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As jurors go online, U.S. trials go off track
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As jurors go online, U.S. trials go off track
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By Brian Grow
ATLANTA, December 8 (Reuters Legal) - The explosion of blogging, tweeting and other online diversions has reached into U.S. jury boxes, raising serious questions about juror impartiality and the ability of judges to control...
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A Twitter page is displayed on an Apple iPhone in Los Angeles in this October 13, 2009 file photo.
Credit: Reuters/Mario Anzuoni
By Brian Grow
ATLANTA, December 8 |
Wed Dec 8, 2010 3:23pm EST
ATLANTA, December 8 (Reuters Legal) - The explosion of blogging, tweeting and other online diversions has reached into U.S. jury boxes, raising serious questions about juror impartiality and the ability of judges to control courtrooms.
A Reuters Legal analysis found that jurors' forays on the Internet have resulted in dozens of mistrials, appeals and overturned verdicts in the last two years.
For decades, courts have instructed jurors not to seek information about cases outside of evidence introduced at trial, and jurors are routinely warned not to communicate about a case with anyone before a verdict is reached. But jurors these days can, with a few clicks, look up definitions of legal terms on Wikipedia, view crime scenes via Google Earth, or update their blogs and Facebook pages with snide remarks about the proceedings.
The consequences can be significant. A Florida appellate court in September overturned the manslaughter conviction of a man charged with killing his neighbor, citing the jury foreman's use of an iPhone to look up the definition of "prudent" in an online dictionary.
In June, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals granted a new trial to a sheriff's deputy convicted of corruption, after finding that a juror had contacted the defendant through MySpace.
Also in September, the Nevada Supreme Court granted a new trial to a defendant convicted of sexually assaulting a minor, because the jury foreman had searched online for information about the types of physical injuries suffered by young sexual assault victims.
Reuters Legal, using data from the Westlaw online research service, a Thomson Reuters business, compiled a tally of reported decisions in which judges granted a new trial, denied a request for a new trial, or overturned a verdict, in whole or in part, because of juror actions related to the Internet.
The data show that since 1999, at least 90 verdicts have been the subject of challenges because of alleged Internet-related juror misconduct. More than half of the cases occurred in the last two years.
Judges granted new trials or overturned verdicts in 28 criminal and civil cases -- 21 since January 2009. In three-quarters of the cases in which judges declined to declare mistrials, they nevertheless found Internet-related misconduct on the part of jurors. These figures do not include the many incidents that escape judicial notice.
'GUILTY! HE'S GUILTY!'
Over a three-week period in November and December, Reuters Legal monitored Twitter, reading tweets that were returned when "jury duty" was typed into the site's search engine. Tweets from people describing themselves as prospective or sitting jurors popped up at the astounding rate of one nearly every three minutes.
Many appeared to be simple complaints about being called for jury duty in the first place, or about the boredom of sitting through a trial. But a significant number included blunt statements about defendants' guilt or innocence. "Looking forward to a not guilty verdict regardless of evidence," one recent message stated. Read another: "Jury duty is a blow. I've already made up my mind. He's guilty. LOL."
Last month, a person using the Twitter name @JohnnyCho wrote that he was in a pool of potential jurors in Los Angeles Superior Court, and tweeted, "Guilty! He's guilty! I can tell!" In later tweets, @JohnnyCho said he was picked for the jury and that the defendant was convicted.
Traced through his Twitter profile, Johnny Cho, director of communications at a Los Angeles entertainment lighting company, acknowledged he was the author of the tweets but declined to discuss the case. Reuters Legal forwarded the series of tweets to Superior Court spokeswoman Patricia Kelly for comment.
She called the tweets "definitely a problem," and said the court would look into the matter. Ten days later, the court's acting public information director, Mary Hearn, said the court had concluded that because Cho sent his "Guilty!" tweet before he was chosen for the jury -- and did so from the jury assembly room, not from inside the courtroom -- it was acceptable. She declined to identify the case.
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We welcome comments that advance the story directly or with relevant tangential information. We try to block comments that use offensive language, all capital letters or appear to be spam, and we review comments frequently to ensure they meet our standards. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters.
Comments (1)
Stupidscript wrote:
It’s simple: Just as with any other situation, when a juror disobeys a direct order from the Judge, hold them in contempt. Throw them in jail and publicize it. Levy a big fine (i.e. $5,000 per post) to let them know you’re serious. Make a big stink to let other jurors know that there is no personal freedom in a court of law, and that the directions of the Judge *must* be obeyed, regardless of what the juror thinks.
If everyone were allowed to determine for themselves what constitutes improper juror behavior, the system completely breaks down.
Order *must* be maintained, even if it inconveniences stupid jurors who can’t restrain their “impulse” to vomit onto their Facebook pages.
Declaring a mistrial or revisiting a verdict means nothing to a juror who just finished their service. Without some direct personal consequence for the juror, there is no reason for them to believe they owe anything to the justice system, and they will continue to hold the court in contempt.
Zero tolerance. Period.
Dec 08, 2010 3:28pm EST -- Report as abuse
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