Legal News

In Stevens Trial, A Request to Oust Juror for ?Violent Outbursts?

By Dan Slater

Given how Sen. Ted Stevens’s trial has gone so far, we didn’t expect that the jury would simply return a verdict and everyone would leave quietly.

This just in: This afternoon, reports the WSJ, U.S. District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan rejected a request from the jury to remove one juror from deliberations because she had “violent outbursts” against other jurors.

In a note to the judge, the jury foreman said one of the 12 jurors was being “rude, disrespectful and unreasonable” and “has had violent outbursts with other jurors, and that is not helping anyone.” The note also said: “The jurors are getting off course,” the note said. “She is not following the laws and rules that were stipulated in the instructions.”

After receiving the note, writes the WSJ, Judge Sullivan initially expressed interest in bringing the foreman into open court to explain the nature of the juror’s violent outbursts. But after taking a short recess, he changed course and decided to bring all the jurors back in for a “pep talk.”

Without inquiring about any details of the incident, Judge Sullivan reminded the jurors to “encourage civility and mutual respect” in their consideration of all the evidence. “You’re still smiling — that’s good to see,” Judge Sullivan told the jurors. They laughed, then exited the courtroom.

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on October 23, 2008 (boomark / email).