As a private investigator and blogger I have learned a sad truth. The vast majority of people on jury duty are bored, and for excitement they violate absolutely every court order on avoiding published or broadcast materials regarding the cases they are deciding. The very first thing a surprising number of people do on jury duty is a Google search on the names of the key players. Who will try and stop these folks in the privacy of their own homes?
The First Amendment allows anyone to publish anything they wish before cases are to be tried or court orders are issued. A pre-litigation documentary film setting out the facts away from the constraints of the courtroom is an incredible public relations tool to help any litigant or criminal defendant.
The litigants themselves would be foolish in most cases to say anything on camera about their cases since anything they say can be used against them. The same goes for their witnesses.
Getting the other side parties and adverse witnesses to blab is sometimes all too easy. Having video of this is terrific but only of placed where the jury members will find it. With Google everything is now in plain sight.
There are a number of things such as the sordid pasts of adverse witnesses and things that would sway a jury that are kept secret from them. You can give the jury a credibility roadmap of witnesses they will never see in court.
Effective narration could inform the viewers in a credible way what the real causes of the event were and or any theories.
Documents, photographs, video effortlessly and lawfully can be published to jurors that judges will never allow during a trial.
With the new 15 minute length YouTube just offered their users is just perfect for pre-litigation documentaries designed to expose the truth. I’ve been blessed with many years as an investigative TV news producer to make the perfect documentary for most litigants. This kind of small investment in a case may be worth its weight in gold.
In many cases it may be a wise move to inform the jurors of their absolute right to nullify controversial laws with their verdicts.
Remember, the only people violating court orders or laws here are the wayward jurors. I can’t wait for the first request I get to make a pre-litigation documentary film that jurors can easily access on the internet.
Remember, the only people violating court orders or laws here are the wayward jurors. I can’t wait for the first request I get to make a pre-litigation documentary film that jurors can easily access on the internet.
Comments