On June 2 a woman drove up to a sitting juror's home in suburban Minneapolis and dropped off a bag of $120,000 in cash and left her a message, "there will be another bag for her if she votes to acquit." The juror was not home at the time and reported the incident to the police. The federal judge presiding over the trial discharged the juror, rightfully so. She would have been afraid of the consequences of her vote either way. The trial involves 7 defendants charged with stealing $41 million from government programs intended to feed children. Anyone in her neighborhood got video?
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.
