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Va. Bar Wants AG to Stop Sending Cautionary Letter to Death Penalty Jurors

Posted Jun 22, 2009, 06:58 am CDT
By Molly McDonough

For years, the state attorney general's office in Virginia has distributed letters to former jurors in capital cases, cautioning them against talking to defense lawyers working on appeals.

And the Virginia State Bar wants to put a stop to the letters.

The form letter, which is supplied to local prosecutors, advises jurors that they may be contacted by someone representing the convicted killer who "may try to give the false impression that they are working on behalf" of the prosecution or the courts, the Washington Post reports.

The state bar, which considers the letter to be "offensive," has launched disciplinary proceedings to stop the state from sending out the letter. This is the second such attempt… Continue reading...



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