Juries

John Edwards Juror Questionnaire

Here is the juror questionnaire in the John Edwards trial.

Media Still Wants Juror Questionnaires from Chandra Levy Homicide Trial

Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press: DC court considers release of Levy juror questionnaires

A three-judge panel of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals weighed Tuesday whether the questionnaires of jurors who convicted the killer of former intern Chandra Levy should be made public.

The Washington Post, Associated Press, Gannett Co., Inc. and The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press filed a motion last November in U.S. v. Guandeque seeking the release of trial evidence and questionnaires filled out by potential jurors during the selection process known as voir dire. Guandeque, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, was found guilty of Levy's death and sentenced to 60 years in prison.

The issue of evidence was resolved before the end of the trial, but Judge Gerald I. Fisher kept the 11-page, 55-question questionnaires sealed, electing instead to release only each juror's age, gender, occupation and educational level.

The Washington Post appealed the ruling, urging the appellate court to release the questionnaires of the 16 jurors and alternates ultimately empanelled to hear the case.

At Tuesday's hearing, counsel for the government conceded that Fisher erred in sealing the documents, since the 1984 landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Press-Enterprise Co. v. Superior Court created a presumption of access to voir dire proceedings under the First Amendment. Most of the hearing was spent discussing what action the appellate court should direct Fisher to take now, given his pledge to the jury that questionnaire answers would remain confidential….to continue reading go here.

Amended Conrad Murray Juror Questionnaire

Amended Conrad Murray Juror Questionnaire

Juror Questionnaire in the Trial of Conrad Murray (Michael Jackson's Doctor)

People v. Conrad Robert Murray

h/tip Dr. SunWolf

Juror Questionnaires

The issue of the media's right to juror questionnaires is in the news again.  This time it has to do with last month's high profile murder trial of former Washington, D.C. intern, Chandra Levy.  The judge handling the case, in which Ingmar Guandique was convicted of Ms. Levy's death, refused to release the questionnaires to the Washington Post citing juror privacy.  The Washington Post is in the process of appealing the judge's ruling citing the public's right to know.  Similar appeals (see Nevada OJ trial and Scott Roeder trial) have arose across the country and courts for the most part have sided with the media finding that the questionnaire like voir dire should be made public so long as the juror's personal identifying information is removed.

 

Ryan Widmer Jury Questionnaire

To access the questionnaire go here. 

For background information on the upcoming Ryan Widmer trial which is scheduled to begin in January go here.

Jurors Seated in the Pitino Extortion Trial and Juror Questionnaires Released

The judge in the Coach Pitino (University of Louisville) extortion trial has released the juror questionnaires.  As some may recall, this case arises from a sexual encounter between Ms. Karen Sypher and Coach Rick Pitino.  Ms. Sypher is accused of trying to extort money from Coach Pitino and lying to the FBI about the encounter.

Here are some responses to the juror questionnaire, which because of the facts alleged in the case deal with some sensitive topics like adultery and abortion.

Seated Juror #25 wrote: "The only thing that I have heard about on the news are the charges against Karen Cunagin Sypher."

Seated Juror #91 responded after asked what she has heard in the community about the case, Pitino or Sypher: "People say she is crazy and he is a liar and an adulterer."

About abortion, Juror #47, who the defense wanted dismissed, checked the statement, which read it's a private matter and not my business.

Regarding Pitino, Juror #96 wrote: "I believe that Rick Pitino is a very good college basketball coach."

One woman who stated she is on fertility meds said, "I feel so strongly against abortion if this case deals with abortion I will not be able to handle it emotionally."

Another man wrote, "She is a scam artist. Love him as a basketball coach."

Potential Juror #147 wrote: "Most of what I remembered was centered on Pitino's affair and his tongue-lashing at the media event."

Potential Juror #80 wrote of Sypher's fate, "leaning toward guilty."

Another person wrote: "She is a blonde bimbo trying to get rich."

The actual questions from questionnaire can be found here.  Also, Ms. Sypher's attorney has renewed his change of venue motion due to the pretrial publicity this case has attracted.

Juror Questionnaire in Extortion Trial Involving Coach Rick Pitino

Here is the link to the Karen Sypher juror questionnaire.  Ms. Sypher is accused of trying to extort money from Coach Rick Pitino and lying to the FBI. The questionnaire addresses some very personal topics like adultery and abortion. 

Mehserle Juror Questionnaire

Here is the link to the Johannes Mehserle juror questionnaire.  As some may recall, Mr. Mehserle, a former BART police officer is on trial for killing Oscar Grant in 2009 at a BART station.  Mehserle claims that he thought he was holding a taser not a hand gun at the time.  The incident received world-wide condemnation because it was captured on numerous cell phones and viewed hundreds of thousands of times on the Internet. 

 

Update on the Scott Roeder Trial and Juror Questionnaire

The Associated Press and three other media outlets announced yesterday that they will not pursue further litigation in response to the partially closed jury selection in the trial of Scott Roeder.  As some may be aware, Mr. Roeder is accused of murdering Dr. George Tiller, a late-term abortion provider in Kansas.

In this case, the attorneys requested a closed courtroom because they feared that jurors would be less than forthcoming on controversial issues like abortion if the public was present. The trial judge granted the attorneys' request and several media outlets appealed that decision to the Kansas Supreme Court.  This in turn led the Kansas Supreme Court to ask the trial judge to reconsider his earlier opinion in light of the recently created requirements for closing jury selection:  (1) a judge must establish a present danger for not closing jury selection; and (2) a judge must consider reasonable alternatives for closing jury selection.  In the end, the trial judge relented and opened up the voir dire to the public.  However, questioning of jurors on "personally sensitive issues" will occur in private. 

The Roeder juror questionnaire is available here.