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.
Andrew Gillum, former candidate for Florida governor was found not guilty of lying to FBI this week. The jury was deadlocked on all other counts so a mistrial was declared. Days prior defense counsel sought a mistrial when it was revealed a juror had taken selfies at the courthouse and posted on LinkedIn. The court found that the posts revealed nothing about the trial, denied the mistrial motion and cautioned the juror about such conduct.
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