Andersen jurors dozed

RANONE ^ | June 26, 2002

[wallcrawlr]

Some may have thought the recent Andersen trial was riveting, but apparently not a couple of jurors.

The Houston Chronicle reports it looks like the judge cautioned two jurors for catching up on a few zeds during some of the less juicy parts of the trial.

His actions followed a note given to a US marshal by one of the more wide awake members of the jury, Jack Gallo. The marshal did not pass it on to the judge, saying he was already aware of the problem.

However the next day the sleepy twosome were pulled from the jury room and, it is thought, given a dressing down – even though a dressing gown might have been more appropriate.

They did not doze off again.

After the trial, the paper reported a couple of disturbing comments made by the snoozers.

One of them apparently asked if NASA was involved in the case. And the other wondered if David Duncan, the lead Enron auditor, was himself on trial.

However the Houston Chronicle reported the inattentive jurors were unlikely to affect an appeal.

It quoted a law professor as saying, “This shouldn’t matter. Maybe they were just stupid – I don’t know of any law against stupid.”

[wallcrawlr]

It quoted a law professor as saying, “This shouldn’t matter. Maybe they were just stupid – I don’t know of any law against stupid.”

Well maybe there should be.

[The Energizer]

I saw a bumper sticker last week that says: "Stupidity Should Be Painful."

[Raymond Hendrix]

I guess it can get pretty boring waiting for the crooks to be hanged. Sitting there listening to lies can become tiresome.

[Bobby777]

please don't tell me AA will escape on a technicality ...

[Timesink]

please don't tell me AA will escape on a technicality ...

Hardly matters if they did. They're already destroyed and well into the systematic shutting down of the entire company.

[marvlus]

It quoted a law professor as saying, “This shouldn’t matter. Maybe they were just stupid – I don’t know of any law against stupid.”

Well maybe there should be.

Then you'd have to prosecute 90% of the people

[Grampa Dave]

There was a very complicated case out here, and it was tried in a federal court. It involved corporate fraud and accounting.

I got a jury summons, and they were hell bent to put me on that jury. I told the judge, that every day in the court room, I would go to sleep, snore and drool during this boring accounting trial. He smiled and released me.

A friend who is a cpa and a cfo was chosen and ended up as the jury foreman. The trial lasted months. He thought that it was exciting. Whenever, he tries to tell any of us at a dinner about it, we go to sleep, snore and drool until he stops.

[daviddennis]

How can anyone afford to be a juror for a multi-month trial?

The pay in California is a downright lavish $15 a day. That's barely enough for lunch in this town.

D

[Grampa Dave]

I was retired, that was part of the interest in me, plus my MBA and computer experience.

I figured that it would still cost me thousands of out of pocket money. Lunch ain't cheap in SF and neither is parking.

[wallcrawlr]

They should tie the pay of government workers with that of jurors.

Why is it that we can't get more of our money back when we perform our jury duty?

[weegee]

Judges sleep on the bench here in Texas. I don't see what makes them so special.

Judges are even permitted to drink alcohol "for medicinal purposes".

Here come da judge...

[BenLurkin]

Hate it when the jurors start nodding off. Really is the lawyer's fault though.
Had a judge once snoring during closing argument. He showed he was paying enough attention to make some pretty sharp rulings though.