Should the Names of Jurors Be Kept Private?

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Perham1

2,500+ Posts
Looks like the Barry the Bobble-Head Bonds' trial is underway and the names of the jurors are being kept from the public.

Do you agree? If names are released the press will hound them, that's a given. If not released the press cannot run their "due diligence", possibly finding lies or omissions from their jury forms (run-ins with police, being associated with defendant, etc.).

Solution? Don't sit on a jury.
 
How about YOU give us all YOUR name and address so we can come over and have a cup of tea (which we will bring) while we discuss your posts?
 
Just for you information, Perham, the jurors' nams and adresses and crimiinal scrapes and relations to cops and their birthdates and hospital of birth and even their reiligious adherences are given to the actual attorneys in the case. The rest is none of the busininess of others like me or you or the "press"(whatever that means) or anyone else. They can't be worried about persecution by people like you or "the press". They just have to vote their conscience. I can understand why that would scare you, Perham, but it is a really cool part of the system.

Today things have improved slightly. There was a time when people who didn't have white skin would be virtually guaranteed that they would not be judged by a "jury of their peers". At best, they would be judged by twelve angry white men. Have you evere seen that movie? Have you ever seen "To Kill A Mockingbird?" Have you ever heard of people "salting" the farms of jurors whose verdicts did not sit well with the people who didn't sit through a trial or spend time agitating over an outcome?

What angry agenda are you advocating? That angry white men refuse to do jury duty or just the people who think exactly like you?

A jury (even if composed entirely of KKK members - not really plausible) needs to remain anonymous
 
An assortment of very odd posts in response to my question.

This wasn't a difficult question and was raised by the Barry Bonds case, which is currently in the news.

Here is a link to the Yahoo article on the topic.

Link

Not surprisingly, the actual facts and issues differ somewhat from what Nick has stated.

I thought this was a slightly above-average topic of interest, and lord knows this forum needs more of those. But since all I can get are some strange semi-stalking posts, I guess the interest is just not there.

As far as To Kill a Mockingbird goes, I am aware of that fine piece of fiction penned by Mr. Capote.
 
Semi-stalking? You failed to link anything and then criticize me when I commented on the philiosophy involved in the original post that had no link to a particular factual situation?

I pulled my punches wiper
 
I posed the issue and questions. It was your responses, and not my initial post, that determines whether staking is involved.

You obviously have some issues with either me or my posts and rather than respond substantively to what I write you choose to engage in creepy behavior.

But, I have provided a link, and as mentioned, the lay of the land regarding this issue is not quite what you claimed it to be. Please read and become educated.
 
And BTW, To Kill A Mockingbird was written by Harper Lee. Only some weird fringe element still believes that Capote wrote it.
 
Nelle Harper Lee, to be complete.

She didn't want to go by just Nelle Lee because didn't want her name to be "Nelle Lee", which northerners would presumably say fast and have it come out as just "Nellie".

But thanks for clarifying that Ms. Lee is given official authorial credit for writing TKAM. I will no longer be laboring under the misperception that Truman actually wrote it.
 
Anyway, in an effort (probably futile) to get this thread back on track I would say that the names of jurors should remain private. But the jurors themselves may make that difficult.

There's a lot of stuff going on with jurors nowadays. Not only with the press hounding them on high-profile cases, but with jurors using the internet during cases: researching the case, the judge, the lawyers, the parties to the case, tweeting about the case, blogging about the case, posting on Facebook and writing "F*** You, Judge".

It is fairly common now for the lawyers to use the internet to check out the jurors during the selection process: they check out Facebook and other social media sites.

Compounding the problem is the technical ignorance of many judges. They don't realize all the available internet options open to jurors.

So, I guess, another question would be is it ok for jurors to use the internet to learn more about the case they are sitting on? How can it be stopped?
 
Without having studied the issue, my opinion would be that the jurors should have a right to privacy, if they so choose, in order to be able to render a decision without fear of reprisals. Lawyers and/or the court should do the vetting prior to, during and/or after the trial to insure the jury's decision is fair or impartial.
 
That is pretty much the correct answer. There has always been a concern that jurors will go to a crime scene or view an intersection, etc. And they are always admonished not to do that, but it happens all the time. Not much to do about it and lots of people just can't resist since they "volunteered" and take their job seriously.
 
If not released the press cannot run their "due diligence", possibly finding lies or omissions from their jury forms
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i didnt realize the press went out and investigated every juror on every jury in the country. they can't even keep an eye on the politicians. this is the job of the lawyers, not the press.
 
I didnt realize the press went out and investigated every juror on every jury in the country.

It is quite obvious they don't; just as obvious is the fact that this issue primarily, if not exclusively, involves high-profile cases, in which the press's meddling would be an issue.
 
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