Last Thursday’s Monitor has an Associated Press article titled “Names of Jurors Protected.” It was about a Coos County Superior Court judge denying a request of the Boston Globe to obtain the names of 12 jurors and 5 alternates in the 2019 fatal motorcycle crash killing7 people. That trial led to the acquittal of the truck driver and was generally a surprise to the public. Also, at that time, our governor and our attorney general immediately publically criticized the verdict. Before making his recent opinion, the judge’s appointed lawyer contacted all the 12 and 5 and none of them wanted their names revealed for fear of additional threats to their safety. The judge’s decision seems very thoughtful and fair.
Any of us can become a juror and in fulfilling our civic duty as citizens we should never feel threatened by those who feel differently, don’t know the facts of the case, and do not understand how juries work. Having our governor and attorney general criticize the jury’s verdict didn’t help the situation. They showed that they don’t respect the role of a juror nor understand our basic legal system. The governor is not a lawyer and maybe that’s his excuse. But if he wants to be president he will have to come to respect jury verdicts. He will have to be unlike ex-president Trump who shows daily his disrespect and lack of understanding for the rule of law. The attorney general, appointed by the governor as our chief law enforcement officer, has no excuse for his inappropriate reaction.
Nick Perencevich
Concord