Former President Trump case in Georgia, prosecutor seeks jury protection

2023-09-07 20:45:17, Kosova & Bota CNA

The Georgia prosecutor who has indicted former President Donald Trump and 18 others for illegally trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election in that state is asking the judge in the case to take steps to protect jurors.

The move by Fulton County District Attorney Fannie Willis comes after members of the grand jury that brought 41 indictments against former President Trump and other defendants came under attack when their records were posted online.

It is a reflection of the polarization of public opinion in the United States about the criminal cases against the former president.

Prosecutor Willis wrote in the motion filed Wednesday that the grand jury information was released "with the intent to harass and intimidate jurors." Additionally, the petition said, personal information about Ms. Willis, a black woman, her family and staff was posted online "interspersed with derogatory and racist comments."

Television cameras are routinely allowed in courtrooms in Georgia, but cameramen and photographers are regularly instructed not to show images of the jury. During the jury selection process, members are primarily identified by number rather than name.

Prosecutor Willis is asking Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee to prohibit the defendants, the media or anyone else from creating or publishing images, including videos, photographs and sketches of jurors, or potential jurors. her.

She is also asking the judge to stop the release of any information that would help identify them, "especially physical descriptions, phone numbers, addresses, names of employers."

Legal experts have said it is standard procedure for indictment cases in the state of Georgia to include the names of grand jurors, in part because it gives defendants an opportunity to challenge the composition of the jury.

So the names of the 23 members of the grand jury who heard the district attorney's evidence and voted to approve the charges were included in the indictment. They immediately became victims of "doxxing," which is short for "dropping dox," which refers to the posting of information about someone online, generally in an attempt to harass, threaten, embarrass, or retaliate against them. VOA