Opinion ID: 775760
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Jurors' Requests to Be Excused

Text: 56 After the charge but before the jury began deliberating, Juror No. 11 asked whether she could be excused because of severe financial hardship. She explained that her employer was no longer paying her for her time at trial. The judge responded that he had called her employer repeatedly and thought she was satisfied. The juror then indicated that she understood her boss didn't have a problem with her attendance at trial but that she was refusing to pay her salary. She said, I don't think that it is fair for me to be on this case having this burden on myself. I don't think it is fair to the defendants that [are] on trial. Judge Casey told the juror that he could not excuse her and that he would try to straighten out the problem as far as your getting paid by your employer for the time that you are out. None of the defendants requested additional inquiry or requested that the juror be excused, and the juror did not protest further. 57 The following afternoon, Friday, December 11, 1998, after deliberations had commenced, Johnson's attorney asked that Juror No. 11 be excused because it appeared that deliberations would last for a long time and he was concerned that Juror No. 11 would cave in to the pressure of the other jurors in order to relieve her own financial pressure. The other defense counsel declined to take a position on this request. The district court denied Johnson's request with leave to renew following the court's weekend adjournment if the jury had not reached a verdict. Johnson did not renew his request on Monday or thereafter. 58 On the fifth day of deliberations, December 16, 1998, shortly before 2:30, Juror No. 12 requested to be excused, saying: 59 In the beginning when we did the voir dire I told you that I'm a freelancer and that I don't get paid nine to five. Right now I have an eviction notice from my apartment complex, so if I'm staying, if the jurors do not come up with a verdict today I would like to be excused. 60 Judge Casey took a copy of the eviction notice, said he would try to help, and told the juror he couldn't excuse him right then. None of the defense counsel objected or asked that the court make a further inquiry. The jury returned its verdict a half hour later. 61 A court's decision as to whether just cause exists to excuse a juror after jury deliberations have begun is subject to review for abuse of discretion. United States v. Reese, 33 F.3d 166, 173 (2d Cir. 1994). The issue of what, if any, inquiry must be made before deciding whether a juror should be excused also is committed to the judge's discretion. Id. This court need only satisfy itself that the district court had sufficient information to make an informed decision. Id. 62 As to Juror No. 11, the court did not abuse its discretion for several reasons: first, when the juror expressed her concerns, the court promptly said it would attempt to resolve them but could not excuse her immediately; second, the juror did not protest further or ask to be excused again; third, counsel did not initially ask that she be excused or ask the court to conduct an inquiry; fourth, when counsel for Johnson asked that the juror be excused the next day, the other counsel declined to join his request; and fifth, although the court invited Johnson to renew his request on the next trial day, Johnson did not do so. It is apparent that the defendants gambled that Juror No. 11 was more likely to help them than hurt them and object now only because they were convicted. The rationale for upholding the district court's discretion as to Juror No. 12 is even stronger because defense counsel never indicated that they wished the court to excuse this juror. 63