Jack Smith seeks to protect jurors from Trump; informs Judge Chutkan of Judge Engoron's NY gag order

[Rhiannon12866]

Special Counsel Jack Smith just filed a motion in Donald Trump's DC prosecution seeking to protect jurors from Donald Trump's dangerous speech and posts.

The "Motion for Fair and Protective Jury Procedures" seeks to have the court use a juror questionnaire to streamline the jury selection process in the DC case, and seeks to prohibit Trump and his lawyers from publicly disclosing the identities of or attempt to communicate with prospective jurors in any way.

Notably, in the motion, Smith lays out Trump's "attack," via a social media post, on New York Judge Engoron's law clerk and the ensuing gag order imposed by the judge.

By informing Judge Chutkan about Trump's most recent dangerous post, Smith seems to be priming the well in advance of the October 16 gag order hearing set in his DC case. - Glenn Kirschner - 10/10/2023.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

1. Special counsel to Trump: Don't 'friend' potential jurors

I am glad that Special Counsel is going to protect the jury

Link to tweet

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/10/10/special-counsel-trump-jury-safeguards-00120739

Special counsel Jack Smith on Tuesday urged the federal judge presiding over Donald Trump’s Washington, D.C. election-subversion case to implement measures aimed at protecting the confidentiality and safety of potential jurors.

Smith’s team encouraged U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan to authorize a questionnaire to begin screening potential jurors in early February, about a month before the case is scheduled to go to trial. That process would help weed out potential jurors who express an inability to participate in the case or judge the matter fairly, but it also would expose their identities to the attorneys in the case. The prosecutors prodded the judge to adopt several measures to prevent jurors’ personal information from being disseminated to the public.

“Given the particular sensitivities of this case, stemming both from heightened public interest and the defendant’s record of using social media to attack others, the Court should impose certain limited restrictions on the ability of the parties to conduct research on potential jurors during jury selection and trial and to use juror research,” prosecutors Molly Gaston and Thomas Windom argued.

The prosecutors took pains to flag an episode that occurred last week in Trump’s ongoing civil fraud trial in New York. Trump, who attended the trial last week, has publicly criticized the state attorneys and judge in the case, and last week he mounted a social media attack on the judge’s top clerk. That attack prompted the judge to issue a limited gag order on Trump, prohibiting him from commenting on court staff.....

Among other measures Smith’s team is proposing: barring any direct contact between the attorneys and potential jurors — including “friending” or following their social media accounts. Open source research would be permitted so long as it doesn’t become “vexatious or harassing.” Any identifying information from this research, prosecutors say, should be barred from public disclosure.

[Rhiannon12866]

2. Wow! Thanks so much!

And we know that Judge Chutkan has also been threatened as a result of TFG's attacks - a woman was already arrested after threatening to kill the judge.

[Irish_Dem]

3. Unless Smith can get Chutkin to do her job, people should refuse to sit on the jury.

Smith keeps trying to get Chutkin to protect those involved in this trial and she
doesn't seem interested.

Smith keeps trying to "prime the pump" but Chutkin doesn't seem to budge.

[Rhiannon12866]

4. I certainly agree!

As long as TFG's lies and attacks are allowed to continue, jurors are also in danger - as well as the judge! A woman was already arrested for threatening to kill her, so you'd think she'd take this "gag order" seriously - and he also signed a statement agreeing to be detained if he kept up his attacks.

[Irish_Dem]

5. The judges are afraid of Trump for some reason.

It is time for them to protect these trials no matter what it takes.
Otherwise our system of justice will be damaged.

[Rhiannon12866]

6. It already has been when it comes to TFG, anyone else would have been confined already

Those violent insurrectionists who answered his call to come to the Capitol have been identified, charged, tried, convicted and jailed long ago. And then there's Reality Winner who stole one classified document and served 4 years in jail. How many did TFG steal - and share with strangers and our enemies? He is a private citizen now and is subject to U.S. laws.

[Irish_Dem]

7. The judges keep giving Trump a pass on all his bad behavior.

Yes anyone else would be sitting in a Supermax prison confined to his cell.

[Rhiannon12866]

8. And has been said here so many times, this would be the only way to shut down his attacks

He believes he's above the law.

[Irish_Dem]

9. And he most likely still has classified documents hidden away.

We don't know what he is doing with them.

No one seems to care about national security or the military and intel lives in danger.

[Rhiannon12866]

10. I'm sure he does and would have no hesitation in using them if he feels cornered

[Irish_Dem]

11. Yes I think he would have kept some back for leverage and bargaining power.

I won't give these top secrets away if you drop charges.

[Rhiannon12866]

12. Despite the record number of charges he faces, he's still attempting to delay or get them dropped

[Irish_Dem]

13. Yes of course.

I bet he has tried some private type agreements too with prosectors.