Time: Sat Apr 12 20:35:01 1997 by primenet.com (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id OAA09182; Sat, 12 Apr 1997 14:41:38 -0700 (MST) by usr05.primenet.com (8.8.5/8.8.5) with SMTP id OAA24921; Sat, 12 Apr 1997 14:41:32 -0700 (MST) Date: Sat, 12 Apr 1997 20:31:38 -0700 To: (Recipient list suppressed) From: Paul Andrew Mitchell [address in tool bar] Subject: SLS: JRP Newsletter #1 (4/12/97) (fwd) >Date: Sat, 12 Apr 1997 15:17:47 -0600 (MDT) >From: Jury Rights Project <jrights@darkstar.cygnus.com> >Subject: JRP Newsletter #1 (4/12/97) >To: jrights@darkstar.cygnus.com > > Jury Rights Project Newsletter (email version) > Volume 1 Number 1 - April 12, 1997 > > The Jury Rights Project (JRP) was founded in Colorado to >defend the 1000-year-old tradition of trial by jury. The JRP is >dedicated to educating citizens about the importance of juries >and the rights of jurors. The JRP is committed to preserving and >enhancing the rights of jurors to be the voice of the community >without fear of retribution. Through education, the JRP will >empower citizens to defend their 6th Amendment right to trial by >jury, which includes the right to serve on a jury as well as the >right to be judged by an impartial jury of your peers. > The JRP formed around the case of Laura Kriho, a Gilpin >County juror who was maliciously prosecuted after she was the >lone holdout juror on a drug possession case. Kriho was >convicted of contempt of court, after four months of deliberation >by the judge, for failing to -volunteer- information about her >political beliefs and knowledge of the Constitution during jury >selection. > Kriho's conviction is an unprecedented assault on jury >rights and the independence of juries from judges. It has >national ramifications for potential jurors and for defendants >and plaintiffs seeking a fair and impartial jury. Jurors will >now be reluctant to deliberate freely and will fear to vote >against the majority lest they be investigated and prosecuted >later. A fair trial is impossible if the jurors are serving >under the threat of prosecution. > The JRP has been active in promoting awareness of Kriho's >case through the Internet. We are ready to develop a corporeal >as well as ethereal existence by expanding our activities to include >more of the general public. > The JRP will have its first organizational meeting on >Tuesday, April 22. The JRP will continue Tuesday meetings through May. >Future meetings will be decided by the participants. > > JRP Meetings/Presentation Schedule > >Date: Room: Time: Topic: > >April 22 Hellems 141 6:30 pm Organizational Meeting > > >April 29 Hellems 141 6:30 pm Organizational Meeting > > >May 6 Hellems 141 6:30 pm Organizational Meeting > 8:00 pm Video: Larry Dodge, co-founder > of the Fully-Informed Jury > Association speaks about the > history of jury nullification. > >May 13 NO MEETING > >May 20 Hellems 241 6:30 pm Organizational Meeting > 8:00 pm Paul Danish, Boulder County > Commissioner, will give a talk > entitled "We the Jury." > >Directions: All meetings are held on the CU Campus in Boulder. >The Hellems Building is located northwest of the UMC Fountain. >The UMC (Univ. Memorial Center) is located at the intersection of >Broadway and Euclid/16th Street on the Hill in Boulder. There is >a parking garage located on Euclid east of Broadway. > >Update on Laura Kriho case > In March, Laura Kriho was convicted of contempt of court for >her service as a juror and fined $1200. She will appeal the >decision. The first court in the appeals process is the Colorado >Court of Appeals. Kriho's attorney, Paul Grant, is writing the >appeal and gathering support from other legal associations to >fight the ruling. > The appeal will be filed with the Colorado Court of Appeals >this month. Briefs will then be filed over the next several >months. If the Court of Appeals does not issue a favorable >ruling, a petition will be filed with the Colorado Supreme Court >asking them to hear the case, then the U.S. Supreme Court. If >Kriho gets a favorable ruling at any lower court, it is likely >the State will petition the next higher court to review the >decision. > Donations to support this very important appeal are strongly >encouraged and can be sent to: Laura Kriho Legal Defense Fund, >c/o Paul Grant, P.O. 1272, Parker, CO 80134, (303) 841-9649. > >C-SPAN Broadcast on Jury Nullification > On March 31, Paul Grant, Kriho's attorney, was a panelist in >a discussion sponsored by the American Bar Association titled: >"Jury Nullification: A 'Right,' A 'Power,' or an Invitation to >Anarchy?" The panel was excellent and was broadcast on C-SPAN. >Copies of the tape are available from C-SPAN. Call >1-800-277-2698. Tape ID: 80075 / Title: Jury Nullification / >Length: 2 hrs. 19 min. > >Jury Reform in Colorado > The Colorado Supreme Court issued a proposal for jury reform >on March 6, 1997, entitled "With Respect to the Jury." The proposal was >prepared by a 27 member committee composed of judges, attorneys, and >former jurors who met for over a year to study ways to make jury duty >"friendlier" for jurors. The report does not mention the Kriho case nor >does it address the new duty of jurors to "volunteer" information >during voir dire. > Among other things, the 74 page report recommends: >- allowing jurors to take notes during the trial and to submit >written questions which the court may pose to witnesses >- eliminating the occupation of lawyer as a ground for challenge >for cause in a criminal trial > The Supreme Court will decide which recommendations to enact. We >will inform you if there is an opportunity for public comment. >For copies of the complete report, contact Rebecca Virtue, >Colorado Judicial Branch, at (303) 837-3658. > >On the Internet > The JRP sends out frequent updates on the Internet about >jury issues and the Kriho case. To subscribe to our email list, >send email to: jrights@welcomehome.org with the word SUBSCRIBE in >the title of the message. (To unsubscribe, use UNSUBSCRIBE). > Background information on the Kriho case and jury issues is >available on the World Wide Web at: ><http://www.execpc.com/~doreen/kriho.html> ><http://www.fija.org> ><http://www.flash.net/~rcoursey> > If you can't find info. there, send us a line. >-------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Jury Rights Project > P.O. Box 729, Nederland, CO 80466 > jrights@welcomehome.org > {Re-distribution of this document > is encouraged under the copyleft doctrine.} > > > ======================================================================== Paul Andrew, Mitchell, B.A., M.S. : Counselor at Law, federal witness email: [address in tool bar] : Eudora Pro 3.0.1 on Intel 586 CPU web site: http://www.supremelaw.com : library & law school registration ship to: c/o 2509 N. Campbell, #1776 : this is free speech, at its best Tucson, Arizona state : state zone, not the federal zone Postal Zone 85719/tdc : USPS delays first class w/o this ========================================================================
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