You start feeling powerless. She admitted that she could not absorb the governing law that the judge provided, and she merely felt that Chauvin was guilty on some level she could be no more specific. This is particularly true in criminal cases. During the criminal trial, the four alternate jurors (up from the original two after a Friday decision by Judge Peter Cahill) will be indistinguishable from their peers. But a feeling that a criminal defendant is culpable on some level is hardly enough to support a conviction. As youre leaving the courthouse for the last time, a guy calls you and says he found your wallet in a cab. In fact, they won't even know they are alternates. >>Pre-Trial Conferences The transcript of the trial court's examination of juror number 4 reveals that some unidentified person contacted the son-in-law because he wanted someone to "get with" the juror. 13. The defense asked the tech about the testing procedures, to create doubt in the jury, and it was known that only one pill was tested; it almost sounded like the lawyer wanted all the pills tested. Courts and Legal Procedure | That the court imposed such precautions means it had real concerns about the jurors physical safety. How long is jury selection? Despite Christensen not having participated in the deliberations, her interview nevertheless provides revealing insights into what the jurys decision-making process was. You'll learn more about the drugs shortly. In an act of desperation to find something besides McDonalds to eat during the court lunch break, you trust ordering a fried flounder sandwich from a deli three blocks from the courthouse. >>Presentation of Evidence by the Defense E-mail him at askthelawyer@gmail.com, or write him, c/o The Edwardsville Intelligencer, 117 N. 2nd St., Edwardsville, IL 62025. It was hard, she said, sighing as she recalled sitting out of the deliberation process. They shall receive the same compensation as other jurors. Simply seating a jury has been a challenge for such a well-known case. During the criminal trial, alternate jurors will be indistinguishable from their peers. I was trying to hold back the laughing because the D.A. But there were also boring days, she said, when experts offered complex scientific explanations of DNA technology. Or . You are whisked into the courtroom when the rest of the jury announces their verdict. Joe Friedberg, a defense attorney, said he expected the judge to make the call to sequester alternates during jury deliberations. As an employee of Pasadenas water and power department, she knew her job would pay her during jury service, but she worried about falling behind at work. You want to scream at the plaintiffs lawyer for not understanding how the traffic works at the scene of the accident (or maybe hes just trying to confuse the jury, but you obviously know whatsup). You may opt out at anytime. Use it! We do not know where he is, said James Smith, the FBI's special agent in charge, with regards to suspect Francisco Oropesa. Instruction to Alternate Jurors on Submission of Case to Jury - Free Legal Information - Laws, Blogs, Legal Services and More Similarly, an alternate juror sits and listens to evidence just like the other jurors but only deliberates and votes if one of the sitting jury members is unable to serve. The use of alternate jurors has been a source of dissatisfaction with the jury system because of the burden it places on . Alternate jurors hear the evidence just as the other jurors do, but they don't participate in the deliberations unless they replace an original juror. The Human Side of Being a Judge | The Supreme Court has, however, said that a jury of at least six jurors is required to satisfy the right to a jury trial that is guaranteed by the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. Cameron Everest Brand, 19, was charged with killing two teenagers and wounding four others in an early Sunday shooting at a house party. In summary, however, this happens when either only six is required, such as when the type of trial is governed by statute, or because a party elected to only have six jurors. When she showed up and saw about 300 other potential jurors, she was certain, and hopeful, shed get dismissed. Christensen did not know that she had been picked as an alternate in this case. That's so that the alternates don't yawn off during proceedings and are ready to step in if another juror is unable to continue. (B) Alternate jurors replace jurors in the same sequence in which the alternates were selected. News, Politics, Culture, and more in realtime. kept saying "buttocks" as a formal term instead of other, more amusing words like anus, rectum, and asshole. >>Civil and Criminal Trials Public media is independent, community-supported media for the public good. A unanimous decision must be reached before a defendant is found "guilty." One mouthed, Im sorry, man.. Explaining the Derek Chauvin trial: How alternate jurors work You feel youll throw an actual fit if they come to a verdict you dont agreewith. Alternate jurors hear the evidence just as the other jurors do, but they dont participate in the deliberations unless they replace an original juror. One Week Later: The Real Jury Selection Process, Akit's Tips to Surviving Jury Duty at the SF Hall of Justice. The FRCP require all jurors in a civil case to participate in reaching the verdict, unless the court excuses a juror for good cause under FRCP 47(c) before the jury reaches a verdict. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times), Authorities believe Lonnie David Franklin Jr. is responsible for at least 25 deaths. You take this personally. The judge won't reveal who the alternative jurors are until attorneys have finished making their cases. 1,020 likes, 12 comments - Maine Needs (@maineneeds) on Instagram: "If you live in or around Portland, you've likely noticed the encampment along the Bayside Trail. wanted to point out that regardless of the strength of the narcotic, any amount is possession. But Moriarty said alternate jurors will be even more important in this trial, given the high-profile nature of Floyd's death and the ongoing pandemic. A member of the San Mateo drug lab was called in to testify about the narcotics. Make sure to take care of your "business" during the trial breaks. In fact, they wont even know they are alternates. Simpsons nine-month murder trial in 1995, all but two of the original 12 alternates were tapped to join deliberations. Alternates are used as a safety net so that the trial can continue, and the jury can reach its verdict. Alternate jurors are sworn and seated near regular jurors. Sometimes a juror has to be removed from the jury ("is excused") before the end of the trial, for example, if the juror becomes ill. To avoid having to retry the case, extra or "alternate" jurors are selected to hear the case with the jury. As an Assistant Attorney General in Juneau, she practiced before the Alaska Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court before opening a plaintiff's personal injury practice in San Francisco. A jury is body of people selected to provide an impartial verdict after a trial of a case. How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, 17 SoCal hiking trails that are blooming with wildflowers (but probably not for long! Alternate jurors. You hope the court officer will notice what youre doing, and comment on how intelligent you seem, and then tell you that you should be in there instead of that fartingwoman. EXPLAINER: Role of alternate jurors in ex-officer's trial But Moriarty said alternate jurors will be even more important in this trial, given the high-profile nature of Floyds death and the ongoing pandemic. You start judging the other jurors. You run out of reading material in the courthouse library, finishing three comic books, a romance novel, a copy of Bon Appetit and a book about Boss Tweed, so you start flipping through lawbooks. Jaya Saxena cant be the only person playing the Law & Order BUNG-BUNG noise in her head constantly during jury duty,right? Cabrera, 43, can still hardly believe her role in the Grim Sleeper case. Yet despite having expressed eminently valid and potentially disqualifying worries which were made more intense for Christensen because the trial was being televised live she was still placed on the jury. The alternates are not allowed back in the jury room with the jurors. One of the alternates a middle-aged woman with frizzy hair gripped her water bottle in suspense, then smiled as the judge told her shed been picked. The judge won't reveal who the alternative jurors are until attorneys have finished making their cases. Another mumbles so much you can never hear what shes saying. The Supreme Court has upheld verdicts of 11 to 1, 9 to 3, and 10 to 2, but most legal scholars agree that it would be unlikely for the Supreme court to uphold an 8 to 4 jury verdict. You were an okay enough liar to get off the three-week-long medical malpractice suit, but you cant figure out a good excuse to get off a civil case involving a 12-year-old being hit by a car (hes fine, everyone) while crossing in the middle of thestreet. I expect commentators to be respectful. In that moment, a knot filled her throat and she felt like crying, but held in the tears. The judge stressed that you reach a unanimous verdict because the United States Supreme Court ruled that juries comprised of six people must be unanimous. You want to tell someone that clearly these people arent fit to determine the fate of the defendant. In two separate interviews on Thursday, Lisa Christensen one of two alternate jurors in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin discussed her experience serving on the jury. EXPLAINER: How the Rittenhouse jury was narrowed | AP News He was also asked about the large amount of drugs the suspect had, and if it was true if the suspect was able to sneak in more through his butt. In this case, the juror might be excused from service. She recognized a man the defense planned to call as a memory expert. Jury service is a high duty of citizenship. But Minnesota criminal defense attorneys said the judge could make sure that alternates maintain their ability to rejoin the jury if needed. 23. Just six sentences are devoted to alternate jurors in Minnesotas Rules of Criminal Procedure, the rules that govern how criminal prosecutions work in the state. There is WiFi in the courthouse, including the main hallways. According to juror number 4, he and appellant are . Question: A while back, I served as a juror on a civil case that involved two people suing each other. Alternate juror Carolina Cabrera describing Franklin. In criminal cases, a prosecutor argues with the defense attorney over whether the accused is guilty. If a juror is faithful to that oath, there is nothing to be contrite about. The old requirement that juries be unanimous is also changing. I spent three weeks of my time, getting invested and going through all kinds of emotions. Welcome to Akit.Org, home to the Complaint Department and started on February 7, 2002. They give one you agree with, but no one looks to you for approval while you sit in the back of the courtroom. Jury chairs sit spaced out inside of the Hennepin County courtroom where former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin's trial takes place. *Steps in a Trial* 1. (Vince Bucci / Associated Press), Samara Herard reflects after jurors decided Lonnie David Franklin Jr. should be put to death for murdering several women, including her 15-year-old sister Princess Berthomieux. If selected to be on a jury, you can get discounted parking for $5 a day. She holds both an M.A. Alternate Juror Law and Legal Definition | USLegal, Inc. Christensen also acknowledged that by the time she made it on the jury, she had seen the video of Chauvin kneeling on Floyd two or three times on the news and that she also saw the settlement run across the bottom of the screen one day.. Criminal trial: An individual is accused of committing a crime that is considered against society as a whole. More than likely, Christensen was not the only person selected to serve on the jury who felt such apprehensions. Heres a look at how alternate jurors will work in thetrial of the former officer charged with murder and manslaughter: During the criminal trial, alternate jurors will be indistinguishable from their peers. >>Settling Cases Judge Shoots Down Hunter Biden's Last-Ditch Effort, President's Son Now Expected in Arkansas Courtroom, Al Sharpton Threatens McDonald's, Accuses Company of Racism for What He Says Comes with Big Macs, Hunter Biden's Baby Mama May Have Just Revealed the Secret Reason He Picked Up Painting, Network Wants to Give Tucker Carlson a Job, And It Won't Just Be Hosting His Own Show: Report, County Councilman Gets Libs to Protest Their Own Ideology by Proclaiming He Is Now a Black Woman, Prominent Names Found Meeting with Epstein After He Became Convicted Sex Offender, Chrissy Teigen Blasted for What Was Happening Behind Her as She Walked to WH Correspondents' Dinner, Dems Handed Massive Defeat by Their Own Justices After SCOTUS Sends Rare Unanimous Letter, Dem Lawmakers Sacrifice 2 Children, Tie Cops Hands in Worship of George Floyd's Memory, Former FBI Assistant Director: Arrests Aren't Enough, We Have to Take Down People Close to Trump, Sitting Congressmen to Stop 'Domestic Terrorism', Democrats' 'Working Man's Party' Image Shattered as IRS Data Reveals the Undeniable Truth, Supreme Court Set to Hear First Major Gun Case in Over a Decade, General's Dire Warning: Here's What Afghan Military Faces Without US Help, Alternate Chauvin Juror Speaks Out, Was 'Worried' Decision Would Upset People, 4 Words on Megyn Kelly's Vacation Hat Have Fans Cheering Her: 'Best Hat Ever', Joe Biden Perfectly Sums Up His First Two Years in Office, And It Doesn't Look Good for Him, Tucker Carlson's Maine Neighbors Rally Around Him After Fox Ousting as They Share What He's Really Like, Deion Sanders 'Ashamed' of Every NFL Team Except for Patriots After Taking Look at Draft Results, Two Students Dead and Four Others Wounded, Adult Male Has Been Charged, Nationwide Flour Recall Issued - Check Your Pantry Now, Texas Sheriff Shares Chilling Info About Mexican Man Wanted for Murder of Five, Search Zone Widens, Door-to-Door Operations Begin as Gunman Eludes Police, Masked Gunmen Open Fire on Crowded Teen Party, Police Now Hunting the Suspects. Cabrera was relieved not to be picked; but as the trial wore on, she became more emotionally invested. The foreman handed papers to the clerk and the courtroom quieted. Alternate jurors will step in if a juror can't continue in the trial for reasons such as illness, a family emergency, or further exposure to information on Floyd's death that wouldtaint their decision. It is surprisingly incredible. As a result, to ensure that at least six jurors are Relief washed over Cabrera the evidence against Franklin had been overwhelming, she thought, and her peers had made the right decision. An alternate juror who might be called upon to move into an empty spot on the jury must follow all the rules that regular jurors follow. Did Chauvin get that? The judge won't reveal who the alternative jurors are until attorneys have finished making their cases. In the vast majority of states, a jury consisting of twelve jurors is the norm, but many states allow for fewer jurors usually at the election of the defendant. Not a bad offer since mileage is only $2.50 a day. >>Selecting the Jury I would have voted guilty. Christensen confirmed this to be the case, and admitted that initially, she did not know if she wanted to serve on the jury because she did not want to disappoint one group or the other, she did not want to go through rioting and destruction again and she was concerned about people coming to [her] house if they were not happy with the verdict.. Not long after the trial began, a regular juror was released because of a school scheduling conflict and Superior Court Judge Kathleen Kennedy threw numbers in a Dodger helmet to choose an alternate. ." Indeed, the death of George Floyd during the course of a police arrest in May triggered mass demonstrations in cities throughout the nation last summer that were marked by riots, looting, arson and violence. When I came home, I could hear the helicopters flying over my house If I stepped outside, I could see the smoke from the grenades. YOU JUST HAD ME SIT IN A LIBRARY FOR HOURS WHEN I COULD HAVE BEEN MAKING IMPORTANT DECISIONS!. Those not selected are excused. >>Jurisdiction and Venue Weary Of Time,Who Countest The Steps Of The Sun. >>Evidence In reaching a verdict, jurors are required to base their decision solely on the evidence introduced at trial and the law that applies to the case, as instructed to them by the judge. Certain jury trials that are a creature of statute (that is, that are created by law), such as certain mental health trials or other civil matters, may require a number of jurors fewer than twelve, and, thus, forbidding anymore than that number actually serving on the jury. What are alternate jurors? Jurors aid in the maintenance of law and order and uphold justice among their fellow . What are alternate jurors? That's so that the alternates don't yawn off during proceedings and are ready to step in if . The lawyers took careful notes about each person and asked more detailed questions which related to the case. Additional jurors were traditionally designated at the outset of the trial, and excused at the close of the evidence if they had not been promoted to full service on account of the elimination of one of the original jurors. But Minnesota criminal defense attorneys said the judge could make sure that alternates maintain their ability to rejoin the jury if needed. And if the court had those concerns, the jurors must have had them, as well. The judge usually makes a brief statement explaining what kind of case is to be tried and inquiring whether there is any reason the potential jurors cannot serve. 18. To stay awake, she doodled everything she saw in the courtroom the judges signature feathered hairstyle, the bailiffs stern glance, an expressionless Franklin. In effect, they allow a lawyer to dismiss a juror because of a belief that the juror will not serve the best interests of the client. It appears that Christensen took neither into account, though. Yes, you can bring in hot coffee to the courthouse, but the deputies will just ask you to hand carry it through the metal detector instead of feeding it through the x-ray machine. Without alternate jurors, the entire trial would have to begin again. 3. There are two types of judicial proceedings in the federal courts that use juries.