The Knoxville News-Sentinel's Jim Balloch reports still no verdict by the Kernell jury:
After two days of deliberations, federal jurors remain unable to reach a verdict over whether former University of Tennessee student David C. Kernell illegally accessed the private e-mail account of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.- JP
U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Phillips told the panel of East Tennesseans about 4:30 today to go home and return to court Thursday morning. He made no inquiry about their progress.
They began considering the case against the 22-year-old man Wednesday morning. They've deliberated more than 10 hours.
The law is clear and the evidence is solid. They should have reached a decision by now. I think there is only one of two possibilities at play here:
ReplyDelete1) There is a Palin hater or two on the jury who are refusing to convict no matter the evidence - i.e. jury nullification, just like the OJ trial.
2) The jury may be uncomfortable convicting on all four charges. They may think the prosecution has engaged in legal "overkill". The "potential" 50 year maximum sentence - if convicted on all four charges - may be bothering a lot of the jurors - even though that would never happen. They may believe the kid is guilty but shouldn't be "persecuted" for it. So they may be trying to figure out how to find him guilty of only one or two charges while dismissing the others.
Yes, this should have been a no-brainer for an impartial jury. I rule out #2 because sentencing is completely separate from the verdict. Even if convicted, he's not likely to get more than 5 years because he's a kid, has no priors, and is the son of a pol. Which means he would probably walk out in 2 years, max. His only problem is that's he's shown no remorse. If the little jerk had copped a plea, he probably would have got off with probation and community service.
ReplyDeleteThis jury deliberation is purely political, Rusty.
- JP
He's not a kid, people.
ReplyDelete22 years old
Jewish children become men and women at 13.
Isn't Catholic communion around that age?
We finish formal education at 18.
Drinking age is 21 in most states.
He. is. not. a. kid.
At least the article got that right "22-year-old man."
From the vantage point of my age, believe me, he's a kid.
ReplyDelete- JP