All articles tagged with #jury instruction
A federal appeals court has ordered a new trial or release for Pedro Hernandez, convicted of killing Etan Patz in 1979, citing flawed jury instructions regarding Hernandez's confessions, which were obtained under questionable circumstances and lacked physical evidence.
A judge in Donald Trump's civil rape trial has rebuked his request for jurors to be told that if he did not testify, it would be out of concern that his presence would adversely affect New York City. The judge said that Trump's absence was "by design" and that there was nothing for the court to excuse. The case concerns an alleged rape in the mid-1990s, which Trump denies. Trump's attorneys will not be allowed to tell the jury he wanted to testify but had chosen to spare court and city the "burdens" of his presence.
Former US President Donald Trump is free to skip the trial over accusations he raped a writer nearly 30 years ago, but jurors will not be told his absence was meant to avoid snarled traffic and heavy security, a federal judge ruled. The judge also said it was premature to grant Trump's request that jurors be instructed that staying away "by design, avoids the logistical burdens that his presence, as the former president," would cause. Trump's accuser, E. Jean Carroll, plans to attend every day.