Colorado Juries Keep Letting People Go for Driving on Weed, Prosecutors and Cops are Furious

ManWithABanana · 2020-09-18T19:06:01+00:00

That looks a bit out of date (2015). I thought it was legal in CO now.

ManWithABanana · 2020-08-18T16:32:48+00:00

Most American jurors can talk about the experience afterwards. Apparently, not if you are a grand juror.

ManWithABanana · 2020-08-10T15:20:07+00:00

There's a lot of people doing the same thing - especially the ones at his age.

yayblueberries · 2020-08-06T15:39:28+00:00

There isn't much good evidence that post-traumatic-event counseling even helps. The whole point is to try to avoid being traumatized in the first place. Perhaps jury duty is something that should go the way of the dinosaur.

ManWithABanana · 2020-08-04T17:15:53+00:00

What a great essay.

The data on the disappearance of the jury trial—98 per cent of criminal cases are concluded without one—are dramatic.

If you need a sound bite to know things need improvement, this is your soundbite.

A key weapon in the insider’s toolbox is the “trial tax.” The threats ratchet up the punishment (and/or the promises ratchet up the leniency) as the case moves along. Plead guilty and you get six months (or three, or probation). Go to trial and lose and you will get five years (or ten, or 15).

This is pretty crazy. Most cases are about getting serious damage to your life by receiving several month sentence or a year. Or, you can go to trial and if you lose you'll get a huge sentence. Only a reformer heedless of their own life (and their families) can take this head on.

ManWithABanana · 2020-07-30T15:43:23+00:00

It's interesting watching all the different areas of the country grapple with technology. I wonder where it will all shake out for jury duty. Could we see remote juries permanently ?

Drewski · 2020-07-29T17:55:51+00:00

Crazy how much judges hate jurors knowing about this right. Glad to see that the guy has been cleared of charges, though others have not been so lucky.

ManWithABanana · 2020-07-29T15:23:39+00:00

I remember this one from five years ago. He was passing out FIJA pamphlets telling people they can nullify the law by voting not guilty.

They would have said something like this - https://fija.org/library-and-resources/library/called-for-jury-duty.html

1hairlessmonkey · 2020-07-29T08:16:31+00:00

Even people that said they could be fair got kicked out, in this particular case having strong opinions about the second amendment was enough to get you dismissed

ManWithABanana · 2020-07-27T15:12:42+00:00

Some people are never satisfied.

The detective doesn't know his friend is on a jury, responds to texts, figures it out and self reports to the judge. Judge declares a mistrial. Seems very proper.

ManWithABanana · 2020-07-27T15:09:48+00:00

It's kind of crazy isn't it ?

The magic phrase is "I cannot be fair and impartial".

ManWithABanana · 2020-06-29T14:39:40+00:00

Based on this, it seems like lawyers are not simply permitted to ask jurors about politics. But that's exactly what they want to know about you, as a juror. Based on your politics they know if you'll vote for their client or against him.

The rationale for preemptory challenges is to “allow parties to remove jurors whom they believe, based only on a suspicion, to be biased.”

What a BIG, FAT LIE. Every lawyer uses these things to stack the jury in favor of his side.

ManWithABanana · 2020-06-17T18:27:39+00:00

What interests me about this is MN is not concerned about face masks making the trial more difficult. If you can't see expressions is a fair trial occurring ?

comments · 2020-06-16T17:42:51+00:00

white judges, jurors are amazing

ManWithABanana · 2020-06-16T15:05:59+00:00

First, fuck off with this "white jurors" thing.

The violence we are seeing now is the predictable result of prosecutors, judges and jurors usurping justice. If we want to prevent social unrest, it would be helpful if we allow justice. That would require ending both the biased rulings by activist judges and the excuses prosecutors make for their failure to prosecute. It will also require a pervasive change in the attitude of people towards police who inflict violence.

This is the problem as I see it.

ManWithABanana · 2020-06-11T17:03:49+00:00

What really should happen is the removal of peremptory challenges. Just have challenges for cause.

ManWithABanana · 2020-04-20T20:26:05+00:00

Angle for jurors :

This week, all 12 jurors wrote to the court asking to keep their names private because they fear being harassed for their service on the case.

Hart and another juror, Seth Cousins, who also identified himself to the media after the trial, said they've received threatening letters and postcards from strangers — a veiled threat that implies their home addresses are known.

Drewski · 2020-03-19T03:17:26+00:00

They should accompany this with releasing people being held in jail for nonviolent offenses. I can see this further affecting the Sixth Amendment right to a speedy trial (although under the National Defense Authorization Act allowing indefinite detention this right has already been gutted).

ManWithABanana · 2020-03-16T15:18:33+00:00

Not unexpected. I am seeing multiple news stories nationwide with similar details.

ManWithABanana · 2020-03-13T18:29:17+00:00

The judge determined that Turner had lied on a jury questionnaire when asked whether he ever had been arrested, charged with a crime or convicted of one; Turner had listed only “improper handling of a firearm.”

Prosecutors checked and found that Turner’s record also included two domestic violence arrests, plus charges including assault and disorderly conduct. When he was questioned directly in court, Turner repeatedly denied ever having been arrested on a domestic violence charge.

With that, plus the conversation the police cruiser dashcam captured, it sounds like this guy was trying very hard to get on the jury and find the defendant not guilty; a so called stealth juror.

ManWithABanana · 2020-03-13T18:27:10+00:00

Well the details are a bit unclear so I'm guessing. It sounds like he said something like "I heard about this case. This guy is (guilty/Not Guilty)". In which case it's a lousy sentence.

la_cues · 2020-03-13T17:13:53+00:00

?

It doesn't seem that extreme. He is mishandling justice, something that imo should have strict punishment. Fair and equal justice process is one of the most important things.

danuker · 2020-03-13T16:55:30+00:00

What were the lies told by the juror?

ManWithABanana · 2020-03-13T15:59:46+00:00

Five days in jail, and a $1,200 fine. I'm going to go with this is a disproportionate sentences based on the crime.

Want to discourage people from serving on jury duty ? Send them to jail !

ManWithABanana · 2020-03-12T15:45:07+00:00

It might be rare, but March seems to be the month when this is happening in many spots.

ManWithABanana · 2020-03-12T15:38:34+00:00

Too bad the story is so low on specifics. To get 5 days in jail it's probably a pretty blatant thing.

ManWithABanana · 2020-03-11T19:13:39+00:00

Just a tiny little tweet that, in fact, DOES NOT DISCUSS the case at all is considered discussing the case to this judge. Then the poor juror has to hire a lawyer and spend God knows how much preparing for this case, and he goes into the courtroom as a defendant...........

And the judge is done with him in 5 minutes.

Nice job Judge Burke. You've just showed us all the capricious nature of your courtroom and introduced fear into jury duty for New Yorkers.

juryduty

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