Monthly Archives: July 2007

Supreme Court Approves Paraphrasing of Standard Jury Instruction during Voir Dire

During jury selection in a first degree murder case, the prosecutor paraphrased the standard jury instruction on premeditation, and made certain statements regarding the presumption of innocence. The Supreme Court held it was not error to do so because the prosecutor’s comments were “largely identical to the standard jury instruction,” and, at the conclusion of the case, the jury was correctly instructed on both the presumption of innocence and premeditation. Belcher […]

July 23, 2007

Juror Questionnaire – Conrad Black Trial

Last week’s conviction of media mogul Conrad Black leaves a near unbroken string of recent CEO guilty verdicts. Black, who was convicted in federal district court of mail fraud and obstruction of justice, was so confident of acquittal that he once quipped during the trial that the prosecution’s case was “hanging like a toilet seat around their necks.” Oh well. In any event, the parties used a 45 page juror questionnaire during […]

July 17, 2007