Neo-Nazi Conviction Nixed; Gov’t Said He Targeted Juror in Trial re Soliciting Murder of Fed’l Judge

A federal district judge has reversed a jury conviction earlier this year of a self-avowed neo-Nazi accused of using a now-defunct website to solicit harm to the foreman of a federal jury. The government argued that William White, although he did not expressly call for jury foreman Mark Hoffman to…

Apr 20, 2011 4:53 PM CDT

Jury Says Nordstrom Must Pay $1.6M for Failing to Protect 2 Shoppers from Female Stabber

Arguing that personnel at a Nordstrom in Bethesda, Md., didn’t do enough to protect shoppers from a deranged woman armed with knives in the eight minutes she was in the store, lawyers for two women stabbed multiple times one day in 2005 have persuaded a Montgomery County jury to award…

Apr 19, 2011 10:48 PM CDT

Judge Investigates Claims That 3 Jurors Lied in Death Penalty Case

A federal judge is investigating whether jurors who voted to send a confessed killer to death lied on their jury questionnaires and by doing so tainted the verdict. The case involving Gary Lee Sampson was the first federal death penalty case in Massachusetts, the Boston Globe reports. In November, U.S.…

Apr 18, 2011 1:32 PM CDT

Former Mob Boss Explains Mob Lingo to Jury in Murder Trial

A “brokester,” in Mob speak, refers to someone with no money, jurors learned yesterday at the federal murder trial of alleged New York crime family acting boss Vincent Basciano. According to the New York Times, much of yesterday was spent explaining Mafia terminology to the U.S. District Court for the…

Apr 14, 2011 4:27 PM CDT

Hundreds of Wash. Convictions to Be Reversed, Due to Questioning of Prospective Jurors in Chambers

Already busy with existing cases, prosecutors and defense lawyers in Washington state are facing increased workloads due to a deluge of felony convictions, including in rape and murder cases, being reversed because of faulty jury selection practices. At least 17 convictions in Whatcom County have been reversed after prospective jurors…

Apr 11, 2011 11:56 AM CDT

Alternate Jury Duty Trumps NFL Draft for NY Giants Owner, a Fordham Law Grad

The owner of the New York Giants tried unsuccessfully yesterday to persuade a federal judge that the upcoming NFL draft took precedence over his work as a fourth alternate juror in a Manhattan drug case. John Mara, 56, said he had no problem with serving two weeks, but pointed out…

Apr 6, 2011 6:20 PM CDT

Jury Duty in Perpetuity? Federal Judge Tells Woman She and Her Racist Answers Are an Outrage

A potential juror who made racist statements on her jury questionnaire was dismissed from the death penalty trial of an alleged mob boss on Tuesday, but she will still have to show up in New York federal court. U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis wasn’t happy with the answers provided by…

Apr 6, 2011 12:37 PM CDT

That’s a Good One: Effective Trial Lawyers Know How to Tell a Good Story

Apr 1, 2011 7:20 AM CDT

Ordered to Wear ‘Spit Guard’ at Trial After Targeting Attorney, Defendant Looks Like Hannibal Lecter

A defendant in a Florida rape trial is going to sit in front of the jury looking more than a bit like Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs after a judge ordered him to wear a “spit guard” throughout the proceeding that covers his nose and the lower…

Mar 22, 2011 6:18 PM CDT

Judge Cites Privacy Rights, Keeps Juror Names a Secret Until End of Barry Bonds Trial

The federal judge presiding over the perjury trial of Barry Bonds in San Francisco won’t release the names of the jurors until after the verdict. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston cited a ruling by another federal judge who kept juror names secret until the end of the corruption trial of…

Mar 22, 2011 12:14 PM CDT

Retired Prof Indicted for Handing Out Jury Nullification Pamphlets Near Federal Courthouse

Since 2009, Julian Heicklen has been handing out material urging prospective jurors to vote their conscience at various courthouses. He says he often holds a “Jury Info” sign to help connect him to the right people, but has never sought to influence any specific case. Now the retired chemistry professor…

Feb 25, 2011 11:00 PM CST

Woman Who Got Weekly Calls from Work During Her FMLA Leave Can Make Her Case in Court

Employers who pressure sick employees into returning to work early may face legal trouble. In Arkansas, a legal dispute between a hospital and a former staff member is clarifying the line between asking about ill employees and pestering them to return to work, the Ohio Employer’s Law Blog says. A…

Feb 23, 2011 11:19 PM CST

Ind. Judge Orders 711 People to Come to Court to Explain Why They Didn’t Complete Jury Questionnaire

An Indiana judge has created a stir by ordering 711 people to come to court to explain why they didn’t fill out jury questionnaires. In fact, it appears that some did turn in the forms belatedly, and others may have moved out of state to go to school or work.…

Feb 23, 2011 4:20 PM CST

Philadelphia Man Acquitted After Using Hair Defense

Sometimes the best legal defense is the hairy kind. A Bucks County jury acquitted a Philadelphia man accused of robbing a convenience store after it was argued that his stiff hair didn’t match the disheveled locks of the man in the surveillance footage, reports the Associated Press. Timothy Corbett was…

Feb 19, 2011 3:40 AM CST

Google Transforms Jury Selection Process

Some lawyers, surreptitiously searching sites to uncover the personal details of potential jurors, are instigating a privacy debate and raising questions about whether the online vetting process has enough court supervision. Before selecting jurors, lawyers conduct in-depth searches, delving into individuals’ online identities to ascertain how they are likely to…

Feb 18, 2011 9:19 PM CST