Reference no: EM133711068
Problem: Juries
Chapter 9: Jury Selection and Trial Procedure
The jurygeek blogspot website has jurors blogging about "what really happens on juries."
Look at these sites and think about whether knowing what these bloggers are thinking would have been helpful in voir dire and/or during trial presentation.
During the National Jury Summit in 2001, most attendees surveyed (many of whom were judges) indicated that they had reported for jury duty, a few even serving through to a verdict.
Here are some more "excuses" people gave to explain why they couldn't serve as jurors (these responses were taken from the above mentioned website): "We had one juror who said that they just could not serve because they could not go that long without a cigarette! A doctor submitted a note on his behalf. We had a caretaker of a cemetery who called and said he couldn't serve because people just keep dying and he couldn't get away."
Look for similarities and differences across different juror questionnaire. During the voir dire process in capital trials, prospective jurors are asked about their views regarding the death penalty. Those who would automatically vote for the death penalty or those who could not vote for the death penalty are excused. Is this an acceptable procedure?
Chapter 12: Juries and Judges as Decision-Makers
Should "evidence" on sites like Facebook affect sentencing? Joshua Lipton was charged in a drunken driving crash that seriously injured a woman. Two weeks later, Lipton attended a Halloween party dressed in an orange jumpsuit labeled "jail bird." Someone posted pictures of him from this party on Facebook and they were used at his trial to portray him as unrepentant. The judge agreed, and Lipton was sentenced to two years in prison.