"Secret" grand jury testimony

miami_fan · 07-24-2006, 10:15 AM

What is the purpose of keeping grand jury secret?

saldana · 07-24-2006, 10:33 AM

the grand jury is only supposed to decide if there is enough evidence to proceed with an actual trial, which is held in front of a Petit Jury...the reason the GJ is supposed to be secret is to protect the "innocent until proven guilty" presumption by not tainting the public opinion or giving away information that the accused doesnt have the opportunity to refute as they would in a trial setting. (iirc, at a GJ, the accused does not have the opportunity to defend themselves at all)

miami_fan · 07-24-2006, 04:05 PM

Thanks

07-24-2006, 04:05 PM	#3
miami_fan Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Land O Lakes FL	Thanks __________________ "The blind soldier fought for me in this war. The least I can do now is fight for him. I have eyes. He hasn’t. I have a voice on the radio, he hasn’t. I was born a white man. And until a colored man is a full citizen, like me, I haven’t the leisure to enjoy the freedom that colored man risked his life to maintain for me. I don’t own what I have until he owns an equal share of it. Until somebody beats me and blinds me, I am in his debt."- Orson Welles August 11, 1946

07-24-2006, 10:33 AM	#2
saldana Pro Starter Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Bethlehem, Pa	the grand jury is only supposed to decide if there is enough evidence to proceed with an actual trial, which is held in front of a Petit Jury...the reason the GJ is supposed to be secret is to protect the "innocent until proven guilty" presumption by not tainting the public opinion or giving away information that the accused doesnt have the opportunity to refute as they would in a trial setting. (iirc, at a GJ, the accused does not have the opportunity to defend themselves at all)

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