Jury sends note while deliberating fate of ex-Cheney aide

[maddezmom]

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The judge in the criminal trial of Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff will hold a hearing Wednesday on the latest note from the jury deliberating the charges.

Details of the note have not yet been revealed.

On trial is Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who is fighting a five-count indictment for allegedly lying to investigators about his knowledge of Valerie Plame Wilson, whose husband, a former ambassador, openly questioned part of the Bush administration's basis for going to war against Iraq.

The note was handed up Tuesday at the end of the jury's fourth full day of deliberations, and was announced after the panel had been taken from the courthouse by U.S. Marshals for the evening. (Posted 5:45 a.m.)

http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/02/28/wednesday/index.html

Judge in Libby trial gets question from jury

WASHINGTON The judge in the perjury trial of former White House aide Lewis Libby will answer a question from the jury when deliberations resume today.

Jurors submitted a question to Judge Reggie Walton yesterday. What they asked will be kept under wraps until the judge reveals it.

It's the first question from the jury. They'd earlier asked for some materials, including a large flip chart, Post-It notes and documents with pictures of witnesses.

There haven't been any other signals from the jury since it got the case last Wednesday.

more:http://www.kcautv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6153135

[cassiepriam]

1. What is with all the deliberating? The case seemed slam dunk.

Guess Rove must have paid off the jury.

[Evergreen Emerald]

2. uh ohh....hung jury?

I also wonder what is taking them so long!

[Efilroft Sul]

3. Lots of details in this case.

I am going to presume that the jury wants to make the right decision. Therefore, they've gone past the rhetoric of the lawyers and are sticking to the facts, the exhibits.

The jury is deliberating carefully. We might not like the end decision, but the eleven jurors are working with what they got and we can't ask any more of them. This is for them to decide.

[maddezmom]

4. I hope Ted Wells broad grin mentioned here is from nerves not glee

Chief defense attorney Ted Wells, when asked Tuesday night by reporters for details of the note, reacted with only a broad grin as he and Libby got into a vehicle to leave the courthouse.

The jury has sent out only three notes since it began deliberating last week. One was the day the judge sent the case back with the panel and involved a request for office supplies such as a flip-chart and notepads.

A second note involved a request for pictures of witnesses who testified in the trial that began January 23, and the third note was notification that a juror had inappropriately obtained information that disqualified her from continuing to serve.(Posted 8:53 a.m.)
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/02/28/wednesday/index.html

[myrna minx]

5. Hm. I hope they disclose the

message of the note today. I hope this doesn't mean that this is a hung jury. Could it be that they want specific testimony to review?

[Drum]

6. This from yesterday:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x303142

[goclark]

7. So what s happening now?

[Nimrod2005]

9. Tweety is there NOW, he went to cover the news...!?

[guitar man]

8. I saw the note

....it's no big deal, it just said "one pepporoni, one supreme and a veggie lover's...and bring us some of those bread sticks too"

:yoiks:

[goclark]

10. Seriously, what is going on in that Court?

[guitar man]

11. God only knows

...I have a sinking feeling at the end of the day on this thing, the priority is going to be trying to cover this misadministrations ass once again, rather than finding the truth...

[maddezmom]

12. update: Libby trial judge asks jurors to clarify their note to him

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The judge in the criminal trial of Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff on Wednesday returned a note sent to him by deliberating jurors, and asked them to clarify it.

U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton took the action -- over objections from attorneys representing Lewis "Scooter" Libby -- before a hearing that was to consider the note's contents.

"I have some questions in my mind as to exactly what the jury is asking me," Walton said. "So contrary to the defense position, I will send a note back to them stating, 'I am not exactly certain what you are asking me. Can you please clarify?'"

http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/02/28/wednesday/index.html

[goclark]

13. Thanks for the update

[maddezmom]

14. here's the note, but looks like they don't need clarification anymore

Note from the jury:

We would like clarification on the charge as stated under Count 3 specifically:

Page 74 of the jury instructions, "Count three of the indictment alleges that Mr. Libby falsely told the FBI on October 14 or November 26, 2003, that during a conversation with M. Cooper of Time Magazine on July 12, 2003, Mr. Libby told Mr. Cooper that reporters were telling the administration that Mr. Wilson's wife worked for the CIA but that Mr. Libby did not know of this was true. (i.e., is the charge that the statement was made or about theh content of the statement itself)

Judge's note at the bottom — I am not exactly certain what you are asking me. Can you please clarify your question?

Second note from jury:

After further discussion, we are clear on what we need to do. No further clarification needed. Thank you. We apologize.

After the second note came back, the Libby team was clustered around some piece of paper (I assume the note) chuckling. They showed it to Fitz, and nobody seemed to alarmed one way or the other.

http://firedoglake.com/

[wordpix]

15. the jury needs an English teacher on the jury to clear up the garbled message