Anonymous jury in Derek Chauvin trial part of a growing trend that has some legal experts worried

[Fullduplexxx]

Anonymous jury in Derek Chauvin trial part of a growing trend that has some legal experts worried

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/04/25/chauvin-trial-jury-anonymous-concerning-trend-us-justice/7342909002/


The right wants it's pound of flesh

[Siwsan]

1. I think anonymous is good

I served on a murder jury. 3 young males, in their late teens/early twenties, killed an older man and robbed him. We found them guilty. I remember the families were livid. There was a slip up in courtroom procedure and they were let out of the court room BEFORE we even made it to the elevator. They came at us but were stopped by the bailiffs.

Shortly after the trial I started getting phone calls from someone who claimed they were given my name by a mutual friend. I tried, without success, to figure out who this mutual friend was. The person calling was very persistent that we meet. Of course, that wasn't going to happen. Then their tone took a really nasty, almost threatening turn. I'd hang up, they'd call back. Finally l I used that old ruse of letting them talk for a few minutes, and then thanked them for staying on the line long enough for the trace to take place. They hung up and never called, again.

Now, I can't PROVE these calls were coming from someone connected to those guys, and I don't know for certain what information was available to them about who was on their jury, but the timing was suspicious.

[Irish_Dem]

2. The US has become divided and violent, with ready access to personal online data.

We have to keep juries safe.

[Sgent]

3. I don't think its anonymous

its just that they won't release the names for 6 months after the trial.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

4. Fuck the fucking rightwingers

They'd be wanting an anonymous jury if the media was scrutinizing and not fawning over the republican perp.

The sooner we say fuck right wingers and thier brain dead voters the better things will be.

[SWBTATTReg]

5. So what's the problem? Auton. juries still have to follow the rules of evidence as presented, etc.

Nothing else is changed other than protected the innocent jurists who are doing their civic duty, in sitting for a jury. Why put them in harms' way? The names of jurists are not recorded in court records as the cases are being prosecuted/defended (they are just sitting in judgment). If they need to refer to jurists, they should use jurist 1, jurist 2, etc. Of course the name(s) of the judge, the defender(s) and their lawyer(s), the prosecutor(s) are all known, already being in the public eye.

[dsc]

6. I think the use of anonymous juries should be strictly limited

but I don't think we are in danger of seeing it become a trend. This was surely a case where anonymity was justified.

[Claire Oh Nette]

7. "if in the end no one knows who's on the jury, people can lose faith..."

"if in the end no one knows who’s on the jury, people can lose faith in the system and see it as a faceless machine."

If (supposition)
In the end (filler to add sense of doom)
Can lose (might? maybe, could? possibility, ever so scant)

Um, guessing the defendant typically has zero idea who's on the jury. I never knew any of the people called for jury pool with me. Guessing very few court trials are televised. Guessing in those rare, televised court cases, the average Joe viewer still doesn't know who is on the jury.

In fact, why do they need to know names, race, age, gender of jurist, unless they intend to do harm.

Judges keep juries anonymous if they think the jurors might face, not love letters and thank you notes, but physical harm. Need to know? Let your attorney find out.

This is outrage over not being able to retaliate.
They have nothing.

[Jilly_in_VA]

9. What "legal experts" are worried?

The ones on the right? They're not experts. And this is faux outrage. Please.

[Claire Oh Nette]

11. jury of our peers...

If I'm tried by jury, I'll give them a list of my peers to choose from.

Otherwise, it's jury of fellow citizens.

Who cares who's on the jury?
Oh, right, fascists who believe in trial by combat.

[msfiddlestix]

8. Who are these Legal Experts, and why are they "worried"?

[FakeNoose]

10. If the police could somehow get the jurors' info

... they'd have it already. It's imperative that these jurors and their families remain protected, for at least 6 months or maybe longer.

Otherwise nobody will ever want to serve on a high-profile trial again.

[drmeow]

12. Actually, it seems to me that the article

presents a reasonable look at both sides of the argument. Personally I think there are other ways to address the anti-anonymous jury arguments.