More thoughts on juries
Just for fun, I sat through the first day of a criminal trial this week. What does that have to do with polygamy?
Well, the defense team is the same one that is representing Warren Jeffs. So I was getting a little education on court room behavior, though I'll keep that to myself for the moment.
The first half of day one was spent picking a jury. Each potential juror was asked to give a brief biographical sketch that, among other things, included a description about how he or she gets local news.
I feared for my job after the first few candidates said they don't read newspapers. Period.
It got better. By my count, a little over half the candidates said they read a daily newspaper and, I am happy to report, all but one said that newspaper is The Salt Lake Tribune.
Yes!
I winced when one candidate said she gave up the newspaper after she broke her leg some years ago. Attention circulation: Get it on the porch!
Interestingly, three people said their sole source of news is now the Internet.
They also mentioned a variety of magazines, including: Track & Field (a woman); Ladies Home Journal; Laptop Magazine (a woman); Ensign (an LDS Church publication); Golf Digest; Time; Martha Stewart Living (two people); National Geographic (two people); The New Yorker; The Economist; Cosmo; and "trashy" celebrity mags.
Hey, no worries. I've got a People magazine and a Vanity Fair sitting on my kitchen counter.
Well, the defense team is the same one that is representing Warren Jeffs. So I was getting a little education on court room behavior, though I'll keep that to myself for the moment.
The first half of day one was spent picking a jury. Each potential juror was asked to give a brief biographical sketch that, among other things, included a description about how he or she gets local news.
I feared for my job after the first few candidates said they don't read newspapers. Period.
It got better. By my count, a little over half the candidates said they read a daily newspaper and, I am happy to report, all but one said that newspaper is The Salt Lake Tribune.
Yes!
I winced when one candidate said she gave up the newspaper after she broke her leg some years ago. Attention circulation: Get it on the porch!
Interestingly, three people said their sole source of news is now the Internet.
They also mentioned a variety of magazines, including: Track & Field (a woman); Ladies Home Journal; Laptop Magazine (a woman); Ensign (an LDS Church publication); Golf Digest; Time; Martha Stewart Living (two people); National Geographic (two people); The New Yorker; The Economist; Cosmo; and "trashy" celebrity mags.
Hey, no worries. I've got a People magazine and a Vanity Fair sitting on my kitchen counter.
6 Comments:
I am a confessed news junkie. I like to get my news from many sources, but nothing does it like sitting down after the kids are off to school with a warm cup of tea and a newspaper. The internet versions are great, but do not have everything the print edition does. Since we do not have access where I live to a huge number of national papers, the internet is good for that also.
Where are they going to find people in Southern Utah, especially Washington county, that have no connection or opinion on polygamy. Even though the prosecuters keep talking about how this is not about polygamy, polygamy is every other word out of their mouths. The whole premise for the charges against Warren Jeffs are connected to the spiritual unions he allegedly offciated at.
Requests for a change of venue almost always come from the defense. In this case, it seems that it would be to the prosecutor's advantage to get an outside jury pool. I'd like to see a jury of people from different states, although in this case, it might be difficult to make up a jury of "one's peers."
Wow. A deleted post? What was it I said?
Must be the Suri revealed issue! It's the only Vanity Fair I've ever bought. What a gorgeous baby. I admit I read People all the time.
I'll confess. At my new apartment, the old tenants haven't forwarded their mail, including their subscription to Star. Best three months of my life.
Thanks for deleting that 12:01 comment. I was offended by his post. I feel sorry for that fella.
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