Logo
  • Home
  • Ask
  • Teen Help Network
  • About
    • About Judge Tom
    • Books
    • FAQs
    • Press Room
  • Your Rights
    • Crime and Punishment
    • Student Rights at School
    • You and Your Body
    • You and the Internet
    • Juvenile Justice System
    • LGBT Youth Rights
    • More Categories
  • Blog
  • Get Help
    • Videos
    • A Teenager’s Guide to Juvenile Court
    • Books
    • Research & Resources
  • Newsletter Signup

 

Q&A

Know your rights! Youth justice and juvenile law answers.

Askthejudge.info features regular updates from the news, important decisions from the nation′s courts, and online discussions with Judge Tom. Find out everything you need to know about youth rights, juvenile law and juvenile justice. AsktheJudge – Empowering youth one question at a time.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this site is made available to the general public and is not intended to serve as legal advice.You should consult a trained legal professional in your area for questions you may have about the laws affecting juveniles or any legal interpretations.

Copyright, 2014
Logo
October 4, 2010
Judge Tom
Blog
2

20 year old juror posts her vote on Facebook

PreviousNext

Jaxon Goodman is 17 years old and works as a clerk in his mother’s law firm in Michigan. In August, 2010 she was in trial defending a client charged with resisting arrest.

Among the twelve jurors selected to hear the case was 20 year old Hadley Jons. Once the jury was sworn in they were instructed to remain neutral until all of the evidence was presented by the attorneys and the case was given to them to decide.

Hadley Jons (MySpace)

Jury instructions are provided by the judge at the beginning and conclusion of any jury trial. They are the dos and don’ts expected of each member of the jury. Because of the Internet and other electronic devices, juries are now told not to use them to obtain information about the case or anyone connected with the case until the trial is over. In a criminal case, the jury’s responsibility is to decide the guilt or innocence of the defendant based solely on the evidence presented in court.

Hadley was one of two jurors who had a Facebook account. Although given the instruction by the judge not to use any social networking site, Hadley went on Facebook during trial. Before the prosecutor finished its case and before hearing anything from the defendant, Hadley posted that it was “gonna be fun to tell the defendant they’re GUILTY.”

Jaxon discovered the post during a break in the trial and reported it to his mother. Hadley was immediately removed from the jury and told to return to court a few days later. On September 2, 2010 she was found in contempt of court and sentenced to pay a fine of $250. The judge addressed Hadley saying “You violated your oath. You had already found her guilty without hearing the other side.” Hadley was also given a month to write a five-page essay about the Sixth Amendment and the importance of a defendant’s right to a fair trial. She was told to deliver it personally to Judge Diane Druzinski, not by email or Facebook.

The defendant, Leann Etchison, was found guilty without Hadley’s vote.

Share this
Judge Tom

The Author Judge Tom

Judge Tom is the founder and moderator of AsktheJudge.info. He is a retired juvenile judge and spent 23 years on the bench. He has written several books for lawyers and judges as well as teens and parents including 'Teen Cyberbullying Investigated' (Free Spirit Publishing) and 'Every Vote Matters: the Power of Your Voice, from Student Elections to the Supreme Court' (Free Spirit Publishing). In 2020, the American Bar Association published "Cyberbullying Law," the nation's first case-law book written for lawyers, judges and law students. When he's not answering teens' questions, Judge Tom volunteers with the American Red Cross and can be found hiking, traveling and reading.

Find great resources in our

Teen Help Network


Leave A Comment Cancel reply

2 Comments

  • David Green
    October 17, 2010 5:56 am count( 0 )

    Unfortunately when it comes to making judgmental pronouncements about the supposed guilt of a defendant after only hearing the prosecution Hadley is but the norm. As most individual believe that if the defendant weren’t guilty of something the police would have left them alone.