Reader Ad Slot
Reader Ad Slot placeholder
If you would like to support SpookStack without paying out of pocket, please consider allowing advertising cookies. It helps cover hosting costs and keeps the archive free to browse. You can change this choice at any time.
Dr Samuel Sheppard — Part 3
Page 7
7 / 30
ti
Sheppard v. Maxwell No. 16077
“Jekyll-Hyde” story was topped
ouble banner front page headline, :
e two broadcasts were by nationally prominent com- .
mentators broadcasting on prime time in. Cleveland.
With these facts before us, I do not see how we can Say
that the District J udge’s holding is “clearly erroneous,”
The District Judge’s opinion in respect to these in.
stances of prejudicia trial publicity is founded upon ample '
precedent,
Newspaper articles actually read by a juror or jurors
which convey hi hly prejudicial information not admis.
sible or admitted at trial have long been recognized as
constituting such essential unfairness as to justify the
Setting aside of the verdict and the granting of a ney
trial. Mattox v. United States, Supra; Krogmann v. United
States, supra. ‘
Where flagrantly prejudicial newspaper articles are
prominently printed in newspapers of general circulation:
during a trial wherein the jury is not sequestered, there i; -
a presumption that some jurors have seen them and that
efendant has been prejudiced thereby. Harrison, v. United
States, 200 Fed. 662 (C.A. 6, 1912); Marson y. United .
United States, supra; Briggs
v. United States, 221 F.2d 636 ( C.A. 6, 1955),
by an eight-column, .
strong admonitions to disregard, a motion for new trig!
should be granted. Krogmann y. United Sta Ss, Supra;
Marson vy. United States, supra; Briggs v. United States,
?
supra; United States y. Accardo, supra. [.
we have seen, the admonitions in this trial were;
infrequent and equivocal when given. And minimal in.
fury was limited to the Single instance of the Winchell
roadcast, i
In concurring in Irvin y. Dowd, Mr. Justice Frankfurter
said:
. “Not a Term Passes without this Court being im.
~~ ~portuned to review convictions, had in States through.
“out the country, in which substantial claims are made
that a jury trial has been distorted because of inflam.
sures upon potential jurors before tria] and even dur.
the course of trial,
i
4
fy
‘
No. 16077 Sheppard v. Maxwell 73
difficult, if not impossible, to secure a jury capable of
taking in, free of repossessions, evidence submitted in
Open court. ... tor one reason or another this Court
does not undertake to review all such envenomed state
prosecutions, But, again and again, such disregard
of fundamental fairness is so flagrant that the Court
is compelled, as it was only a week ago, to reverse a
conviction in which prejudicial newspaper intrusion
has poisoned the outcome. Janko v. United States,
ante, p. 716; see, e.g., Marshall v. United States, 360
U.S. 310. See also seroble v. California, 343 U.S. 181,
198 (dissenting opinion ; ;
US. 56 (coneurrine opinion) .” Irvin v. Dowd, supra at
730 (concurring opinion.)
In my opinion “the disregard of fundamental fairness
is so flagrant” in this case as to require the District Judge’s
it. . . ° ; e
“On the fifth issue, pertaining to juror phone calls during
jury deliberations, J udge Weinman found:
“This Court finds prejudicial error because the right
to a fair and impartial trial as guaranteed by the due
process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment includes
the right to have a jury which is not permitted, after
it begins its deliberations, to have unmonitored tele-
phone conversations with third persons. As stated
quite simply in Mattox v. United States, 146 U.S. 140,
150
‘Private communications, possibly prejudicial, be-
tween jurors and third persons, or witnesses, or the
officer in charge, are absolutely forbidden, and invali-
date the verdict, at least until their harmlessness is
made to appear.’ (Emphasis added.)
“ is nothing in the record to show the harmless-
neaere that part of the telephone conversations which
the bailiffs could not hear. Accordingly, petitioner’s
constitutional rights were violated.” Sheppard v. Max-
well, supra at 71,
Here, too, the District Judge has sound precedent in
sre, federal courts (including the United States Supreme
Court and this Court) have created and given. effect to the
presumption that any unauthorized communication with a
i
aa
a
fan
eh
‘
ta
ii
i
‘
a
i:
ti
'
:
Shepherd v. Florida, 341.
Community corrections
No user corrections yet.
Comments
No comments on this document yet.
Bottom Reader Ad Slot
Bottom Reader Ad Slot placeholder
If you would like to support SpookStack without paying out of pocket, please consider allowing advertising cookies. It helps cover hosting costs and keeps the archive free to browse. You can change this choice at any time.
Continue Exploring
Agency Collection
Explore This Archive Cluster
Broad Topic Hub
Topic Hub
letter
bureau
Related subtopics
Subtopic
Subtopic
Subtopic
Subtopic
Subtopic
Subtopic