JURORS BEHAVING BADLY

A blog about the very small percentage of jurors who fail to follow the judge's instructions, including doing independent Internet research, using social media (such as Facebook) to contact parties and lawyers, and blogging about the trial. Juror misconduct frequently results in mistrials and a waste of resources. Links will be provided to sample jury summonses, jury instructions, and other resources to improve juror education and minimize juror misconduct, thereby promoting fairness of trials.

Friday, August 19, 2016

Prospective Juror Refuses Service, Sentenced to Jail

Jury duty is a duty of citizenship. Judges do not take lightly those who fail or refuse to appear. This citizen was sentenced to jail:

http://www.wyomingnews.com/news/cheyenne-man-gets-jail-time-for-skipping-jury-duty/article_375c3a16-62a9-11e6-aa89-4fc82066a6a5.html

Friday, August 12, 2016

Article "Are We Driving Jurors to the Internet?"

Here is a link to the article:

https://bol.bna.com/are-we-driving-jurors-to-the-internet-perspective/

Some judges have suggested the court start allowing jurors to submit questions. A Minnesota judge did this for many years in civil cases. The court for a variety of good reasons leaves jurors in the dark about the parties or defendant in a criminal case.

I love the photo: women jurors in hats and men in suits and ties. A prospective juror arrived in our court this week in a t-shirt with the name of his favorite team, cargo shorts and flip-flops.