Judges Issue Press Release to Encourage Jury Service
The Mansfield News Journal reports that Richland County Court (Mansfield, Ohio) judges Phil Naumoff and Brent Robinson issued a joint press release answering basic questions about jury service in an effort to boost juror participation. The pair put pen to paper because they have had trouble with people not showing up for jury duty. Speaking to the Journal, Judge Naumoff emphasized that having a “jury of our peers” is the only way to ensure that our rights are protected. Naumoff and Robinson’s press release elaborates that “A juror is a very important person in our legal system because our justice system is based on the belief that a just and fair result in court comes from having disputes settled by our fellow citizens.” In the release, the judges remind members of the public that they may serve as a juror without facing legal recourse from their employer, so long as they provide reasonable, advance notice about their juror summons and jury service is their actual reason for absence from employment.
Gauging "Good" or "Bad" Jurors – A Guessing Game at Best
Contributors from IMS Consulting & Expert Services, consisting of a former litigator, a trial consultant, and a researcher, warn in The National Law Review against the danger of stereotyping when selecting jurors. The authors opine that while jurors are frequently viewed favorably or unfavorably toward one side or the other based on demographic categories, potential jurors are shaped more significantly by their attitudes and past experiences. The authors explain that stereotyping prospective jury members based on their occupation, for example, fails to account for the variation within professions. Thus, drawing conclusions about a particular juror based on their job title alone may neglect other influential attributes of their employment, such as the audience whom they interact with or areas of specialty.
Self-Proclaimed White Supremacist Pleads Guilty to Threatening Jury
The Associated Press reports that, in West Virginia, Hardy Carroll Lloyd confessed to threatening the jury in the high-profile trial against a man convicted of killing 11 congregants at a Pittsburgh synagogue because of the alleged or actual Jewish faith of the government’s witnesses and the crime’s victims. Lloyd is accused of making threatening social media posts as well as sending threatening emails to the jury during the trial. In a May 17 email to news outlets, the defendant allegedly wrote “Remember, jurors, we WILL be watching and we WILL be taking pictures of ALL cars and people who leave the courthouse.” Lloyd’s actions come during a time of intensified attacks on the jury system and heightened concern for jurors’ safety.
Defense Attorneys May Interview Jurors in Trump Georgia Indictment
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee presiding over the election interference case against former president Donald Trump will allow lawyers for two of Mr. Trump’s codefendants – Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro – to interview the grand jurors who returned the indictment. Defense counsel raised concerns that the indictment was not “properly returned,” prompting them to request the opportunity to interview the grand jurors to ensure that they acted independently of the prosecution. Mr. Chesebro's attorney asserted Georgia law only prohibits the disclosure of a grand jury’s deliberations, and he said the defense lawyers would not be asking questions about that. And he noted he would only question those grand jurors who voluntarily agreed to be interviewed. Judge McAfee ruled the defense must submit any proposed questions, and supporting case law, to the court before the interviews take place. In addition to the interviews, Ms. Powell and Mr. Chesebro's legal teams are seeking transcripts of the testimony of nearly 75 witnesses given before the grand jury. Judge McAfee indicated that his initial reaction is that “everything should be turned over,” while special prosecutor Nathan Wade argued that the state is not required to share all the transcripts with the defense.