ATLANTA — A potential Fulton County juror held in contempt after traveling to the Dominican Republic instead of returning to court last month was excused from service in the Young Slime Life gang case Monday after submitting the 30-page paper assigned by the judge.
“I find that your paper is sufficient,” Fulton County Chief Judge Ural Glanville said after Juror No. 64 submitted the essay on the importance of jury service, citing 10 primary sources and 10 secondary sources as required.
Glanville said the essay would be attached to an order stating the requirements had been fulfilled and that the paper would remain sealed until after the trial. Juror No. 64 was admonished not to publish or discuss the essay until after the trial and readily agreed.
The judge ruled that another prospective juror must perform 10 hours of community service after messaging an Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter via Twitter.
Glanville told potential jurors last month not to read about the case or discuss it with anyone or contact the media.
“I take full responsibility,” Juror No. 595 told Glanville Monday. “It was a dumb mistake on my part.”
No. 595 must also sit through the first five days of trial, whenever it begins. A second group of 300 potential jurors will be summoned on Feb. 24 and a third group of 300 is set to report on March 17.
Glanville also decided not to temporarily close his courtroom to the media so he could briefly discuss something with the defendants and their attorneys.
“This would just be for minimal excusal for about 20 minutes for me to go over some things with the lawyers in reference to some Fifth and Sixth Amendment rights of their clients,” Glanville said.
Attorney Tom Clyde, who represents The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and other media outlets, argued reporters should be allowed to remain inside the courtroom to observe proceedings.
“Excluding the media from the courtroom is essentially a First Amendment issue,” Clyde told the judge.
After speaking briefly with his staff attorney and reviewing previous court rulings, Glanville decided not to close the courtroom.
On Monday, three additional jurors were excused after being examined for hardships, marking the end of the first group of 613 jurors summoned for the trial. More than 320 people have been excused from jury service so far, mostly for financial, medical or childcare-related reasons. Many have said they can’t put their lives or careers on hold to serve as a juror for six to nine months, which is how long the trial is expected to last.
Attorneys in the case also received flash drives Monday containing responses to the lengthy questionnaires each prospective juror was instructed to complete. Glanville directed the attorneys to review the questionnaires and meet as a group to decide which jurors can be excused based on their responses by Feb. 21.
______
