Archive for category Jury Selection
State v. Mack, Final Jury Pool Selected
Posted by Michael in District Court, High Profile, Jury Selection, Trial on October 23rd, 2007
The final jury pool of 35 potential jurors has been selected in State v. Mack. Tomorrow morning (Oct. 24) the attorneys will exercise their preemptive challenges and seat the final jury of 15 jurors for the trial. Judge Douglas Herndon expects opening statements will occur tomorrow morning around 10 a.m. in Courtroom 10D. Media seating will be arranged this afternoon and discussed during a meeting at 3 p.m. in Courtroom 10D.
State v. Mack, Jury Selection - Day 4
Posted by Michael in District Court, High Profile, Jury Selection, Trial on October 18th, 2007
The court reached a total of 20 potential jurors for the final jury pool this afternoon. Court resumes tomorrow (Oct. 19) at 8:30 a.m. in Courtroom 10D.
State v. Mack, Jury Selection Deliberate as Court Moves Toward Seating a Jury
Posted by Michael in District Court, High Profile, Jury Selection, Media Advisory, Trial on October 17th, 2007
After three days of jury selection in Clark County, a few distinct comparisons can be made regarding the voir dire process.
In Washoe County, the court evaluated the questionnaires of, and/or interviewed, 140 out of the first 160 jurors and had passed for cause only 12 jurors to the final jury pool. Out of those 12 jurors, the court lost one when it became aware of new information regarding the juror’s involvement in a Family Court proceeding. Additionally, a second juror in the final pool was under reconsideration, and likely would have been excused due to distinct opinions about the case.
Also of great concern to the court was the fact that every individual passed for cause to the final juror pool had an opinion about the case and had been exposed to and/or influenced in varying degrees by pre-trial media coverage.
In Clark County, as of 4 p.m. Wednesday (Oct. 17), the court evaluated the questionnaires of, and/or interviewed, 62 jurors out of the potential jury pool of 200 and passed for cause 15 of those jurors to the final jury pool.
In Washoe County, the court found the prospective jurors knew about the case, had formed an opinion, or knew someone associated with the case.
In Clark County, the prospective jurors have uniformly indicated that they have little to no knowledge about the case or the individuals involved in the case. Few of the prospective jurors have expressed any opinion about guilt or innocence.
During voir dire, attorneys have focused on substantive matters, such as the prospective jurors’ opinions on divorce, child custody, punishment and possible defenses. In Clark County, the court has not had to focus exclusively on pre-trial publicity.
State v. Mack, Jury Selection - Day Two
Posted by Michael in District Court, High Profile, Jury Selection on October 16th, 2007
Jury selection continued this morning at 8:30 a.m. in Courtroom 10D. Jurors were interviewed again about their knowledge of the case and other information as the court worked to seat a jury. By the end of the day eight more jurors were placed in the final pool for a total of ten jurors. Jury selection continues tomorrow (Oct. 17) at 9 a.m. in Courtroom 10D.
State v. Mack, Jury Selection - Day One
Posted by Michael in District Court, High Profile, Jury Selection, Trial on October 15th, 2007
Jury selection started at 1:30 p.m. with the attorneys interviewing eight potential jurors today. When jury selection ended at 6:30 p.m., two jurors were passed for cause and will be called back later in the week as the court seeks to find 35 jurors for the final jury pool. Today’s group of jurors, three men and five women, were asked about their knowledge of the case, their interests and opinions. Jury selection resumes at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow morning (Oct. 16).
State v. Mack, Day One
Posted by Michael in District Court, Jury Selection, Trial on October 14th, 2007
Jury selection begins Monday (Oct. 15) at 10 a.m. in Courtroom 10D. Media wishing to sit in on jury selection should arrive on the tenth floor by 9:30 a.m. to check in with the Court Information Office. A total of 8 seats will be made available on a first-come basis. Jury selection will begin with general questions and then will proceed to individual questioning. A blank jury questionnaire will be made available to all interested media.
A media pool location has been set up on the corner of Third Street and Bonneville Ave. Larry Warner of CBS News has created a web page detailing the pooling arrangements. CBS News does not intend to videotape jury selection. Judge Herndon has yet to rule on the placement of a local pool camera during jury selection. Court Information Officer Michael Sommermeyer will notify local Media Representative Robert Martinez at KLAS by 9 a.m. if a camera will be allowed during jury selection.
State v. Mack - Change of Venue
Posted by Michael in Administration, District Court, High Profile, Jury Selection, Trial on October 4th, 2007
District Court Judge Douglas W. Herndon announced this morning a change of venue in State v. Darren Mack from Washoe County to Clark County. Judge Herndon, a Clark County District Court Judge, was assigned to hear the Washoe County case in Reno by the Nevada Supreme Court when all judges in the Second Judicial District Court were disqualified.
The trial is now expected to start October 15 in Las Vegas. Next week, the Eighth Judicial District Court’s Jury Services will call 150 prospective jurors to complete juror questionnaires. From this pool, the prosecution and defense attorneys will review the jury pool looking for potential conflicts. Starting Oct. 15, jurors in this jury pool will be interviewed during voir dire, with a goal of seating a jury for trial within two to four days.
Darren Roy Mack, 45, of Reno, is charged with First Degree murder in the death of his wife, Charla Mack, 39, and also attempted First Degree Murder in the shooting of Second Judicial District Family Court Judge Chuck Weller. It is anticipated the trial will last three to four weeks.
State v. Kirstin Lobato: Opening Statements
Posted by Michael in CourtTV, District Court, High Profile, Jury Selection, Trial on September 13th, 2006
Opening statements in State v. Lobato have been scheduled for 1 PM Thursday (Sept. 14) in District Court Department 2. Labato has been charged with First-Degree Murder with Use of a Deadly Weapon and Sexual Penetration of a Dead Human Body. Jury Selection was completed Wednesday afternoon.