Juries

Capital Murder Trial Chronicled Via Twitter

Updated: Trial junkies following the high-profile prosecution of a Wichita man accused in the contract killing of a pregnant 14-year-old girl can get continual, brief updates at Twitter.com from a reporter covering the trial. Reporter Ron Sylvester is covering the trial of defendant Theodore Burnett for the Wichita Eagle, but…

May 15, 2008 5:49 PM CDT

R. Kelly Trial Offers Lessons About Avoiding Jury Service

Despite days of voir dire, lawyers in the R. Kelly child pornography trial in Chicago are still nowhere close to having a jury selected. In fact, the Chicago Tribune says in gavel-to-gavel coverage by the newspaper, all the dismissed prospects have provided ample material to write a book, How to…

May 15, 2008 3:45 PM CDT

Supreme Court Backs Lawyer’s Decision on Magistrate Jury Selection

In a decision backing the power of lawyers to make tactical decisions for their clients, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that a defendant’s lawyer in a criminal case may waive the right to jury selection before an Article III judge. The defendant in the case, Homero Gonzalez, did not…

May 12, 2008 2:49 PM CDT

Prospective Juror Accused of Smoking Pot Outside Courthouse

A prospective juror in a Houston drug case was arrested yesterday on a charge she smoked pot outside the courthouse during a break. Cornelia Mayo was charged with possession of marijuana, the Houston Chronicle reports. She was called as a possible juror in the trial of a woman charged with…

May 7, 2008 3:58 PM CDT

Lawyer Juror Helped Persuade Reporter to Convict Uma Thurman’s Stalker

Wall Street Journal reporter Emily Steel served as a juror in the trial of drifter Jack Jordan, accused of stalking and harassing actress Uma Thurman. Writing about her experience, Steel says she decided to convict Jordan of stalking after hearing an argument advanced by a fellow juror who is a…

May 7, 2008 10:57 AM CDT

123 Celebrity Jurors Tallied in New York

New York has seen its share of celebrity jurors, from Woody Allen to Paula Zahn. Vincent Homenick, the chief clerk of the jury division for New York County, has an alphabetized four-page list of 123 celebrity jurors. The New York Times’ City Room blog lists the Ts: Twyla Tharp, Uma…

May 2, 2008 2:02 PM CDT

Jury Mulls Whether Private Investigator Wiretapped Celebrities

Jurors in Los Angeles began deliberations yesterday in the prosecution of private eye Anthony Pellicano, accused of illegally gathering information and wiretapping celebrities such as Garry Shandling and Keith Carradine. Charges against Pellicano include racketeering, conspiracy, wire fraud, identity theft and bribery, the Los Angeles Times reports. Four co-defendants are…

May 2, 2008 11:53 AM CDT

3rd-Party Stalking is a Crime, Wash. Supreme Ct. Says

Overturning a state appeals court decision, a divided Washington Supreme Court has decided that it is a criminal act for an individual to use third parties to stalk another person. Ruling on the case of Andre Paul Becklin, who got friends to follow his ex-girlfriend and report back to him,…

May 1, 2008 11:23 PM CDT

Appeals Court Halves $30M Verdict Against Robert Blake

A California appeals court has cut in half a $30 million verdict against actor Robert Blake awarded to the estate of his murdered wife, Bonny Lee Bakley. Blake was acquitted of the murder but found liable for the 2001 death in a civil suit. The appellate court said the award…

Apr 28, 2008 12:42 PM CDT

Judge’s Mom on Jury Didn’t Violate Defendant’s Rights

A Wisconsin judge acted appropriately when he allowed his own mother to serve as a juror in a criminal traffic case in his courtroom, a state appeals court has ruled. Judge Robert Eaton did not deny defendant Mark Tody Jr. his constitutional right to a fair trial by allowing his…

Apr 22, 2008 4:47 PM CDT

Judge Nixes Plan to Drop Counsel Off Cliff in Cage Dangling from Crane

How far must a judge and jury go to hear the facts of a murder case? Dangling over the side of a cliff in a cage suspended from a crane, in order to view the scene of a claimed 1995 murder of a model allegedly thrown off a cliff by…

Apr 15, 2008 3:21 PM CDT

Citing ‘Extreme’ Juror Animus, Flamboyant Mich. Lawyer Asks for New Venue

Embattled Michigan lawyer Geoffrey Fieger is scheduled to face trial Monday on criminal campaign finance and obstruction of justice charges. But the well-known plaintiffs’ lawyer is asking for an eleventh-hour change of venue because he won’t be able to get a fair trial in Detroit or the Eastern District of…

Apr 9, 2008 2:51 PM CDT

Judge Who Recalled Jury Rejects Race Bias Claims

A Massachusetts judge who, in an unprecedented move, recalled jurors to query them about potential racial bias in a murder case, has rejected the allegations that bias played a role in the jury’s decision. Barnstable Superior Court Judge Gary A. Nickerson ruled that when a juror referred to the defendant,…

Apr 8, 2008 3:37 PM CDT

Legal Eagle: Don’t Forget the Jury is Smarter than You Are

One of the lasting legacies left by a renowned Chicago lawyer who died last week at age 82 is a book that went on sale today. Entitled, Your Witness: Lessons on Cross-Examination and Life, it describes the techniques that helped R. Eugene Pincham become a legend in the city’s courtrooms.…

Apr 7, 2008 7:18 PM CDT

Rejiggering Jury Selection

Angus argues for giving opening statements before conducting voir dire

Apr 1, 2008 9:01 PM CDT