After following the Trump trial and thinking about the toxicity of the Trumpists, MAGAts, and GOP, I was thinking about the safety of the jurists. As such, for the legal experts here, if I was a juror, would it be legal if I wore a mask during the conduct of the trial?
Notwithstanding all of the other identity protections in place, there’s no way that I would want my face to be visible to any pro-Trump person in that courtroom. Just curious.
I’ll let the legal experts answer this question with respect to hiding one’s identity.
But I have a related question: what if a juror wants to wear a mask while inside a crowded courtroom to minimize the risk of getting Covid? I know a lot of people still wearing masks indoors either because they are immunocompromised or because they fear getting long Covid.
That’s a really interesting question. And depending on the answer we get from the experts, that could be a solid option.
Does jury tampering apply after the trial?
i could see where attacking jurors after the verdict could have a chilling effect on future jurors. I guess it depends on the wording of the law.
Plus, can a judge issue a permanent “gag order” on disclosing jurors’ names? I know Canada, for example, has a law on disclosing the names of young offenders.
Anecdote: I was on a jury last year and wore a mask at all times while in the courthouse and in the courtroom. No one ever mentioned it.
After other high-profile trials haven’t they’ve released jurors names? If those other high-profile trials are any indication either Dateline or 20/20 will have 6-8 of them on tonight discussing the trial & why they found him guilty.
Where I live, it’s illegal to disclose identities of jurors, and of deliberations.
The people who would dox the jurors would not be deterred by a gag order. Can’t let the law interfere with your holy duty. And if they did get jailed for contempt, it would just be yet ANOTHER sign of how corrupt the gummint has gotten, persecuting us right-thinking murricans.
Sadly, I think it won’t be long before at least some jurors get exposed and face huge amounts of harassment and genuine danger.
Anyone who works with one of the jurors knows who they are in all likelihood although they may not know if they were an alternate or not. They missed work in too obvious a pattern. Friends and acquaintances will probably know as well. The names will come out.
Jurors. A jurist is a trained legal scholar. There was a lawyer or two in Trump’s jury, but most were not.
Yup. And Trump is all about retribution. He’ll encourage it with mob boss speak. The hell with presidential duties (god help us if he’s elected)
I kind of hope at least 18 of these jurors understand how significantly different this trial is from any others, especially when it comes to remaining anonymous for the next few years.
How many other jury trials are going on in Manhattan at the same time? With roughly the same hours. All you have to do is say “I coulda been in that trial, but I got to hear some stupid drug case instead.” Reasonable doubt.
I wonder if a more obvious source is the court staff. It only takes one to spill the beans. However… what stops some idiot from picking names out of a phone book and posting those (except the lack of a phone book?). Shades of the misidentification during the hunt for the Boston Marathon bombers. One juror was from Ireland - how many people have the name Catherine Murphy or Mary O’Hara or Bridgit O’Shea or whatever in New York City?
I dont know if this is true. The juries I have been on have all been low profile, and when the trial ended, the judge told us we could talk about the trial immediately upon exiting the courtroom amongst our selves or the press if they were present in the hallway, or just leave without saying a word to anyone (I always chose the latter). I am not aware that my name being associated with any trial I was on became publically available.
But, do court staff even have juror names? In my trials I was just a number - Juror 12, for example. I think we were referred to by our names during jury selection (by the judge only IIRC), but after that no one used my name in the courtroom, not even other jurors during deliberations, and I did not know anyone else’s name.
Somebody verifies jurors have show up for duty, that they are qualified, someone fills out the forms for jury pay, etc. I doubt that Fred the Bailiff knows their last names, even, but someone in that building does. The question is whether they care enough (or can be paid enough) considering they’d at best lose their job, at worst go to jail for bribery or accessory to whatever happens to the jurors.
There was a list of our names in randomized order that they used to call us into the panel. When they called roll and I was #7, I knew my goose was cooked. They referred to us by name all through voir dire. We used first names during deliberations.
Ah, ignorance fought 
. Thanks for that!
I’m bracing myself for a “one-by-one mysterious deaths” scenario à la The Parallax View.
If hints are made- which they were- and the threats are carried out- I should think so.
“1,000,000 men (armed) need to go to washington and hang everyone. That’s the only solution,” wrote another user. I believe this- in of itself is a felony.
18 USC Ch. 115: TREASON, SEDITION, AND SUBVERSIVE ACTIVITIES.
§2385. Advocating overthrow of Government. Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both, and shall be ineligible for employment by the United States or any department or agency thereof, for the five years next following his conviction.
Let’s hope he was reported to the FBI.