■ INFORMEDdebate
YES
Should juries for
high-profile criminal
trials be anonymous?
from members:
Joy Cohen
Ewa Beach, HI
They should be given
an option of being
anonymous or not. It
is a matter of privacy
without the pressure
of the public.
IT’S BECOME MORE COMMON in highly publicized criminal trials for
courts to withhold the names, addresses and other identifying information of jurors and their families.
Supporters of this practice say it increases the likelihood of selecting
an impartial jury and rendering a fair verdict because jurors’ fears of
being harassed by the media and others associated with the case are
greatly reduced.
Critics argue that an anonymous jury gets a subtle message from the
court that the defendant is a dangerous person; thus, the defendant’s
right to presumption of innocence is threatened. They add that jury anonymity damages press coverage of trials and instances of bias could stay
hidden because reporters don’t have the chance to interview jurors after
they have rendered their verdicts.
What do you think?
Doug Henderson
Pewaukee, WI
Jurors are volunteer-
ing their time and
should be protected
from the media. Our
country has gone
too far on needing to know
everything that is going on.
Malinda Smith
Thousand Oaks, CA
It would help jurors
feel safer and more
confident in their
convictions.
NO
from members:
Philip Medici
Paradise Valley, AZ
Juries’ information
should remain pub-
lic knowledge. The
integrity of the case
is jeopardized when
exceptions are made.
Stephanie Hassan
Jacksonville, FL
There shouldn’t be
special treatment for
a high-profile case.
The law is black and
white, not gray.
Find out more about this topic on the Web:
•
www.city-journal.org (search “the case for anonymous juries”)
•
www.ncjrs.gov (search “anonymous juries”)
•
www.americanbar.org (search “right of access to juror information
loses more ground”)
COMS TOCK/CHRIS A RUSNAK
Frank A. Spence
Tacoma, WA
[The] Bill of Rights
gurantees [the] right
to trial by peers.
[There is] no mention
of anonymity.
18 The Costco Connection MAY 2012
