Saturday, January 04, 2003

juries and terrorism

Terrorism and juries. Is there a problem with the mix?

When it comes to petit juries, maybe. An article from the New York Times looks back at a trial against terrorists (reg. req'd) which started in December, 2000. The author managed to find most of the anonymous jury, and asked the jurors questions about their deliberations. The article could be looked at as an argument for having military tribunals hear terrorism cases.

But the information gleaned during interviews from nine of the twelve jurors could also be helpful in instructing participants in future terrorism cases in civilian proceedings. Are the concerns raised from this particular case really that much different from cases where defendants may be part of organized crime?

A slight different matter, but still related, is the involvement of a grand jury. An article on the web site of the University of Dayton looks at federal grand juries, and the benefits of their use for investigating terrorism cases.

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