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Prospective Jurors Sue County Claiming Low Juror Pay Violates Their Right to Serve on a Jury
Three citizens representing King County (Seattle) residents are awaiting a decision from the Washington State Supreme Courtabout whether the state’s $10-per-day jury stipend prevents low-income persons from serving on juries in violation of Washington’s Juror Rights Statute. Several amici briefs also assert that the low pay erodes the quality of justice in courtrooms.
Do Repeated Jury Instructions to “Follow the Law” Violate Jurors' Power to Nullify?
The Kansas Supreme Court opines that, in a homicide case, district judge Charles M. Hart did not prevent the jury’s power of nullification by instructing the jury in these ways: (a) “Such law you must follow, and you must not substitute for it opinions of your own as to what you think the law should be”; (b) “At the end of the case, I will instruct you on the law that you must apply to the evidence in order to reach a verdict”; and (c) “It is my duty to instruct you in the law that applies to this case, and it is your duty to consider and follow all of the instructions.”
Bill Cosby's Appeals Include Judicial Failure to Strike Juror for Cause
However, a Pennsylvania appellate panelon December 10 rejected a long list of claimed legal errors and affirmed the jury verdicts.
More Criticism of Mississippi Jury Selection Practices Following SCOTUS’s Flowers Decision
Roy Campbell, a former president of the Mississippi Bar Association, has joined the chorus of voices “denouncing” racist jury selection practices of a state district attorney. He writes in the Clarion Ledger, “Because I care deeply for this state and am committed to the notion that our criminal justice system must be fair to all, I am unable to stand by silently when confronted with evidence of practices that would take us back to the darker days of our history.” In a related turn of events, Curtis Flowers, whose been tried six times at the hands of the criticized state district attorney, was released on bond this week(after 22 years in custody) while the DA ponders whether to prosecute Mr. Flowers again.
Citizen Shows Up for Jury Duty in Pink Bunny Outfit
In the fact-is-stranger-than-fiction department, TVChannel 4 CBS Denver provides us pictorials of a man calmly moving about the jury lounge in a bunny hoody. Another summoned juror asked court staff if such attire was okay. She was told, “Basically you can wear whatever you want, you cannot wear a hat in the courtroom, but whatever you want.”
The Jur-E Bulletin will not be released next week. A new edition will be sent on January 3, 2020. Happy holidays and happy new year!
