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Extracted Text (OCR)
Case 22-1426, Document 87, 07/27/2023, 3548202, Page27 of 35
All three forms of bias must be "grounded in facts developed at voir dire." Torres,
128 F.3d at 47.
The bias implied by the juror’s false answers went unexplored. Nieves turned
on the court’s failure to explore juror bias related to gangs — a prejudice analogous
to the systematic or pervasive bias in the community against accused sex traffickers
and those who consort with them. Maxwell, tied to Epstein by media coverage, went
to trial against a constant drumbeat of news and allegations concerning child
molesters and sex trafficking. Far more pervasive than fear of gang violence was
fear and revulsion as to child sex abuse and trafficking of which Epstein, and then
Maxwell became the poster child. In the hearing, and despite defense suggested
questions, the Court refused to explore Juror 50’s child sexual abuse for bias.
To assess a challenge for cause as to this seated juror after trial the court
should use the same standards for cause challenges at trial. To do otherwise would
appear to shield the verdict rather than the defendant from improper juror bias. As
in Nieves, the juror’s omitted information related to a “material issue” that was at
trial “the cornerstone of the government’s theory.” There was a strong likelihood
that the material issue would skew deliberations considering the strong feelings that
sex trafficking of minors engenders. See Nieves; see also Barnes, 604 F.2d at 137-
139. The court deprived Maxwell unfairly of the opportunity post-trial to unearth a
pervasive bias relevant to the issue pivotal to the case against her.
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Extracted Information
Dates
Document Details
| Filename | DOJ-OGR-00021769.jpg |
| File Size | 683.3 KB |
| OCR Confidence | 95.5% |
| Has Readable Text | Yes |
| Text Length | 1,655 characters |
| Indexed | 2026-02-03 20:16:57.916531 |