Free Republic

The names of the six-member jury panel that acquitted George Zimmerman in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin have been made public for the first time, after a new court order, records show. Circuit Judge Debra Nelson, who had previously ordered the jurors' identifying information be kept confidential, granted access to the names in a ruling March 21.

In still one more of her prosecution-friendly rulings in the second degree murder trial Florida v. George Zimmerman, Judge Debra Nelson ruled on Wednesday that the jury will not see the many texts and photos on Trayvon Martin’s phones dealing with guns and fighting. The ruling followed a lengthy, televised presentation by phone expert Richard Connor Tuesday night on the contents of Martin’s phone. Although the jury was not present, the media were and have no excuse for not reporting what Connor revealed. As the texts made clear, the Martin family attorneys knew what they were doing when they moved...

... The State of Florida v. George Zimmerman, which started jury selection this week in Sanford, Fla., has the makings of another high-profile cliffhanger ... Presiding over the case is Debra S. Nelson, described by defense attorneys and others as a no-nonsense jurist. "She doesn't play games," Orlando criminal defense attorney Luis F. Calderon told Yahoo News. "She doesn't come across as mean, but she’s pretty firm in her rulings." ... Nelson ... has been on the bench for 14 years, having been appointed by then-Gov. Jeb Bush in 1999 ...