Juries

Federal juror’s deliberation comments can’t be admitted to show voir dire dishonesty, SCOTUS rules

A party seeking a new trial cannot use a federal juror’s comments during deliberations to demonstrate that she lied about her ability to be fair during voir dire, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote the unanimous opinion (PDF) that found the evidence was not admissible under…

Dec 9, 2014 10:18 AM CST

Grand juries almost always indict, federal stats show; is there a shooting exception for cops?

Statistics on federal grand jury indictments show the saying isn’t that far from reality: A prosecutor could get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich. Out of 162,000 federal cases prosecuted in 2010 (the most recent year for which statistics are available), grand juries declined to indict in only…

Nov 26, 2014 6:58 AM CST

5th Circuit ruling could mean freedom for ‘Angola 3’ inmate held in solitary for 40-plus years

An inmate who has been held in solitary confinement for more than 40 years for the alleged murder of a prison guard has won a reversal of his conviction. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday upheld a federal judge’s decision to overturn the conviction of…

Nov 21, 2014 11:10 AM CST

Once described as ‘creepy’ in judge’s opinion, former Sedgwick partner says he’s been vindicated

Once a Sedgwick partner, New York lawyer Scott Greenspan says a judge’s opinion citing his alleged “creepy” behavior while monitoring a trial destroyed his career. Now Greenspan says he’s been vindicated by an ethics panel and he hopes the news will be reported as widely as the judge’s original remarks,…

Nov 10, 2014 8:52 AM CST

Judge’s omission of the word ‘not’ leads to reversal of sex-crime conviction

A judge’s one-word mistake deprived a defendant of his right to an impartial jury and the presumption of innocence, a federal appeals court has ruled. The Los Angeles judge erred during the December 2006 voir dire in the sex-crime trial of Bryant Keith Williams, according to the San Francisco-based 9th…

Oct 28, 2014 6:15 AM CDT

DOJ denounces ‘irresponsible’ leaks in Ferguson police-shooting case

The Department of Justice has denied any involvement in multiple significant leaks concerning a state grand jury investigation of a Ferguson, Missouri, police officer who fatally shot an unarmed teenager. An official at the DOJ says Attorney General Eric Holder told Justice Department lawyers that he is “exasperated” by the…

Oct 23, 2014 12:23 PM CDT

Jodi Arias juror is dismissed after asking a reporter this question

A juror in the sentencing retrial of Jodi Arias was dismissed on Wednesday after approaching a journalist and asking whether she is Nancy Grace, who hosts a legal show on CNN. The juror was the second to be dismissed in the Maricopa County, Arizona, sentencing retrial, report the Arizona Republic…

Oct 23, 2014 7:17 AM CDT

Sequestered juror’s Internet surfing at issue in Palm Beach polo mogul’s DUI manslaughter retrial

After juror issues required retrial of a multimillionaire charged with causing a fatal accident while driving drunk in his $200,000 Bentley, a Florida court selected the next jury in Tampa and then sequestered it. But, barely a week after the new jury was secluded in an unidentified hotel, Palm Beach…

Oct 20, 2014 1:10 PM CDT

Jury awards record $4.65M in death of homeless street preacher restrained by sheriff’s deputies

An all-white federal court jury in Colorado awarded $4.65 million Tuesday in the 2010 death of a homeless black street preacher who was being restrained by Denver sheriff’s deputies at the city’s downtown jail. The death of Marvin Booker, 56, was ruled a homicide, although no one has been charged.…

Oct 14, 2014 4:30 PM CDT

Potential juror is jailed over Internet research on billionaire’s DUI manslaughter case

A potential juror in billionaire John Goodman’s high-profile drunken-driving manslaughter case was jailed for contempt of court Thursday after telling another member of the jury pool that the Florida trial now getting underway is a retrial. Under questioning by Palm Beach County Chief Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey Colbath and attorneys,…

Oct 10, 2014 10:15 AM CDT

Tweet spurs probe of possible grand jury leak in Ferguson shooting

A tweet that was quickly deleted on Wednesday is still raising concern in St. Louis County, where grand jurors are considering the case against a Ferguson, Missouri, police officer who shot and killed an unarmed teen. The Twitter user’s reported knowledge of grand jury evidence has spurred the St. Louis…

Oct 2, 2014 9:48 AM CDT

Man who shot teen in loud-music dispute convicted of murder in retrial with ‘racial overtones’

Jurors in Florida on Wednesday convicted a software developer of first-degree murder in the shooting death of a teen following a dispute over loud music in a gas station parking lot. Jurors convicted 47-year-old Michael Dunn in a retrial, report First Coast News, CNN and the New York Times. Prosecutors…

Oct 2, 2014 7:58 AM CDT

Juror at center of SCOTUS case contests plaintiff’s version of events

A pending Supreme Court case seeking a new trial based on a juror’s alleged statements is apparently a surprise to the juror at the center of the case. The issue in Warger v. Schauers is whether a motorcycle rider who lost his leg in an accident with a truck can…

Sep 15, 2014 11:54 AM CDT

Federal judge discloses his ‘stupid little trial’ remark after realizing juror may have heard it

A federal judge admitted a “faux pas” last Wednesday after realizing a juror may have witnessed it. U.S. District Judge Frederic Block of Brooklyn told lawyers he realized too late that the juror may have heard him tell another federal judge that he was presiding in a “stupid little trial,”…

Sep 15, 2014 8:37 AM CDT

Co-worker who texted juror about case gets reply text from judge

A co-worker who texted an alternate juror in a New York manslaughter case, providing information about the defendant, got an unusual response from the judge overseeing the case. After the alternate informed Onondaga County Court Judge Joseph Fahey about the text, he himself responded to the texter, at the juror’s…

Sep 10, 2014 4:25 PM CDT