A WOMAN removed from a jury for commenting about an ongoing case on Facebook has a longer writing task ahead: a five-page essay about the constitutional right to a fair trial.
A judge ordered Hadley Jons to write the essay, three weeks after Ms Jons wrote on Facebook that it was “gonna be fun to tell the defendant they’re GUILTY”. The trial, however, wasn’t over.
“I’m sorry, very sorry,” Ms Jons, 20, told Macomb County Circuit Judge Diane Druzinski.
The post was discovered by the defence team on August 11 – before the defence had even started its case – and Ms Jons was removed from the jury the next day.
Ms Druzinski told Jons that it didn’t matter whether she used Facebook to express an opinion or simply spoke to a friend about the case.
“You violated your oath. … You had decided she was already guilty without hearing the other side,” the judge said.
Ms Jons must submit an essay on the 6th Amendment to the US Constitution by October 1 and pay a $US250 ($275) fine.
She declined comment outside court. Her lawyer, John Giancotti, said the outcome was appropriate. He declined further comment.
Ms Jons was a juror in a criminal case against Leann Etchison, who was charged with resisting arrest. She was eventually found guilty.
The Facebook post was found by Jaxon Goodman, the 17-year-old son of Etchison’s defence lawyer.
“She’ll think twice about how important being on a jury is,” Mr Goodman said.
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