Juries

The Cosby Jury

Yesterday, the trial judge handling the Bill Cosby sexual assault case determined that the case will not be moved out of Montgomery County, PA. However, the jurors who will decide Cosby's fate will come from a different county and will be sequestered.

USATODAY.com: Bill Cosby trial will be decided by outside, sequestered jury - USA Today

Hernandez Jurors Can Watch Super Bowl

The trial judge handling the Aaron Hernandez murder trial has ruled that the jurors in the case can watch the Super Bowl.  Apparently, the jurors are suppose to walk out of the room if they hear any mention of Hernandez's name during the game.

NFL.com: Judge: Jury can watch SB unless Aaron Hernandez mentioned

Life as a Sequestered Juror

The article below discusses the daily existence of the sequestered jurors in the John Goodman trial.  I have previously blogged about this case here.  

The title of this blog post is "Life as a Sequestered Juror" but it also could have been entitled "Jurors Under Hotel Arrest."  According to the article, it cost $65,000 to sequester the Goodman jurors, which was a lot less expensive than the $361,000 Casey Anthony sequestration.  Although the Goodman jurors were sequestered on a resort, it did not appear as though they were on any real vacation.  

Sun Sentinel: John Goodman juror describes 2-1/2-week sequestration

Zimmerman Jurors to be Sequestered

The judge in the Zimmerman murder trial has shifted course and has now decided to sequester the jurors. 

The Florida judge presiding over George Zimmerman's murder trial reversed herself today and announced that the jurors will be sequestered for the trial.

"The parties have, both sides have, stipulated that this trial will last between two and four weeks," Judge Debra Nelson said. "Based upon that approximate stipulation, I will be sequestering the jury."

Earlier the judge had ruled that the six-member jury and four alternates would be anonymous, but declined to have them sequestered.

In February 2012, Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman in Sanford, Fla., shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin after a confrontation in the dark. Zimmerman has said he shot the black teen, who he said had been acting "suspiciously," in self-defense.

The racially charged case has attracted national attention.

Jurors are rarely sequestered, isolated by the court away from their families and their homes, for a second degree murder trial. But suspicious testimony by potential jurors this week has triggered fear of a tainted jury pool

ABC News: George Zimmerman Judge Orders Jury to Be Sequestered During Trial

For more background on this issue go here. 

Conrad Murray Jury Will Not Be Sequestered

AP: Judge: No sequestering Jackson manslaughter jury

LA Times: Michael Jackson death: Judge refuses to sequester jury in trial

USA Today‎: Judge: Jurors will not be sequestered in Conrad Murray trial‎

Baltimore Sun: Jury in Michael Jackson Trial Will Not be Sequestered‎

Conrad Murray Wants Jury Sequestered

AP: Jackson doctor asks to sequester jury during trial

The doctor charged in Michael Jackson's death has asked a judge to sequester jurors in the physician's upcoming involuntary manslaughter trial, citing coverage of the Casey Anthony case and the threat of information leaks posed by Twitter and Facebook use...to continue reading this story go here.

Conrad Murray Attorney Wants Jurors Sequestered

NBC Los Angeles: Conrad Murray Defense Wants Jury Sequestered From Nancy Grace

89.3 KPPC: Sentenced to jury duty – indefinitely

CNN: Hearing set for Michael Jackson doctor Conrad Murray

Lifetime Off Limits for Casey Anthony Jurors?

If the prosecutors handling the Casey Anthony murder trial have their way Lifetime and Lifetime Movie Network will be removed from the approved list of channels that jurors can watch during the trial and deliberations.  Yesterday, the judge handling the case issued an approved list of TV channels that the sequestered jury would be able to watch.  The state, however, objected to Lifetime and Lifetime Movie Network.  This objection may be withdrawn if the prosecution can see the programming schedule for the channels for the months of May, June and July.

In addition to regulating what channels jurors can watch, the trial judge might want to provide jurors with the most recent version of the Ohio Jury Instructions regarding the influence of law related television programs.

3. WARNING ON OUTSIDE INFLUENCE. The effort to exclude misleading outside influences information also puts a limit on getting legal information from television entertainment. This would apply to popular TV shows such as Law and Order, Boston Legal, Judge Judy, older shows like L.A. Law, Perry Mason, or Matlock, and any other fictional show dealing with the legal system. In addition, this would apply to shows such as CSI and NCIS, which present the use of scientific procedures to resolve criminal investigations. These and other similar shows may leave you with an improper preconceived idea about the legal system. As far as this case is concerned, you are not prohibited from watching such shows. However, there are many reasons why you cannot rely on TV legal programs, including the fact that these shows: (1) are not subject to the rules of evidence and legal safeguards that apply in this courtroom, and (2) are works of fiction that present unrealistic situations for dramatic effect. While entertaining, TV legal dramas condense, distort, or even ignore many procedures that take place in real cases and real courtrooms. No matter how convincing they try to be, these shows simply cannot depict the reality of an actual trial or investigation. You must put aside anything you think you know about the legal system that you saw on TV.