Administrative matters: jury conduct

📄 Administrative matters: jury conduct — Thursday, May 18, 1995

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\MAY\18\ADMINISTRATIVE-MATTERS-JURY-CO.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 77 of 167

◀ Direct examination of Gary Sims (part 3) Redirect examination of Gary Sims ▶

Date: Thursday, May 18, 1995 • Utterances: 3

Judge Ito addressed two minor jury conduct issues before proceedings began. A newspaper article containing comments about basketball teams had reached the jurors, but Ito deemed it harmless and praised the jury's integrity for reporting it. He also announced that two media attendees would be banned from the courtroom after jurors complained in written notes that the individuals were talking constantly and disrupting their ability to hear testimony.

# 1 THE COURT:

Back on the record in the Simpson matter. Counsel, two matters before we get started. The newspaper article that the jurors brought to the Court's attention appeared in a little blurb column regarding counsel's comments regarding various basketball teams, and I find this to be no harm, no foul, but I think it speaks to the diligence and the integrity of our jurors, so I will convey to them the Court's compliments. I take it there is no other comment or objection on behalf of the parties?

# 2 MR. COCHRAN:

Your Honor, may I just make one inquiry? Have there been any other articles at any other times?

# 3 THE COURT:

No. The first time it has happened that one slipped by. Secondly, I received over the break two notes from jurors and they are indicating that there are individuals, regular--regular attendees, meaning the media persons, and they give me seat numbers, who are constantly talking in the courtroom and who are causing them to have difficulty hearing the testimony, and they have given me the seat numbers of the persons who--in the last session who were talking constantly and disturbing them. And I am going to have Miss Hayslett identify the two individuals and those persons will be banned from further attendance in the courtroom. All right. Let's have the jury, please.

Temperature

routine

Key Quotes (3)

Lance A. Ito

I find this to be no harm, no foul, but I think it speaks to the diligence and the integrity of our jurors, so I will convey to them the Court's compliments.

Ito publicly praised the jury for self-policing exposure to outside material, reinforcing trust in their conduct.

Lance A. Ito

I am going to have Miss Hayslett identify the two individuals and those persons will be banned from further attendance in the courtroom.

Firm enforcement action against disruptive media personnel at the jurors' direct request.

Johnnie Cochran

Have there been any other articles at any other times?

Cochran probing whether prior jury contamination through media had occurred undetected.

Notable Exchanges (1)

Johnnie Cochran•Lance A. Ito

Cochran asked whether other articles had reached jurors at prior times; Ito confirmed this was the first incident.

strategic

Objections

None recorded

Proceeding 6108 • 3 utterances

Criminal Trial

Department 103