As standard policy, the defense asked their round of questions to the police officers. Any submissions to the author are subject to being published and to being modified prior to publication. Each request will be considered by the judge and may or may not be allowed. Attorneys in the Hennepin County District Court trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyds death are wrangling over not just the 12 jurors who will decide the verdict but also alternates. Mike Shannon, legendary Cardinals broadcaster, dead at 83, New drive-in coming to Edwardsville, slated to open this summer. Edwardsville baseball reaches May with 'another level to Pedestrian dies after running into path of Edwardsville Madison County grand jury indicts 2 felons for having guns, Tigers take ninth in 32-team Chicago tennis tournament, Edwardsville's East Fire Station may be completed early. Use it! The defense also wanted to know the strength of the tablet tested, but the D.A. Whats that going to be at West End Service Station? Yet despite having expressed eminently valid and potentially disqualifying worries which were made more intense for Christensen because the trial was being televised live she was still placed on the jury. 23. @PTNewsnetwork @zerosum24 @JackPosobiec Maxine Waters Inciting violence if Derek Chauvin isnt found guilty for murder. The trial court denied those requests. Today, the answer is B. Your membership has expired - last chance for uninterrupted access to free CLE and other benefits. In fact, they won't even know they are alternates. Then went even higher to 5,000, in which the Deputy said, it is possible if the person can take that much in there. Indeed, the death of George Floyd during the course of a police arrest in May triggered mass demonstrations in cities throughout the nation last summer that were marked by riots, looting, arson and violence. We have our very scientific method of selection, the judge said, smiling as she pointed to the court clerk holding a clear cup with two folded Post-it notes. No inquiry was made about whether the jury had heard Democratic California Rep. Maxine Waters threat made before closing arguments in the case that there would be violence in the streets unless the jury found Chauvin guilty, guilty guilty on all counts, and if so, what effect it had on them. Could you maybe use them to write a book? Based on the answers given, each lawyer can excuse so many potential jurors for any reason, but they don't have an obligation to respond to why the juror was excused. A jury is not, as Christensen implies, an arm of the prosecution its members are supposed to be fair and impartial arbiters of the facts. pic.twitter.com/KUtHSOGm8N, Christensen said that the riots, which were taking place literally a stones throw from her home, did not affect [her] at all but that is hardly believable coming from someone who was concerned about people coming to [her] house if they were not happy with the verdict., It is also a bit unbelievable considering Christiansen similarly told Yuccas in her interview with CBS, I was worried about, you know, whatever the verdict may be if some people felt strongly on one side, other people felt strongly on the other side so no matter what, I felt like somebody wasnt going to be happy.. >>Mistrials The judge won't. She often stared at him, she said, searching for even the smallest reaction. The trial might begin and a witness take the stand, who a juror is friends with but did not realize that the witness would be testifying in this trial. Justia - California Civil Jury Instructions (CACI) (2022) 5015. 1. Additional jurors are chosen, known as alternates, in the event that any members of the jury are unable to complete the trial for some reason. The alternate juror also sits in a court and listens to the proceedings of a case. Can you explain why there were only six people on the jury and the purpose of these alternates when they did not get to vote on the case? A member of the San Mateo drug lab was called in to testify about the narcotics. ), At Willie Nelson 90, country, rock and rap stars pay tribute, but Willie and Trigger steal the show, Plaschke: Lakers live up to their legacy with a close-out win for the ages, Concertgoer lets out a loud full body orgasm while L.A. Phil plays Tchaikovskys 5th, L.A. Affairs: I had my reasons for not dating white men. from U.C. The number of jurors in a jury trial will depend. In such circumstances, an alternate juror will be dismissed from court with thanks. Similarly, an alternate juror sits and listens to evidence just like the other jurors but only deliberates and votes if one of the sitting jury members is unable to serve. Trial juries are composed of at least six people sworn to decide the facts based on the evidence presented. If I see a pattern of abuse, I will discontinue anonymous postings. Question: A while back, I served as a juror on a civil case that involved two people suing each other. If you can, bring your own lunch. Technically, there were a couple of others that the judge said were alternates. I have not heard about this before. I would have said guilty on some level I feel like Chauvin is responsible for Mr. Floyds death.. You resist the urge to tell all the other jurors about the plaintiffs lawyers mistake, as the judge has forbidden you from talking about thetrial. You want to scream at the plaintiffs lawyer for not understanding how the traffic works at the scene of the accident (or maybe hes just trying to confuse the jury, but you obviously know whatsup). Like a stone, a statue.. The judge asked everyone to verbally answer some basic questions, including what neighborhood we live in, people in the household, and our highest level of education. >>Plea Bargaining The size of jury varies from state to state and depends to some extent on the type of case at trial. Alternate jurors are sworn and seated near regular jurors. Christensen confirmed this to be the case, and admitted that initially, she did not know if she wanted to serve on the jury because she did not want to disappoint one group or the other, she did not want to go through rioting and destruction again and she was concerned about people coming to [her] house if they were not happy with the verdict.. Whenever, in the opinion of a judge of a superior court about to try a civil or criminal action or proceeding, the trial is likely to be a protracted one, or upon stipulation of the parties, the court may cause an entry to that effect to be made in the minutes of the court and thereupon, immediately after the jury is impaneled and sworn, the court may direct the . As well as contemporaneous notes she took while empaneled as a juror in the Derek Chauvin trial.https://t.co/907brj5Wws. During the criminal trial, alternate jurors will be indistinguishable from their peers. Prosecutors would later connect him to more slayings, and detectives believe he is responsible for at least 25 deaths. Attorneys in the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyds death are wrangling over not just the 12 jurors who will decide the verdict but also up to four alternates. Once impaneled, the jurors role is to listen to the evidence conscientiously and not draw premature conclusions. >>Discovery In civil cases, two or more parties disagree as to who owes whom damages. trial of the former officer charged with murder and manslaughter: Chauvin murder conviction upheld in George Floyd killing, Minneapolis pays $9 million to settle Chauvin excessive force suits, In Focus: George Floyd's legacy and impact. Although the Supreme Court has ruled this way, most states have procedural law concerning jury trials, and many of these states require unanimity, regardless of the number of jurors. We have reviewed our content for bias and company-wide, we routinely meet with national experts to educate ourselves on better ways to deliver accessible content. ." One night she could hardly make it home after testimony ended because of protesters blocking intersections. >>Sentencing The United States Supreme Court has ruled that there is no right to a jury of twelve persons. (It is rare that the election is made because of simple strategy: the more strangers the plaintiff has to convince, the the greater the odds that the plaintiff will be unable to convince everyone.) Cornell University Law School, Legal Information Institute: Rule 48 - Number of Jurors; Verdict; Polling, American Bar Association: How Courts Work. The number of jurors in a trial can vary, but the exact number required for a particular case must sit through the entire trial, hear all the evidence and arguments presented, and then determine the facts in dispute. Alternate juror Carolina Cabrera drew the people in the courtroom to keep attentive during the so-called Grim Sleeper trial, which lasted nearly four months. You don't want to struggle staying awake during a trial. Despite the tediousness, Hurley said alternates occasionally play a big role at trial. Spengler splits her time between the French Basque Country and Northern California. >>Presentation of Evidence by the Defense You feel youll throw an actual fit if they come to a verdict you dont agreewith. You realize just how opinionated you are. The automated recording system gives a disclaimer prior to calling someone that the phone calls are recorded and monitored. 19. The purpose of alternates is to ensure that the case can move forward if something occurs mid-trial that prevents one of the regular jurors from continuing to serve. You entertain the idea of marrying thisman. You start feeling powerless. During the criminal trial, alternate jurors will be indistinguishable from their peers. An emergency is not the only thing that might occur. During trial, some judges in some states wont tell the panel who the alternates are, a tactic to ensure everyone pays attention, said Greg Hurley of the Center for Jury Studies at the National Center for State Courts. Attorneys have questioned potential jurors about their ability to keep an open mind, how they resolve conflicts, their views on the criminal justice system, and whether they felt safe serving on the jury. G.S. And if the court had those concerns, the jurors must have had them, as well. Chief Justice Robert Torres delivers the annual the State of the Judiciary Address of Guam Okay, you know its because you were interviewed last, but maybe they set it up that way because theyre allageist. {{currentYear}} American Bar Association, all rights reserved. Regardless of where you stand on the issue of Chauvins guilt, we all should agree that the Constitution guarantees every criminal defendant a fair trial. Moriarty said she could not imagine a defense attorney agreeing to allow a jury to reach a verdict without the full 12 members. The claim became part of the defenses request for a new trial and the judge eventually overturned the convictions based, in part, on an unrelated jury issue. An alternate juror who might be called upon to move into an empty spot on the jury must follow all the rules that regular jurors follow. One of the officers wrote the report that showed the victims injuries on a standard domestic violence form they use, and was also shown a picture to support those injuries. Before long, both the prosecutors and defense attorneys finished their closing arguments. Mother whose son donated organs reunites with recipient, It's time for spring fishing and they're definitely biting in E, Heartland Dental a step closer to new site in Meridian Plaza. Its unclear why Christensen thinks she owes Floyd an apology jurors take an oath to render a verdict based solely on the evidence and the law. Simply seating a jury has been a challenge for such a well-known case. The day prosecutors played a homemade video taken inside Franklins home capturing him having sex with an unidentified woman, Cabrera said she was sure shed vomit. The lab tech confirmed on one of the pills that it contained the drug. You want to scream out that you used to live down the street from where the accident happened, so clearly you are the most qualified when it comes to judging who was being negligent. Most concerning was what Christensen said when asked what she would say to the family ofFloyd. (The lawyers have a right to object to these questions, just as they do to questions posed by lawyers during the trial.) one day >>Final Motions 13. Why is Frank McCourt really pushing this? Simpsons nine-month murder trial in 1995, all but two of the original 12 alternate jurors were tapped to join the panel of deliberating jurors. >>Opening Statements A unanimous decision must be reached before a defendant is found "guilty." Instruction to Alternate Jurors on Submission of Case to Jury - Free Legal Information - Laws, Blogs, Legal Services and More We write helpful content to answer your questions from our expert network. Christensens remarks during her interview raise important questions about whether the jurors who did deliberate, and who arrived at a verdict convicting Chauvin on all counts, considered only the trial evidence and the law given to them by Judge Peter Cahill in making that determination, or whether it was improperly influenced by external pressures. Read our editorial standards. Convenient, Affordable Legal Help - Because We Care! Anyway, SF's lab didn't even touch the stuff. She knew she had to tell the judge, but worried shed get kicked off the case. My heart broke a little when [the judge] turned and said, Number 96, youre an alternate, she told KARE. You start feeling powerless. . 13. We did not identify ourselves amongst each other, so we did not say our names, occupations, or anything about our families.. >>Pre-Trial Conferences You'll learn more about the drugs shortly. The defense was weak, but the lawyer had to try his best to fight back through cross-examination of the witnesses. Akit checks on his inbox often.Questions welcomed too!Comments are moderated. I was aware, but it did not affect me at all.. The rules state that if a juror cant continue during deliberations, a mistrial must be declared unless the parties agree that the jury can proceed with fewer members. not fluent in English). Finally, in answer to your question concerning the question of unanimity stressed by the judge, unanimity was required. They didn't . During the criminal trial, the four alternate jurors (up from the original two after a Friday decision by Judge Peter Cahill) will be indistinguishable from their peers. What are alternate jurors? How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, 17 SoCal hiking trails that are blooming with wildflowers (but probably not for long! She recognized a man the defense planned to call as a memory expert. Not a bad offer since mileage is only $2.50 a day. voir dire (to speak the truth). Immediately after the last trial juror is sworn, the may in its discretion direct the selection of one or more, but not more than six additional jurors to be known as "alternate jurors", except that, in a prosecution under section 125.27 of the penal law, the court may, in wanted to point out that regardless of the strength of the narcotic, any amount is possession. You may opt out at anytime.