The able USDC Judge Amy Berman-Jackson has done a truly wonderful job of balancing the rights of privacy of the now released jurors, against the public's need to know, here -- and evaluate Mr. Stone's clearly specious [libelous, in fact] claims about the jurors who convicted him on a mountain of competent documentary evidence.
Even so, here from Tuesday, is a nice and succinct primer, on the free press policy and law that applies to these situations, from the media's retained "friend of the court" counsel. [File it away -- you may need it one day.]
In a equally terse and cleverly deft all electronic order, yesterday afternoon the able judge explained what transpired, at the closed portion of the Roger Stone hearing. Well done. Here that bit appears:
. . . .MINUTE ORDER as to ROGER J. STONE, JR.
The Court hereby reissues a public, redacted version of the sealed minute order it issued to the parties on February 21, 2020: *SEALED* MINUTE ORDER as to Roger J. Stone, Jr.
The sealed hearing on the defendants sealed motion [313] for new trial will be held at 2:00 p.m. on February 25, 2020. The Court has not yet determined what testimony, if any, will be required, and if so, with respect to what issues. However, in an abundance of caution, it will summon the foreperson and other members of the jury to the courthouse at that time. It would be the Courts intention to follow the same process utilized during voir dire: the Court would initiate any questioning and the parties would have an opportunity to ask appropriate follow up questions, so the parties should be prepared for that possibility. The Court notes that this order does not constitute a ruling on the question of whether the defense has or has not come forward with a sufficient factual basis to warrant a hearing.
Both parties must have at least one attorney present in the courtroom whether or not that attorney is now counsel of record in the case -- who has personal knowledge of how the jury questionnaires were copied and transmitted to the defense on September 12, 2019 and whether the parties received a Jury Panel List in advance of the jury selection process that took place on November 5, 2019. Both sides should be prepared to provide the Court with a printed copy of the Jury Questionnaire for Juror [REDACTED] that was transmitted to the defendant, in paper or electronically, on or about September 12, as well as any Jury Panel List provided to the defense on or before November 5.
The defense must also have one attorney present in the courtroom who has personal knowledge concerning the presence of one or more jury consultants in the courtroom on November 5 and 6. Finally, the parties should be prepared to provide the court with two sets of color copies of all exhibits attached to their memoranda so that they may be marked and used as exhibits during the hearing.
SO ORDERED. (This document is SEALED and only available to authorized persons). By Judge Amy Berman Jackson on 2/21/2020. (zjth) (Entered: 02/21/2020).***
Signed by Judge Amy Berman Jackson on 2/27/20. . . .
This is precisely how the framers intended our system of ordered liberty would work -- even as the tyrant presently ensconced at 1600 Pennsylvania rants impotently, in public, trying to push his fat thumb down on the scales of justice, in aid of his 30 years' long friendship. And to avoid -- via obstruction -- an indictment [he hopes, as against him], as he leaves office. [Separately, here is the able AUSAs' position related to the hearing about this matter.]
Indeed, well-done -- Judge Berman-Jackson. [Condor predicts Stone will see no new trial -- and will indeed be carted off to club fed for a few years, by late summer. He is presently asking the court to let him travel to Ohio, for the birth of a first great grandchild, during the first week of March. I expect the able judge will allow that.] Well done.
नमस्ते
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