I posted an earlier note on this site about what a frightening norm-violation it was when President Trump tweeted about the jurors serving in the trial of Roger Stone. Now, those jurors have provided testimony that underscores just have grave the consequences of such actions are for those who fulfill the public duty of jury service. As CNN reports,
All 12 of Roger Stone’s jurors wrote in a series of powerful, anonymized statements this week that they feel harassed, afraid and do not want more information about them revealed to the public, especially after President Donald Trump and right-wing media criticized them for their conviction of the longtime Trump friend.
The foreperson got it the worst, as did the other juror who volunteered to speak in public.
The jury forewoman, Tomeka Hart, wrote that she still feels unsafe after the President tweeted about her around Stone’s sentencing date. Hart and another juror, Seth Cousins, who identified themselves to the media after the trial, said they’ve received threatening letters and postcards in the mail from strangers — a veiled threat that implies their home addresses are known.
“It is intimidating when the President of the United States attacks the foreperson of a jury by name,” Juror E, who served with Hart, wrote to the judge.
Having just finished the wonderful book “How Democracies Die,” it’s easy to see how this behavior by President Trump is just one more example of him smashing against the so-called “guardrails of democracy.” Anyone who hasn’t read that book might consider doing so, then joining (for free!) the Virtual Book Club at Penn State’s McCourtney Institute for Democracy, which will be discussing it on May 21.
Jury and Democracy Blog 