Legal teams begin putting together jury for Malheur trial - #BundyTeaParty

[struggle4progress]

By Conrad Wilson, OPB
Published: August 22, 2016, 9:17 PM

... Earlier this summer, federal court officials sent 1,500 summonses out to prospective jurors throughout Oregon. The courts followed up with a detailed questionnaire. It’s those responses that were the subject of Monday’s pretrial conference, which U.S. District Court Judge Anna Brown read aloud in court.

“I only feel contempt for such individuals who arm themselves,” wrote one potential juror.

“U.S. Fish and Wildlife has one political agenda and that is to inflict as much hardship on ranchers,” stated another potential juror ...

The potential jurors who remain in the pool will be selected at random, 30 at a time, to appear for jury selection starting Sept. 7 ...

http://www.columbian.com/news/2016/aug/22/legal-teams-begin-putting-together-jury-for-malheur-trial/

[struggle4progress]

1. As September trial approaches, defendants say they’re ready for trial

By Leah Sottile
August 22 at 10:15 PM

... Over the past several months, 11 defendants in the case have pleaded guilty ...

On Monday the court discussed bias challenges filed by the government and the defense about the opinions expressed by potential jurors on those questionnaires. At least 55 people were dismissed ...

Brown, growing frustrated with continued issues raised about the Second Amendment by defense attorneys, challenged the courtroom to focus on the charges against the defendants ...

In a case that is often punctuated by outbursts from defendants, most frequently arguing whether the judge actually took her oath of office, Ryan Bundy only briefly squared off with the judge over his belief that the Constitution does not give the federal government the right to own land.

“If you raise it again, you are going to forfeit your right of self-representation,” Brown said, telling him to sit down ...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/08/22/as-september-trial-for-malheur-occupiers-approaches-the-defendants-ready-for-trial/?utm_term=.dc8a1c2ef2b0

[struggle4progress]

2. Evidence list against refuge occupiers contains arsenal of weapons, ammo

by KATU.com Staff
Monday, August 22nd 2016

PORTLAND, Ore. — The U.S. government has filed a 34-page list of 707 exhibits it plans to use in next month’s trial of Ammon Bundy and other Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupiers.

The Friday, Aug. 19 court filing includes an extensive list of weapons and ammunition that the government intends to use as evidence against the occupiers, who took over the refuge for 41 days just after the beginning of this year.

The document discloses that the government has seized thousands of rounds of shotgun, handgun and rifle ammunition as evidence. It has also seized as evidence at least 60 guns by KATU’s count. Those guns include semi-automatic rifles, shotguns and handguns.

The court filing also includes items like computers, phones, cameras, media storage devices, interviews with the media, phone calls between negotiators and occupiers, emails, text messages, Facebook messages, aerial surveillance and photographs ...

http://katu.com/news/local/evidence-list-against-malheur-national-wildlife-refuge-occupiers-contains-arsenal-of-weapons-ammo

[struggle4progress]

3. Judge: Fear during Oregon standoff not necessarily relevant in conspiracy case

By Maxine Bernstein | The Oregonian/OregonLive
on August 22, 2016 at 6:33 PM, updated August 22, 2016 at 8:02 PM

Federal employees from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and Burns residents can't simply testify about the "subjective fears'' they had during the occupation of the bird sanctuary without an admissible purpose for the evidence, the trial judge told prosecutors Monday ...

Prosecutors intend to call seven employees from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management or U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to testify at the Sept. 7 trial. They will be asked to explain their work at the refuge and how they were prevented from doing their jobs, identify photos from the refuge and identify defendants driving government vehicles, Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Barrow told the court.

The testimony is to show that defendants charged with federal conspiracy accomplished their objective in obstructing the employees from carrying out their work during the course of the 41-day armed occupation, Barrow said.

The government also plans to call Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward and Steve Grasty, who chairs the county commission and performs limited judicial duties. The two will testify about their direct interaction with some of the defendants, the defendants' efforts to enlist the local government to force the federal government out of the county and the impact it had on the community, prosecutors said ...

http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-standoff/2016/08/judge_fear_felt_by_federal_emp.html

[gratuitous]

4. Too bad I'd never be called as a juror

But it would be interesting to sit on this case.