Bizarre, Courts, Criminal law

With Friends Like This: Juror Faces Contempt Charge After Suggesting Defendant Was Guilty on Facebook Before The Verdict

Hadley Jons of Warren, Michigan may want to look at who her “friends” are on Facebook. One of them blew the whistle when she indicated that a defendant was guilty in a trial for resisting arrest before the verdict in the case. Now, she faces a possible contempt charge.

On her Facebook page, Jones, 20, reportedly wrote it was “gonna be fun to tell the defendant they’re [sic] guilty.” One of the friends reading the comment was defense lawyer Saleema Sheikh’s son.

Circuit Judge Diane Druzinski questioned Jons the next day and replaced her with an alternate.

Sheikh is asking for jail time.

I just participated in a panel with federal judges at the ABA conference in San Francisco on the use of restrictions in the use of the Internet by jurors and other new technical issues in trials today. Blogging and tweating were specifically raised as concerns by the judges.

We have seen similar problems recently in other cases.

Source: Chronicle and ABA Journal.

Kudos: Anonymously Yours

Jonathan Turley

10 thoughts on “With Friends Like This: Juror Faces Contempt Charge After Suggesting Defendant Was Guilty on Facebook Before The Verdict”

  1. Appeal?? Unless the guy is rich, I doubt that there will be an appeal. The alternate solution is to have a civil suit if he can prove it was a bad arrest.

    And that seems to be a big problem with juries, they hear the cops testimony and then take it as fact.
    And as we have seen from other posts on JONATHAN TURLEY, cops DO lie at times.

  2. There are no family associations between peoples names whom end in vowels. There is no mafia in maccomb county michigan. There are no polish people living in michigan and dearborn, michigan does not have the highest concentration or arabic speaking people out side of the mideast. these are all just coincidences…..

    If this had happened in any other county, she would have been incarcerated for at least 24 hours and a mistrial declared. This will make for an interesting issue on the defendants appeal.

  3. UPDATE: Sentenced to 5 page report and a $250 fine.

    From AP (byline Ed White)MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. — A Detroit-area woman who was removed from a jury for commenting about the ongoing case on Facebook has a longer writing task ahead: a five-page essay about the constitutional right to a fair trial.

    . . .

    Druzinski told Jons that it didn’t matter whether she used Facebook to express an opinion or simply spoke to a friend about the case.

    “You violated your oath. … You had decided she was already guilty without hearing the other side,” the judge said.

    By Oct. 1, Jons must submit an essay about the 6th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and pay a $250 fine.

    Jons declined comment outside court. Her attorney, John Giancotti, said the outcome was appropriate. He declined further comment.”

  6. Blouise,

    I think more Judges are greater risk than Idiot Jurors and even more so than some of the most addled-minded defense attorneys and over inflated (stupid) prosecutors charges.

  7. I still hold to my theory that the internet didn’t make more idiots, it just makes idiots louder.

  8. Speaking of jurors and trials,it will be very interesting to see how this matter turns out.

    Paris Hilton Charged With Felony, Denied Ownership Of Cocaine Purse: Police.

    I say that to say we all saw how she ran to “mommy” after being released from that slap on the wrist she got the last time.A felony charge totally different matter which I am quite sure she is finding out.

    BTW:Giuliani’s Daughter Accepts Deal to Erase Charges
    By JOHN ELIGON

    Louis Lanzano/Associated Press

    Caroline Giuliani arriving for her court appearance Tuesday morning.Caroline Giuliani, the daughter of former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, struck a deal in court on Tuesday to have her shoplifting charges dismissed.

    Ms. Giuliani, 20, made a quick appearance in Manhattan Criminal Court, where prosecutors offered her an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal, meaning that if she serves a day of community service and stays out of trouble for six months, the case against her will be dismissed.

    http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/31/charges-to-be-dismissed-against-giulianis-daughter/

    If you ever notice when you go into a store and they have a sign telling you about shoplifting the fines/penalties are pretty strict.

    But it seems they only apply to the little guy.

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