As if finding jurors that haven't read any news coverage of the ongoing corruption trial of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich wasn't hard enough, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that many of the dozen or so prospective jurors had been openly discussing articles about the case.
And since that violates the rules of the court, specifically a media blackout imposed by U.S. District Judge James Zagel, it could have pushed back the trial date yet again.
That might have suited Blagojevich's Chicago criminal defense attorney just fine, since his client had unsuccessfully requested a delay.
In the first week of June, Judge James Zagel told all potential jurors they couldn't read, watch, or listen to news coverage of the trial. According to an email by David Hallstrom, a member of the juror pool who was eventually dismissed, many of the prospective jurors didn't pay any mind:
"I am in a room with a dozen or so people. A good number of these people talk about what they have read about the case since we were last here."
In a follow-up interview with reporters, he said he remembered about four to six potential jurors talking about what they saw or read in the news about the trial. But perhaps even more baffling for David Hallstrom is that he did business with eight firms listed on the jury questionnaire, had met Judge James Zagel and knew more than a dozen witnesses; regardless, he was just two people away from being selected.
It's routine for potential jurors who have connections with witnesses, plaintiffs, defendants, attorneys or anyone else involved in a trial to be excluded.
As far as the media blackout is concerned, Patrick Collins, lead prosecutor in the trial of former Gov. George Ryan, said ignoring the media is exponentially more difficult nowadays but crucial for a fair trial:
"Compared to the Ryan trial, there are, and will be, exponentially more temptations for jurors regarding media exposure; that's why following the judge's ruling is all that more important."
Related Resources:
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Criminal Trial Procedures: An Overview (FindLaw)
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Judge Urged to Reject Rod Blagojevich Trial Delay (FindLaw's Blotter Blog)
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Find a Chicago Criminal Attorney (FindLaw)
