All eyes are on the jury in the first ever criminal trial of a former President. Dr. Huntley Taylor joined CNN to talk about the stress of being a juror and the pressure that comes when the jury knows how highly scrutinized their decision will be.
All eyes are on the jury in the first ever criminal trial of a former President. Dr. Huntley Taylor joined CNN to talk about the stress of being a juror and the pressure that comes when the jury knows how highly scrutinized their decision will be.
Dr. Huntley Taylor joined CNN to talk about the two jurors who were removed from the jury in the first ever Trump criminal trial after being empaneled. Exposure played a role as did background checks on the jurors. Both sides used all of their peremptory challenges and still probably like some jurors more than others.
The jury selection process in the first ever criminal trial of a former President understandably drew a lot of media attention. Dr. Huntley Taylor joined CNN to talk about prosecution and defense strategy. Given the venue, prosecutors focused on inoculating jurors to the defense for cause challenge attempts.
Just as the verdict came in from the Alex Murdaugh trial, Dr. Huntley Taylor joined ANDERSON COOPER and a team of commentators to discuss the trial, the case and the verdict in a two-hour special. In this clip compilation, Dr. Huntley Taylor offers thoughts on the verdict, emotion, credibility, and visuals.
Dr. Huntley Taylor shared insights with Law and Crime about the work of juries as court watchers awaited the verdict in the XXXTentacion murder trial. Verdict waiting is hard, but it is much harder work in the jury room. Sometimes the 'easy" decisions to court watchers still take a long time for juries because they want to get it right.
Dr. Huntley Taylor on Law and Crime discussing the key motivations for jurors in awarding damages: to PUNISH the defendant and to CARE for the plaintiffs.
Dr. Huntley Taylor on Court TV discussing the value of closing arguments. Closings do not change minds, but they do offer counsel an opportunity to tie up the evidence and testimony into a narrative. They give jurors a roadmap and the tools for arguing the case in deliberations.
Dr. Huntley Taylor joined an expert panel for a "Deep Dive" analysis hosted by Dr. Tracey Pearson to discuss the Depp/Heard trial. In this clip, Dr. Huntley Taylor explains how jurors generally perceive and evaluate expert witnesses.
Dr. Huntley Taylor on Law and Crime discussing the clothing choices of Amber Heard and what those choices might convey to the jury. While it would be nice to think that clothing and appearance do not matter, they absolutely do. This is true for parties, clients, attorneys, and witnesses. We like to say "the jurors will never get to know you, so they take their cues about you however they can." Two keys about choice of attire--1) avoid distractions and 2) project the image you want, be it warm, professional, caring, etc.
Credibility was key to the allegations of Elizabeth Holmes' fraud trial. She carefully crafted her image when she was selling Theranos to clients and again when she was selling herself to the jury. Inside Edition went so far as to ask if Ms. Holmes' pregnancy was part of that trial image. In this clip, Dr. Huntley Taylor won't go that far, but far enough to say that nothing is accidental when it comes to Ms. Holmes.
Dr. Huntley Taylor on Law and Crime discussing the credibility of defendant Reeves on the stand. Reeves, a 79 year-old former police officer, on trial for shooting and killing a fellow movie-goer in a movie theatre eight years ago. Reeves admitted second guessing his actions which is a major credibility booster. It humanizes him, it shows he cares that this happened, it endears him to the jury. When any key witness testifies, they need to know when to fight and when not to fight. Fighting on issues raises their importance in the eyes of the jury. Admitting them suggests to the jury that they are not important to the decision at-hand.
Brief clip of Dr. Huntley Taylor on Court TV talking about the art of jury selection. There is social science research to back up what types of jurors each side will want. However, the process itself is much more of an art. A lot of strategy involved from what to ask, who to ask, and how to ask as well as how to protect those you want on and remove those you want off.
Brief clip of Dr. Huntley Taylor on Law & Crime during the Halderson murder trial in Wisconsin. Whether it be murder or civil misconduct, juries pay attention to everything and are particularly interested in assessing the credibility of the person accused.
Brief clip of Dr. Huntley Taylor on Law & Crime during the Chauvin jury selection, about inviting jurors to share experiences and views on tough issues. It is also important to approach jurors, normalize bias and invite jurors to share biases that may lead to a cause challenge and save peremptory challenges.
Dr. Huntley Taylor commenting on Law & Crime during the Chauvin trial. Opening statements lay out the story of the case but in doing so, they lay out commitments about what the jurors will be hearing. Attorneys should only make commitments they know they can keep.
Dr. Huntley Taylor commenting about jury selection on Inside Edition during the Harvey Weinstein trial. When selecting a jury, leadership is a significant consideration. As we know, Weinstein never got his ideal juror and was convicted. Query whether that juror existed in his case.