Friday, May 12, 2006

Now a cheer for ONE juror

So one lone juror kept the United States from the ignominy of executing a lunatic, convicted on the basis of torture evidence under a crackpot theory of responsibility. The foreperson (unidentified but evidently female) of the Moussaoui jury reports she was frustrated that despite 11-1, 10-2 and 10-2 ballots, no one would argue against the death penalty, yet someone kept voting it down.

But no one could figure out who was casting the dissenting vote, the foreman said, because that person didn't identify himself during any discussion -- and each of the votes were done using anonymous ballots.

The jury had to reach unanimity in order to smoke the guy.

Yet another instance when sanity seems to hang by a thread.

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