Posted on 06/22/2017 9:33:52 AM PDT by jazusamo
Potential jurors for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s court-martial in October may be forced to tell lawyers if they voted for President Trump.
Comments made by Mr. Trump during his 2016 Republican campaign for the White House have influenced one of the most high-profile, court-martial cases in U.S. Army history. Lawyers for Sgt. Bergdahl, the soldier who left his post in Afghanistan in June 2009, have a private 41-question survey for a Fort Bragg judge to consider. One of 17 questions objected to by prosecutors involves support for Mr. Trump’s campaign.
“The principal issue has to do with ensuring we are able to identify people who have been nominated to be on the court-martial panel — the jury — who are not in a position to render an impartial judgment,” Eugene Fidell, Sgt. Bergdahl’s lead attorney, said Wednesday during a pretrial hearing, Stars and Stripes reported.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Yep, that seems to be what it implies and it just isn't so, in my view.
This gives me an idea. I got two summons in the mail, one for district court in August (2 weeks) and one for July in my county court (1 week). I may just use this to get out of it.
Hobbies: Tea party activist, Trump supporter.
No. The jury in a court martial is known as a “panel” that is comprised of active duty officers or a combination of officers and enlisted personnel.
No. If everyone who voted for Trump, and everyone who didn’t vote for Trump are all eliminated, there would be NO jurors. None. And as long as they’re throwing out the rule of law like that, they should just skip right to the conviction, sentencing and execution.
My time in the Army was comparatively serene and uneventful.I was apolitical back then and I never ran afoul of the UCMJ.
However...it's my understanding that "politics" is a subject that's tightly controlled in the Armed Forces on the basis,perhaps,of "good order and discipline".
If,by chance,I'm correct in my belief it would be completely understandable if the judge were to forbid that particular question being put to potential panel members (in a court martial the "jury" is called a "panel").
The panel will be Army personnel, not civilians.
Of our military family members and spouses, I don’t think any of them voted. Possibly the liberal did. Otherwise, all were in the midst of moving or unable to vote due to poor planning.
In The USA we have private voting. Period. Donations are public. Let them inquire about that.
No it isn’t. We have a secret ballot in America. A person could lose a job, etc. That is stacking the deck.
Refuse to answer.
“This is getting ridiculous.”
Exactly - like this entire situation hasn’t already had enough command influence to get the whole proceeding tossed on appeal, anyway.
Amen to that.
XD
I cast a vote for Hillary once. I voted in the Dem Primary to vote against Obama.
A vote in private is our most sacrosanct right as a citizen of the republic.
It’s audacious beyond compare to be compelled to reveal for whom one voted.
How bout asking the attorneys if they voted for Hillary or Bernie.
Fair is fair.
Really? Because only Clinton/Bernie voters can be impartial when evaluating evidence?
On second thought, this may be a good way to speed up the trial since Clinton/Bernie voters don't even need to be shown any evidence in order to convict someone.
“It’s audacious beyond compare to be compelled to reveal for whom one voted.”
—
They can refuse to answer the question.
.
So, if we voted for Trump, there is no way we could be impartial or fair????
My first reaction was, NO.
But on further thought, no one who voted for Hillary demonstrated enough mental competence to serve on a jury.
ML/NJ
By using the same logic, everyone on the panel is a military member, and is obligated to the Commander in Chief.
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