Juries

Top Massachusetts court refuses to dismiss 40,323 cases linked to rogue state evidence lab chemist

There was good news and bad news Monday for public defenders trying to get Massachusetts to dismiss some 40,000 criminal charges linked to a rogue chemist working at a state evidence laboratory. The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruled that convicted defendants who seek a new trial over alleged misconduct…

May 18, 2015 4:10 PM CDT

Paralegal’s ex testifies, says she admitted DUI setup of opposing trial lawyer

So far, the Florida Bar hasn’t introduced a controversial cellphone video into evidence against three lawyers accused of helping to set up opposing trial counsel for a drunken-driving arrest in 2013. But bar counsel did call as a legal ethics trial witness this week the man who took the video:…

May 15, 2015 1:20 PM CDT

Judge dismisses entire 112-member jury pool over lack of racial diversity

An Iowa judge on Tuesday called a halt to a black man’s murder trial and dismissed the entire jury pool of over 100 people because it didn’t have racial diversity. Defendant Tyrone Washington Jr., 41, had previously been granted a change of venue to have the case tried in Webster…

May 13, 2015 3:55 PM CDT

Sanitation worker, day trader among jurors selected in trial of Dewey leaders

A jury of seven women and five men in Manhattan will consider the criminal charges against three former leaders of Dewey & LeBoeuf. Jury selection wrapped up on Friday in the trial of former Dewey chairman Steven Davis, former executive director Stephen DiCarmine and former chief financial officer Joel Sanders,…

May 11, 2015 8:33 AM CDT

Juror claims attempted food tampering by another panel member in code-theft case

Updated: A juror in the trial of a former Goldman Sachs computer programmer claimed on Tuesday that another juror tried to tamper with her food in the jury room. A lawyer for the defendant, Sergey Aleynikov, asked Judge Daniel Conviser of Manhattan to declare a mistrial during a closed-door meeting…

Apr 29, 2015 12:13 PM CDT

Dewey trial expected to be ‘long legal slog’; what type of jurors will defense seek?

Defense lawyers for three former leaders of Dewey & LeBoeuf probably won’t want school teachers and administrators on the jury in the trial that is set to begin today. Those professionals are “punishers” used to handing out discipline, and will be inclined to side with prosecutors, according to Roland Riopelle,…

Apr 27, 2015 7:56 AM CDT

US Supreme Court’s chief justice shows up for jury duty

The parties in a Maryland auto-accident case lost their chance Wednesday to have the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court help determine liability, if any. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. appeared for jury duty in Rockville and was asked a couple of questions concerning the Montgomery County case,…

Apr 15, 2015 10:40 AM CDT

Lawyer chosen as juror in trial of accused theater shooter James Holmes

A lawyer is among the 12 jurors and 12 alternates who will hear the murder case against James Holmes, accused in the 2012 shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, that killed 12 people. It’s unknown which of the 24 panel members will be jurors and which will be…

Apr 15, 2015 7:30 AM CDT

Tsarnaev found guilty in Boston Marathon bombing trial; could get death penalty

After more than 11 hours of deliberation, a federal jury has convicted Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 21, on all 30 charges in the Boston Marathon bombings capital case. The Wednesday guilty verdict was widely anticipated, and the defendant’s lead lawyer, Judy Clarke, told the jury in closing statements “We don’t deny that…

Apr 8, 2015 1:45 PM CDT

Jury recommends life sentence for woman convicted in granddaughter’s running death

A jury has recommended a life sentence without parole for an Alabama woman convicted of capital murder in her granddaughter’s running death. The jury, by a vote of 7-5, rejected prosecutors’ request for a death sentence for Joyce Hardin Garrard in the February 2012 death of 9-year-old Savannah Hardin, the…

Mar 27, 2015 2:21 PM CDT

Man dodges jury duty 11 times but is arrested when he comes to court to contest child-support ruling

A Pennsylvania man dodged jury duty 11 times, but the long arm of the law caught up with him when he went to court in Somerset County to contest a child-support ruling. Faced with the possibility of being sentenced to as much as 10 days in jail and a $500…

Mar 24, 2015 9:00 AM CDT

After indicted lawmaker seeks dismissal, due to US attorney’s remarks, Bharara dials it down

Initially, after a longtime New York legislative leader was arrested on corruption charges, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara made a number of public comments about Assemblyman Sheldon Silver’s case. But since Silver challenged his federal indictment, contending that Bharara’s comments may have prejudiced grand jurors, the U.S. attorney has maintained a…

Mar 9, 2015 1:50 PM CDT

Juror accused of lying about her past is indicted, excused from murder trial

A former New Jersey juror has been indicted for allegedly lying during the trial of a man who was later convicted of murdering his 20-month-old daughter. Wacoa M. Stanford, 44, is accused of three counts of false swearing for allegedly not disclosing a prior disorderly persons conviction or the fact…

Mar 2, 2015 9:44 AM CST

A new defense approach to storytelling changes capital cases in Texas

"The first time he murdered was to get a car," Jill Patterson says, "and the second time he murdered was also to get a car. "At age 6 his mother didn't have a car, and they were doing illegal things in the house. So when he was 6 she said…

Mar 1, 2015 6:12 AM CST

Gay man refuses to serve on a jury in courthouse where clerk won’t perform same-sex weddings

Chuck Chapman showed up for jury duty Tuesday in Duval County, Florida, prepared to be held in contempt of court. That’s because the 63-year-old, openly gay man had decided to refuse to serve. His action was prompted by a recent decision by the clerk of courts to stop performing all…

Feb 18, 2015 1:25 PM CST