May 30, 2024
Disorder in the Court
Timothy Birdnow
"Disagreement" in the jury room at Trumpapalooza.
Jurors asked for transcripts and also for the judge to repeat his (unlawful) instructions to the jury. (Judge Meathead, er, Meacham said they need not worry about disagreeing over the fundamentals, something clearly outside the purview of the law.You can't convict a man for a crime if you think his actions did not break any laws leading up to the so-called crime.)
FTA:
We'll know soon.
"Disagreement" in the jury room at Trumpapalooza.
Jurors asked for transcripts and also for the judge to repeat his (unlawful) instructions to the jury. (Judge Meathead, er, Meacham said they need not worry about disagreeing over the fundamentals, something clearly outside the purview of the law.You can't convict a man for a crime if you think his actions did not break any laws leading up to the so-called crime.)
FTA:
Mr. Turley, who has been commenting on the day’s proceedings from his vantage position in the courtroom, took to X to express the view that the request to rehear the instructions is a possible sign of disagreement among jurors.
"The request for instructions is particularly interesting,” Mr. Turley wrote in a post. "I cannot imagine a need for the instruction unless there was an early disagreement in that room on the evidence and the standards.”
In another post, Mr. Turley further clarified this view: "The only reason to hear the instructions again is to clarify the standard if jurors are in disagreement.”
The law professor also speculated that another "intriguing possibility” was that a juror may have invoked Judge Merchan’s instructions that if one of the witnesses, Michael Cohen, lied about any material points while on the stand, the jurors could disregard all of his testimony.
Judge Merchan also told jurors that they cannot find President Trump guilty solely based on the testimony of Mr. Cohen, who was the former president’s lawyer and associate.
After the jurors re-entered the courtroom in the afternoon, the judge told them that the compilation of testimony they had requested for a readback was not yet complete and so he dismissed them—before admonishing them not to discuss the case with anyone
This makes it more likely a hung jury will be the outcome - or an acquittal. On the other hand, they may be trying very hard to get an unanimous verdict and thus want all the i's dotted and t's crossed. "The request for instructions is particularly interesting,” Mr. Turley wrote in a post. "I cannot imagine a need for the instruction unless there was an early disagreement in that room on the evidence and the standards.”
In another post, Mr. Turley further clarified this view: "The only reason to hear the instructions again is to clarify the standard if jurors are in disagreement.”
The law professor also speculated that another "intriguing possibility” was that a juror may have invoked Judge Merchan’s instructions that if one of the witnesses, Michael Cohen, lied about any material points while on the stand, the jurors could disregard all of his testimony.
Judge Merchan also told jurors that they cannot find President Trump guilty solely based on the testimony of Mr. Cohen, who was the former president’s lawyer and associate.
After the jurors re-entered the courtroom in the afternoon, the judge told them that the compilation of testimony they had requested for a readback was not yet complete and so he dismissed them—before admonishing them not to discuss the case with anyone
We'll know soon.
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at
10:02 AM
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