Last week, a juror in a big federal drug trial in Florida admitted to the judge that he had been doing research on the case on the Internet, directly violating the judge’s instructions and centuries of legal rules. But when the judge questioned the rest of the jury, he got an even bigger shock.
Eight other jurors had been doing the same thing. The federal judge, William J. Zloch, had no choice but to declare a mistrial, a waste of eight weeks of work by federal prosecutors and defense lawyers.
Thanks to Patrix for the pointer.
Was this a true story or just another "hulabalooo"? If yes, so researching is a no-no if you are part of a jury. I thought it would make sense if additional info is acquired through the internet. But anyhow, at least the judge took the time to correct and stick to the rule.
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