Referred to as the “Google Mistrial,” a federal judge in Florida declared a mist

Question

Referred to as the “Google Mistrial,” a federal judge in Florida declared a mistrial after a juror told that judge that he had been doing research on the Internet on the drug trial in which he was serving. When the judge declared the mistrial, eight other jurors confessed that they had been doing the same thing.

Judges have long warned jurors about using outside sources, including the Internet, but BlackBerries and iPhones have proven to be mighty tempting for jurors. Some jurors are using Facebook to announce when verdicts are coming. One juror even looked up evidence that had been excluded by the judge in the case. When asked why he violated the judge’s order, the juror said simply, “Well, I was curious.” Another juror contacted the defendant through Facebook, and another mistrial resulted.

A judge in Arkansas is reviewing a request for a reversal of a $12.6 million jury verdict against a company from one of the company’s lawyers based on the court’s discovery that one of the jurors was using Twitter to send out postings about how the trial was proceeding. An excerpt from the posting follows: “Oh, and nobody buy Stoam. It’s bad mojo and they’ll probably cease to Exist now that their wallet is $12m lighter … So, Jonathan, what did you do today? Oh nothing really, I just gave away TWELVE MILLION DOLLARS of somebody else’s money.”

What is the problem with jurors using these electronic tools during their cases? When answering the post, it would be helpful to define what is a jury and what is the purpose of a jury in a court proceeding.

Reference:

Explanation / Answer

Jury is a body of citizens sworn by the court to reach a verdict. The members of jury are called jurors,are selected from a number of citizens who are called up by the court for this service. Each jury select their foreman/forewoman before the case starts,this foreman/forewoman acts as informal chairperson and spokesperson for the jury.

The purpose of the jury is to reach a verdict on the basis of the facts and evidences that has presented only in the court and under the direction of the judge. The jury by is not allowed to interpret law,it follows the direction of judge. If jurors want any explanation on any aspect of the case they can ask the judge through the foreman/forewoman.

As it is clear that the jury and jurors should reach the verdict only on the evidences and facts that are presented in the court. So,when the jurors use the electronic tools during their cases they are violating this rule of the court. The other rule violated by jurors while using the electronic tools is interpretation of the various aspects of the case by themselves instead of seeking the help of the judge who is legally authorized for doing so. Apart from the violation of the rules of the court, seeking information from the external sources creates bias while producing a verdict by the jury. So,use of electronic tools by the jury during their cases is both ethically and legally incorrect.

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