What is sequestered jury

Cahill told jurors they must not let bias, prejudice, passion, sympathy or public opinion influence their decision, and they must not consider any consequences or penalties. He said the verdict must be unanimous and based only on the evidence presented in court and the law as he provides. I am certain that you realize that this case is important and serious, and therefore, deserves your careful consideration.

We'll notify you here with news about. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Comments 0. Top Stories. Southwest employee hospitalized after being assaulted by passenger, airline says Nov 13, PM. Battle among Ecuador prison gangs kills at least 68 inmates Nov 13, PM. Jury sequestration is rare, and is usually reserved for high-profile criminal cases.

The members of a sequestered jury typically stay at a hotel for the duration of the trial, where they are closely supervised by court personnel, prohibited from contacting relatives and friends, and denied access to press reports from newspapers, television, and the internet. The term can also refer to the isolation of trial witnesses to prevent them from hearing the testimony of other witnesses. Maintained Resource Type Glossary. In jury trials, judges sometimes choose to sequester the jurors, or place them beyond public reach.

Usually the jurors are moved into a hotel, kept under close supervision twenty-four hours a day, denied access to outside media such as television and newspapers, and allowed only limited contact with their families.

Although unpopular with jurors, sequestration has two broad purposes. The first is to avoid the accidental tainting of the jury, and the second is to prevent others from intentionally tampering with the jurors by bribe or threat.

Trial publicity, public sentiment, interested parties, and the maneuverings and machinations of lawyers outside the courtroom can all taint the jurors' objectivity and deny the defendant a fair trial. Judges are free to sequester the jury whenever they believe any of these factors may affect the trial's outcome.

Jury sequestration is rare. In most criminal trials, the jury is not sequestered until after jurors have been chosen, often not until the jury begins to deliberate. In civil cases that use sequestered juries, sequestration is not required during the trial itself, but begins when the jury has heard all the evidence and starts to deliberate.

Either the plaintiff or defendant in a civil or criminal trial may request that the jury be sequestered. What the court must do with this request depends on the court rules.

In most states, no juries are required to be sequestered, but the parties may ask for sequestration, and the judge may decide whether or not to sequester the jury for part or all of the trial.