Jurors Who Rejected Sarah Palin's Defamation Suit Received Alerts Telling Them the Judge Dismissed

[Shrek]

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[Raven123]

1. What was that judge thinking? Entirely predictable

[gratuitous]

2. Grounds for a mistrial

Guess who gets another bite at the apple?

[Effete Snob]

10. No, the dismissal stands

Palin can appeal the dismissal, but if she doesn’t win that appeal, then this is a nothing.

[Chainfire]

3. That is certainly messy.

[WarGamer]

4. Done deal. Trial is trashed.

[madaboutharry]

5. Why did they have their phones in the jury room?

That seems to be highly irregular. It would be like delivering the newspaper to them every day. Seems like this alone could have been grounds for a mistrial.

[PatSeg]

11. That is an excellent point

[inthewind21]

17. Bingo

You are NOT supposed to have them. When I was a juror, the bailiff collected everyone's phones as soon as we got there every morning and would give them all back when we went home for the day.

[Takket]

6. They should re-try this. I want her to lose with no excuses.

[inthewind21]

20. They will

IN the appeals court. The judge knew this. Palin and her attorneys have been quite vocal about it. They expected to loose. She doesn't meet the high bar and everyone knows it. Palin is not what is at hand here, she's the tool. The ultimate goal is to get this before the supreme court so the new radical right majority can overturn the 1964 NYT v. Sullivan.

[Thomas Hurt]

7. My tinfoil beanie is itching, did the judge do this on purpose...something smells.

[unblock]

8. I'm confused by the dual decisions

If the judge dismissed the case as a matter of law, why didn't that end it? Why did it even go to a jury at all?

[NavyDem]

12. If I recall...

I read somewhere that the Judge dismissed it after the jury started deliberating.

[unblock]

13. Ok, then why not immediately stop the deliberations?

Doesn't the judge's decision render any jury verdict moot?

[NavyDem]

15. I don't know.

I think that the without the jurors being sequestered, this was a sure thing to get appealed, or granted a mistrial. My knowledge of law is pretty limited though.

[inthewind21]

18. Because he knew

Palin was going to appeal, so a dismissal AND a nope from the jury now goes to the appeals court. This is not new. It happens.

[unblock]

19. Ah ok. "Belts and suspenders"

[zipplewrath]

16. Had not yet dismissed it

The judge told the lawyers that if they came back with a verdict favorable to Palin, he'd have to dismiss the case for failure to orove malice. He apparently preferred to let the jury have a chance. Probably it would make the case less a target of an appeal.

[Effete Snob]

9. Doesn't matter

Palin can appeal the dismissal ruling, but since the judge dismissed the case, it doesn’t matter what the jury did.

[unblock]

14. Right that's what I don't get. If it's dismissed as a matter of law, the jury process doesn't matter

I don't get why they even had them finish deliberating.

[inthewind21]

21. Because

When it goes to the appeals court they have a 2fer. A dismissal from the judge AND a nope from the Jury.