The Chicago Tribune has lost a bid to obtain the names of jurors in the ongoing corruption trial of former Hollinger International Inc. Chief Executive Conrad Black. U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve said the Tribune had no right to jurors’ names during the trial. “In a case like this that has garnered intense national and international media attention, releasing juror names during the pendency of trial threatens the integrity of jurors’ ability to absorb the evidence and later render a verdict based only on that evidence,” St. Eve wrote.
Typically, juror names are made public during selection. St. Eve referred to the criminal trial of former Illinois Gov. George Ryan, during which the Tribune reported that two jurors concealed a history of run-ins with the law. The jurors were dismissed during deliberations and a reconstituted jury convicted Ryan of fraud. Ryan’s appeal is based largely on the interruption of deliberations. The Tribune said it does not contact seated jurors.
Link: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0704060315apr07,0,1634670.story?coll=chi-business-hed