Juries

Sleeping jurors dismissed in two recent federal trials; are attention spans shorter?

A juror who acknowledged during jury selection that he liked to sleep in his spare time was one of two jurors dismissed from federal trials in recent weeks because they were snoozing during testimony.

Dec 11, 2017 8:00 AM CST

Obama doesn’t make it onto a jury but is a big hit at the courthouse

Former President Barack Obama was dismissed from jury duty on Wednesday when he was selected for a jury panel that wasn’t needed for a trial. While lawyers at Chicago’s Daley Center evidently didn’t need his service, he was a big hit with jurors and others at the courthouse, report the…

Nov 8, 2017 1:27 PM CST

Software provides real-time predictions on how potential jurors might vote

Voltaire’s software can search through billions of data points, including public records and social media posts, and pull up all kinds of information on prospective jurors. The software, powered by IBM Watson, also uses deep psycholinguistic and behavioral analysis to discover the biases and views of prospective jurors.

Nov 1, 2017 1:05 AM CDT

Obama is called for jury duty

Former President Barack Obama has been called for jury duty, and he reportedly plans to show up. Obama was called for jury duty in Cook County, which includes the city of Chicago, report the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times. Obama has a home in the city’s Kenwood neighborhood. Chief…

Oct 30, 2017 12:08 PM CDT

California judge tosses $417M talcum powder verdict

Updated: A judge in California has overturned a $417 million verdict and granted a new trial in a suit claiming talcum powder causes ovarian cancer. Judge Maren Nelson of Los Angeles Superior Court said damages were excessive and causation proof was insufficient, report the Associated Press, the New York Times,…

Oct 23, 2017 5:23 PM CDT

Law prof who hoped to be a juror learns it is ‘basically impossible’ for a nursing mother

University of Chicago clinical law professor Judith Miller was eager to serve as a juror at the civil courthouse in Chicago.

Oct 18, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

Jailed defendants await resumption of jury trials after Hurricane Harvey

Jury trials in criminal cases in Harris County, Texas, following Hurricane Harvey could resume next Monday, but logistical problems will continue to slow the system. The delays are causing concern for some jailed defendants and their lawyers, who argue that justice delayed is verging on justice denied, the Texas Tribune…

Oct 10, 2017 1:06 PM CDT

Delaware loses long-held No. 1 ranking for business-friendly legal climate to South Dakota

A periodic survey of corporations by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s legal-reform arm found that Delaware has lost its No. 1 ranking for being business-friendly in legal matters, dropping to No. 11, the Associated Press reports. Delaware had been No. 1 in the previous 10 surveys, and fell out of…

Sep 12, 2017 1:45 PM CDT

Posner rejects pattern jury instruction while sitting as trial judge and gets reversed

Judge Richard Posner of the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has made clear his disdain for legal jargon and pattern jury instructions that are “largely unintelligible to jurors.” But his objection to the legal jargon in a pattern instruction, while sitting by designation as a trial judge in…

Aug 28, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

Emailed photo that arrived as talc trial began among new evidence credited in $417M cancer verdict

An emailed photo and negative evidence about witnesses supporting Johnson & Johnson’s safety claims may have influenced jurors who awarded $417 million to a woman diagnosed with ovarian cancer after using the company’s talcum powder for decades, according to one of her lawyers. Eva Echeverria, 63, said she began using…

Aug 22, 2017 1:08 PM CDT

Jurors take instructions seriously, but do they understand them?

Arizona jurors studied by the American Bar Foundation took jury instructions seriously.

Aug 11, 2017 2:25 PM CDT

Jury selection in Shkreli fraud trial follows trend of favoring the uninformed

Jury selection in the fraud trial of former drug company CEO Martin Shkreli followed what has become more of a trend: Lawyers are seeking jurors who uninformed as well as unbiased. That is the conclusion of a New York Times article, which reported that potential jurors stricken from the pool…

Jul 20, 2017 8:00 AM CDT

When a witness confronts the accused: Is a courtroom ID fair?

It’s one of the oldest courtroom gambits in America: a prosecutor in a criminal trial asks a key witness if he sees the person who committed the crime anywhere in the room. Pause. The witness turns and points to the defendant, as the jurors take it all in. But this…

Jul 18, 2017 3:36 PM CDT

Is prime-time courtroom drama having a ‘Bull effect’ on juries?

Attorneys have a love-hate relationship with voir dire. On one hand, picking a jury is a slow, tedious process—not to mention somewhat awkward depending on your personality. Still, every trial lawyer agrees that jury selection can be critical.

Jul 6, 2017 8:00 AM CDT

A federal court asks jurors to confront their hidden biases

There’s something of a formula to the first morning of jury duty. It might involve a refresher on differences between civil and criminal cases, a little bit of shuffling between rooms, and a lot of waiting around in a generously named “Jury Lounge.” But in one federal district, the customary…

Jun 23, 2017 2:00 PM CDT