Grand Juror Sues McCulloch, Says He Mischaracterized the Wilson Case

[Judi Lynn]

73. Fighting Court Secrecy, Ferguson Juror Sues to Break Gag-Order

Published on Monday, January 05, 2015

by Common Dreams

Fighting Court Secrecy, Ferguson Juror Sues to Break Gag-Order

Suit alleges that evidence presented to grand jury 'with the insinuation that Brown, not Wilson, was the wrongdoer'

by Lauren McCauley, staff writer

A member of the St. Louis grand jury that did not indict police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown filed a lawsuit on Monday challenging the court gag order, arguing that prosecuting attorney Robert McCulloch has not accurately portrayed the grand jury trial and that his experience could "help inform a way forward."

The American Civil Liberties Union, which is representing the juror referred to as "John Doe," issued a statement saying that the individual "would like to talk about the experience of serving on a grand jury, the evidence presented and the investigation in a way that could contribute to the public dialogue concerning race relations."

Without permission from a court, it is a crime for grand jurors to discuss their service. In the suit, Doe says he is "chilled" from expressing his views on the experience and cites a Missouri state statute which says that a juror could be charged with a class A misdemeanor if found guilty of disclosing details of a grand jury trial. McCulloch is named as a defendant since he would be the person to bring charges against Doe.

According to the suit (pdf), filed in the Eastern District of Missouri U.S. District Court, the experience of the grand jury was not honestly portrayed by McCulloch to the public, despite his claims regarding the "transparency" of the case.

More:
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/01/05/fighting-court-secrecy-ferguson-juror-sues-break-gag-order