Jury – Bow Tie Law

Juror Misconduct: When the Judge Says Don’t Talk About the Case, that Includes Facebook & Twitter

June 30, 2009 Josh Gilliland Blogging, Facebook, Jury Blogging, Jury Disqualification, Social Networking

Who knew 140 characters, a few status messages, and tags could play a big role in a court opinion hitting juror misconduct? It is not a huge surprise in a criminal case involving politics, money and fraud. A Little Background: The Criminal Case against the Defendants Multiple Defendants were charged[…]

Dodging a Mistrial for Juror Misconduct

June 18, 2009 Josh Gilliland Blogging, Jury Disqualification

In an age where reporters are Tweeting from Courthouses and Citizen Paparazzi (Snaparazzi) roam the streets with iPhones, one can imagine a slip of the tongue resulting in juror misconduct. In the nightmare case of an elderly defendant who drove through a farmers’ market, the question of juror misconduct surfaced[…]

Is the Circus in Town? Justifying a Change of Venue from Online Publicity

April 23, 2009 Josh Gilliland Change of Venue, Jury Disqualification, Jury Selection

United States v. McRae, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 32411 (W.D. Tenn. Apr. 15, 2009) is a 1983 action against a police office for violating a prisoner’s rights. The incident was captured on video and had been broadcast on the news, with denouncements and outcry from politicians, public figures, the Plaintiffs[…]

The People Would Like to Thank the Blogger for His Jury Service

January 9, 2009 Josh Gilliland Blogging, Jury Blogging, Jury Disqualification, Jury Selection, Trial

My friends laughed hysterically when I had jury duty last year. Apparently, the idea of a lawyer having to do his civic duty is funny. And yes, for the record, I did wear my bow tie. During the jury selection process, my exchanged with the judge went as follows:[…]