{"id":2362,"date":"2020-08-11T17:06:04","date_gmt":"2020-08-11T21:06:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/?p=1337"},"modified":"2020-08-11T17:06:04","modified_gmt":"2020-08-11T21:06:04","slug":"guide-to-juror-privacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/guide-to-juror-privacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Guide to Juror Privacy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block uk-card-default uk-padding\" style=\"font-size:16px\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h4>Table of Contents<\/h4><nav><ul><li><a href=\"#are-juror-names-public-record\">Are Juror Names Public Record?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#can-jurors-remain-anonymous\">Can Jurors Remain Anonymous?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#are-jury-questionnaires-public-record\">Are Jury Questionnaires Public Record?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#what-information-must-jurors-share\">What Information Must Jurors Share?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#is-there-anything-you-can-do-to-protect-your-privacy\">Is There Anything You Can Do to Protect Your Privacy?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Being chosen to be a juror is no joke which is why we created this Guide to Juror Privacy. For the duration of a trial, jurors\u2019 normal lives are disrupted. Instead of going to work and spending time with their family and friends, jurors must spend hours in the jury pool room, sit in the jury box listening to testimony, and put up with long breaks during which attorneys organize the evidence and prepare answers to legal questions brought up during the proceedings. It\u2019s no wonder jurors often <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.apa.org\/monitor\/2010\/09\/jn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">fall asleep<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, time isn\u2019t the only thing that you have to give up when you\u2019re summoned to appear for jury duty. Unless you and other jurors are granted anonymity, serving on a jury can also lead to a huge loss of privacy. Keep on reading to find out what information on individual jurors is available to the public and what you can do to minimize your privacy risk if you are called for jury duty.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"are-juror-names-public-record\">Are Juror Names Public Record?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rcfp.org\/open-court-sections\/b-juror-identities-questionnaires-and-other-records\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">most criminal cases<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the public can access juror information, including their names and addresses, during the trial\u2019s voir dire phase (i.e., when the jury is chosen). The public can also see transcripts from preliminary hearings concerning jurors. Moreover, juror information is typically made available to the general public after a verdict. This helps ensure that the proceedings are conducted fairly.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, there is a lively debate over whether the public\u2019s right to monitor the trial outweighs the jurors\u2019 right to privacy. For example, <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/show\/tyco-trial-guilty-verdict\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the Tyco trial<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> ended in a mistrial after the name and photo of one juror were spread in newspapers around the world and resulted in her receiving <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/2004\/04\/08\/news\/midcaps\/tyco_trial\/index.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a coercive letter<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In some states, the right of access to judicial information is limited. In California, juror information must be sealed at the end of a criminal trial but can be accessed if a person shows \u201cgood cause\u201d for wanting to do so and if the jurors agree.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"can-jurors-remain-anonymous\">Can Jurors Remain Anonymous?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In some cases (typically ones connected to organized crime or terrorism), jurors are allowed to remain anonymous. In these instances, the court has usually concluded that exposing jurors\u2019 identity could lead to jury tampering or retaliation. For example, in 2016, a judge issued an anonymous jury order in an <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2016\/06\/21\/judge-grants-request-for-anonymous-jury-in-al-qaeda-terrorists-trial\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Al Qaeda terrorist trial<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> because the defendant threatened to kill prosecutors and court employees. More recently, a judge chose to keep jurors anonymous in the <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2018\/02\/06\/583739445\/judge-rules-that-el-chapo-jury-will-remain-anonymous\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">&#8220;El Chapo&#8221; trial<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In some cases, jurors\u2019 identity mightn\u2019t be revealed to anyone. Conversely, in other cases, juror information might be disclosed to parties (i.e., the prosecution and defense) but kept obscured from the media.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, even if a court chooses to withhold juror information, members of the media can challenge this decision. In the high-profile <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rcfp.org\/journals\/news-media-and-law-fall-2015\/identifying-jury\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nathaniel Fujita case<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, The Boston Globe asked to see the list of jurors post-trial. Initially, the court revealed only two jurors but, after the motion went to the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts (which sided with The Globe), all of the jurors&#8217; names were revealed.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"are-jury-questionnaires-public-record\">Are Jury Questionnaires Public Record?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although generally considered confidential, a jury questionnaire can sometimes be made available to the public.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, juror questionnaires in the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ingmar Guandique murder trial <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/blogs\/crime-scene\/post\/dc-judge-must-release-jury-questionnaire-in-chandra-levy-murder-trial-appeals-court-rules\/2012\/01\/19\/gIQACRkCBQ_blog.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">were disclosed<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to the public even though the judge had promised jurors that their answers to the questionnaire would remain confidential.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-information-must-jurors-share\">What Information Must Jurors Share?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the start of the selection process, potential jurors sometimes have to fill out the above-mentioned <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fjc.gov\/content\/juror-questionnaire-%E2%80%94-southern-district-new-york-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">juror questionnaire.<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Although the questions asked may vary from one questionnaire to another, they often include questions about a person&#8217;s:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><b>Background. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marital status, family members and their occupation, children.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><b>Residence.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Current and past addresses.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><b>Education. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How far you went in school, your major, whether you or your spouse have taken psychology\/counseling courses.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><b>Employment. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Occupational status, job responsibilities, past work.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><b>Activities. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hobbies, membership to any organization (civic, social, political, or professional), TV and radio habits, reading habits, gun ownership.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><b>Military history. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether or not you were in the military.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><b>Law enforcement and legal contacts.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Might include questions like, \u201chave you\/family member\/friend ever been audited or had a dispute with any government department or agency?\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Often, law firms also collect information on potential jurors from sources such as public records, including voter registration, property deeds, and criminal records. Some attorneys might also use people search sites like <a href=\"https:\/\/help.joindeleteme.com\/hc\/en-us\/\">Spokeo<\/a> (these sites apparently come in particularly handy post-trial when attorneys want to contact jurors for interviews). This is <\/span><b><i>not<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> considered <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.litigationinsights.com\/ethical-research-jurors-online\/#:~:text=The%20biggest%20concern%20with%20conducting,members%20of%20a%20sitting%20jury.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">unethical<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> because the information is publicly available.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some lawyers use social media and blogs to screen jurors before the trial, as well. In one case, a potential juror <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/nys-fjc.ca2.uscourts.gov\/programs\/10-23-19%20-%20NYSBA%20Journal%20-%20Researching%20Jurors%20on%20the%20Internet.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">was dismissed<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> after it came to light that she had blogged about trying to get in touch with the extraterrestrials.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Attorneys can monitor juror behavior online during the trial. During the Dimas-Martinez case, a judge <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefocalpoint.com\/insights\/articles\/1\/189\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">read aloud<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> an improper tweet posted by one of the jurors (the tweet caused the death row conviction to be overturned). The juror was reportedly taken aback by this invasion of privacy, saying, \u201cWell, I\u2019m a little shocked. That\u2019s a little creepy.\u201d <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.desmoinesregister.com\/story\/news\/crime-and-courts\/2018\/04\/18\/iowa-man-facebook-post-biased-jury-gets-new-trial-estherville-murder-lee-christensen\/528152002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In another case<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (State v. Christensen), jurors were accused of bias against the defendant because they saw public Facebook posts about the case that might have influenced their verdict.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although this is a gray area, some experts have noted that merely viewing a juror\u2019s social media profile that\u2019s accessible to everyone is similar to acquiring information that\u2019s publicly available online or in print media. Others have likened digital sleuthing to driving past jurors\u2019 homes to get a better idea of who they are.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, it\u2019s up to each individual judge to decide whether or not online searches are invasive. The judge in the <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/7be31b151b88499e948c8231cf09f151\/judge-reignites-debate-over-researching-jurors-online\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Oracle v. Google<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> case, for example, said that attorneys could research jurors online but only if they informed them of their intent to do so in advance and gave jurors the chance to make their social media accounts private. Note that attorneys are not allowed to send jurors friend requests or communicate with them in any other way.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During the voir dire, attorneys might also ask jurors questions about <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.plaintiffmagazine.com\/recent-issues\/item\/using-the-internet-and-social-media-in-jury-selection\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">their internet activity<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, including how many hours a day they spend browsing the web, the sites and blogs they visit, and whether they read or post to any online message boards. Voir dire transcripts may be made public.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"is-there-anything-you-can-do-to-protect-your-privacy\">Is There Anything You Can Do to Protect Your Privacy?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019ve been called for jury duty, there\u2019s nothing you can do to keep your name from public record (unless the judge decides to use an anonymous jury).&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, there are still ways you can protect your privacy. To start with, if your social media profiles are public, make them private. Then, do a quick Google search to see whether your name comes up anywhere else like a blog you might have kept years ago or an online message board like Reddit. Consider deleting any search results you\u2019re unhappy with. Note that if your private information appears on websites owned by someone else, you\u2019ll need to contact the site admin to get it taken down.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Last but not least, opt-out of every major data broker and people search site that has a profile on you. You\u2019d be surprised by the kind of sensitive information these sites can hold. If you don\u2019t know where to start, are in a hurry, or don\u2019t want your profile to be relisted in the future (data brokers are notorious for this), get in touch with DeleteMe. For just $10.75 a month, <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DeleteMe&#8217;s team of experts<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> will remove you from all the big data brokers out there, as many times as needed.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Being chosen to be a juror is no joke which is why we created this Guide to Juror Privacy. For the duration of a trial, jurors\u2019 normal lives are disrupted. Instead of going to work and spending time with their family and friends, jurors must spend hours in the jury pool room, sit in the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":6281,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-privacy-tips"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2362"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2362\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}