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Case 1:20-cr-00330-PAE Document614 Filed 02/24/22 Page2of12
INTRODUCTION
The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (“NACDL”) represents
approximately 40,000 criminal defense lawyers who often defend notorious or unpopular clients.
See Motion for Leave to File Amicus Brief. We know from the experiences of our members that
child sexual abuse cases are “the most difficult of all” for eliminating juror bias and we thus hold
regular training programs concerning voir dire strategies in such cases. NACDL, What Are They
Thinking?, https://www.nacdl.org/Event/2022-Midwinter-Meeting (program description). Even
prosecutors agree that “[t]raditional voir dire questions... might not sufficiently address potential
jurors’ emotional reactions to sexual assault cases,” and advocate more probative voir dire.
Christopher Mallios & Toolsi Meisner, Educating Juries In Sexual Assault Cases, Strategies at 2
(2010), http://www.ncdsv.org/images/AEquitas EducatingJuriesInSexualAssaultCasesPart1 7-
2010.pdf. The reality of an unbiased jury is a structural prerequisite for a fair trial and, particularly
in a notorious case such as this that has attracted international attention, the appearance that a fair
and impartial jury has decided the defendant’s fate is essential for public respect for and acceptance
of the outcome. Imagine that a juror had failed to reveal profound bias against law enforcement,
been permitted to sit on the jury and, after an acquittal, trumpeted her role in interviews with the
press. The public would be asking what is wrong with the American trial process that could allow
such a thing to happen, and the government would be investigating the juror for perjury.
Accurate answers from prospective jurors about their own experiences and attitudes are
essential for follow-up questioning and the ultimate judgment of the parties and the court about
which jurors should serve in the case at hand. In this case, Juror No. 50 gave untrue answers about
the fundamental issue of whether he himself had been victimized by sexual abuse and could be
fair and impartial ina sexual abuse case. The parties and the Court relied on the accuracy of his
answers in allowing him to sit on the jury. Now that he has exposed his real experiences and
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| Filename | DOJ-OGR-00009109.jpg |
| File Size | 771.7 KB |
| OCR Confidence | 93.8% |
| Has Readable Text | Yes |
| Text Length | 2,288 characters |
| Indexed | 2026-02-03 17:41:34.712017 |