There’s a reason why judges ask members of a jury pool whether they’ve seen or heard publicity about the case they’re about to hear and decide. It’s to ensure a member of the jury hasn’t formed an opinion about the defendant based on incorrect facts or evidence that is not admissible. Normally when there’s a problem, it’s because a member of the jury heard things about the case before sitting on the panel, or because someone mouthed off to the juror. Even more rarely, a member of the jury decides to do his or her own research, then gets into a world of trouble when the alleged know-it-all starts talking about it in front of other jurors in an attempt to sway fellow jurors’ decisions.
However, the judge in the high-profile murder trial of Atlanta attorney Claud “Tex” McIver probably didn’t expect this one. In response to the standard question, a member of the jury said said they heard story about the trial on the jury bus on the way to the courthouse.
Law&Crime has reached out to a court spokesperson to try to unravel several questions, including how the purported busing procedure was used, how many people were on it, and whether, indeed, a number of jurors were subjected to news reports about the case on the way to the courthouse.
[Image via court pool camera/WSB-TV.]