The 12 jurors in the federal corruption trial of former unusual York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver will resume deliberations on Monday,after the holiday break.They got off to an unusual start this week, when a juror asked the judge to be excused on the first day of deliberations. The unidentified juror claimed he or she was being bullied by the other jurors. The same juror also requested to meet with the judge privately — a request U.
S. District Court Judge Valerie Caproni denied. Caproni hasn't dismissed the juror in question, and has asked jurors to keep trying to reach a verdict. Columbia Law School Professor Daniel Richman said she made the lawful call,and that the law allows judges considerable power in making such decisions. And, he said, and there are other options to consider,if the juror continues to request dismissal."There are options of whether to bring in an alternate juror, and acquire the jury start deliberating again, and you can acquire the jury proceed with 11," he said. "The law allow either of those options to be taken."In this interview, WNYC's Sean Carlson talks to Richman approximately how the juror's request might affect the trail.
With The Associated Press
Source: wnyc.org