his celebrity status but his acquittal at trial nearly 13 years ago on charges that he murdered his…

Sep 9, 2008 3:51 PM CDT

Gag Order Implies Private Hearings for Federal Judge in Sex Abuse Case

A gag order has been issued by a federal judge who has been brought in from Florida to hear the criminal case against U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent of Texas, who is accused of sexually abusing his former case manager. The unusual order, which was issued late Friday by Senior…

Sep 8, 2008 7:52 PM CDT

Short of Jurors, Oregon Judge Sought More on Local Street

It’s been so long since a court in Lane County, Oregon, ran out of jurors that the country’s chief judge had to look up a state law that allows on-the-spot summonses for jury service, to make sure it was still on the books. But it was, and, after trying without…

Aug 29, 2008 4:51 PM CDT

Juror Ousted After Saying Wiretap Case is a ‘Joke’ Because No One Died

A juror in a celebrity wiretap case has been dismissed after ridiculing the prosecution of a lawyer and the private investigator he hired. California lawyer Terry Christensen and PI Anthony Pellicano are accused of conspiring to wiretap the former wife of billionaire Kirk Kerkorian in a child custody dispute. The…

Aug 29, 2008 2:29 PM CDT

Ind. Judge Gives No-Show Juror a Sign, Literally

A Northwest Indiana judge aggravated that a juror failed to show up during the second day of a murder trial decided to teach the 20-year-old no-show, and anyone harboring similar ideas, a lesson. But rather than hold Michael Leibengood behind bars for long, Lake County, Ind., Criminal Court Judge Thomas…

Aug 12, 2008 4:12 PM CDT

Bratz Judge Refuses to Grant Mistrial for Juror’s Ethnic Remarks

A federal judge in California has refused to grant a mistrial because of a juror’s disparaging comments about a CEO’s Iranian ethnicity in a copyright dispute over Bratz dolls. U.S. District Judge Stephen Larson said the remarks about the chief executive officer for MGA Entertainment didn’t taint the jury panel…

Aug 5, 2008 1:54 PM CDT

Bratz Doll Maker Says Juror’s Insensitive Remarks Justify Mistrial

Lawyers for Bratz doll manufacturer MGA Entertainment are seeking a mistrial because of a juror’s insensitive remarks about the ethnicity of the company’s chief executive officer. The jury ruled against MGA in the first phase of the copyright infringement case, finding that the Bratz designer had created the doll while…

Jul 28, 2008 6:16 PM CDT

Judge Refuses to Unseal Grand Jury Testimony of Ethel Rosenberg’s Brother

A federal judge in Manhattan will release the grand jury testimony of about three dozen witnesses in the espionage case against Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. But the testimony of Ethel Rosenberg’s brother, David Greenglass, will remain secret for now. Acknowledging government objections, U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein ruled against a…

Jul 23, 2008 1:08 PM CDT