Stevens Deliberations to Start Anew With Alternate Juror

[brooklynite]

Source: Roll Call

Jury deliberations in the criminal trial of Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens (R) will begin anew Monday with an alternate juror, after the judge in the case excused one panelist Sunday night.

In an unusual Sunday hearing in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Judge Emmet Sullivan ruled that a juror who has been absent from the courthouse since Friday to attend her father’s funeral in California would be removed from the jury.

An alternate juror, a white woman, will begin to serve on the panel Monday morning, a decision that will require the jury to begin its deliberations from scratch.

Stevens’ attorneys objected to the ruling, asserting that the court should wait until Monday afternoon to see whether the absent juror would be able to continue.

Read more: http://www.rollcall.com/news/29546-1.html?ET=rollcall:e...

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Just drag it out another week.....

[Ilsa]

1. This is great! They'll probably still be in deliberations on election day! nt

[Politicalboi]

2. Well it would be better

If they had a decision before Nov 4th if guilty of course. If not guilty then yes wait LOL!

[VeraAgnes]

3. Oh please tell me it was the crazy, obnoxious juror

who had to leave.

Oh and this....

"Stevens" attorneys objected to the ruling, asserting that the court should wait until Monday afternoon to see whether the absent juror would be able to continue."

Dah..........what does this attorney think alternates are for anyways?

[yellowcanine]

8. I was wondering that also. Hopefully it is the same person.

[Doctor_J]

4. Seriesly, is Ted going to get elected? What happens if he does, then

goes to prison?

[Dr.Phool]

5. Palin can appoint herself as a replacement.

And then she can take command of the Senate, just like as if she were the Vice President.

Or appoint her fascist husband.

[yellowcanine]

9. That would be a really mavericky thing to do.

[Doctor_J]

11. You betcha. We can set up a Kremlin Listening Post at her house

all we need is 100 yards of string and some soup cans

[ooglymoogly]

6. kr nt

[4lbs]

7. If Stevens' attorneys objected, then their own juror research investigations must have revealed

information that told them that this juror that was dismissed would have been leaning towards their own side.

[Winterblues]

10. Why did this person reporting feel the need to put the adjective "white"

before woman, when they were describing the alternate jurer? Is the person's skin color that important in this case?

[Doctor_J]

12. I think the original jury was all people of color (maybe all black)

poor Ted. Reminds me of that Chappell "Law and Order" skit where the thieving CEO gets put on trial before "a jury of his peers" which consists of all homeys wearing giant pants and tats and do-rags.

[Chan790]

13. The makeup of a jury...

race, gender, religion, socio-economic background, political leanings, personal histories of the jurors (and a hundred other factors) is always relevant. Perhaps it shouldn't be, but it is.

Jury consultants and investigators (for voir dire) for large law firms often make as much as the lawyers trying the case...and for good reason, they have as much or more to do with the outcome of the case.