Q: My sister was a dance teacher on trial for child molestation. The day the trial started an anonymous letter was sent
To the court claiming the the accuser and my sister were secretly working together to go after the accuser’s stepfather. The judge scolded the local press for publishing the story, eliminated any potential jurors that knew about the letter, and plowed forward with the case.
No investigation that we know of about the letter was done.
Would going ahead with the trial be normal? Should someone have looked into where this letter originated?
Also, is it normal for a judge to pay such little attention that he doesn’t notice sleeping jury members?
A:
Yes, continuing with the trial would be proper if it in fact didn't affect the jury; and if indeed none of the jurors knew about the letter it would seem that their verdict wouldn't have been influenced by it.
You probably don't know anything about whether the circumstances of the letter are still being investigated.
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