When I mentioned jury selection had hit 4 month mark it was July 17. Here we are 4+ months later (total actually nearly 10 months per CNN) and the trial just began today with opening statements. Imagine how long it may take to pick a jury in the criminal cases involving "He whose name need not be mentioned"?
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.
Monday, November 27, 2023
Monday, November 13, 2023
Safety of Grand Jurors in Fulton County GA at Risk as Identities Revealed
CNN reported in August 2023 that the names, addresses, and photos of grand jurors in the Fulton County GA indictment of President Trump and 18 others have been reported on the dark web, including calls for violence against them. This raises once again the lengths to which court security may have to go in Georgia and elsewhere to protect the identities and safety of jurors and their families in trials involving these defendants, though several in GA have already plead guilty. Sequestration throughout the trial would be not only extremely expensive but basically be detention of the jurors in a hotel or resort. Presumably this would be announced before jury selection, likely leading to some jurors failing to appear for service, requesting they be excused or simply telling the court that they cannot be a fair juror. Yet the fate of this nation hangs in the balance if those who seek to undermine the electoral process are not held accountable.