Juror Penalized for Facebook Post

A Michigan juror was removed from the jury in a criminal trial and punished for contempt after posting a message on Facebook during trial stating that the defendant was guilty.

The Facebook post, which juror Hadley Jons initially denied posting, said, "actually excited for jury duty tomorrow. It's gonna be fun to tell the defendant they're GUILTY."

The post was discovered by the son of the criminal defendant's attorney, who works in his mother's law office.

The juror was removed from the case, and the trial continued with an alternate juror.

On Sept. 2, Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Diane Druzinski found the juror, Hadley Jons, guilty of contempt of court, and ordered her to pay a $250 fine and to write an essay about the constitutional right to a fair trial.

http://www.macombdaily.com/articles/2010/09/02/news/doc4c7fb67b5bf14990644106.txt