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732 KB

Extraction Summary

2
People
4
Organizations
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Locations
2
Events
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Relationships
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Quotes

Document Information

Type: Court filing / legal order (case 1:20-cr-00330-pae)
File Size: 732 KB
Summary

This document is page 14 of a court order filed on February 25, 2022, in the case against Ghislaine Maxwell (Case 1:20-cr-00330-PAE). The court is rejecting the Defense's argument that Federal Rule of Evidence 606 (regarding juror competency as a witness) violates Maxwell's constitutional rights to due process and confrontation. The judge rules that Juror 50 was a factfinder, not a witness against the defendant, and cites Supreme Court precedents (Crawford, Tanner) to uphold the limitations on using juror affidavits to impeach a verdict.

People (2)

Name Role Context
Ms. Maxwell Defendant
The defendant arguing that Rule 606 violates her constitutional rights to due process and confrontation.
Juror 50 Juror
A juror from the trial whose statements and potential misconduct are the subject of the hearing and legal argument.

Organizations (4)

Name Type Context
United States District Court
Implied issuer of the document (Case 1:20-cr-00330-PAE).
DOJ-OGR
Marking in footer (DOJ-OGR-00009555).
Supreme Court
Cited in legal precedents (Tanner v. United States, Crawford v. Washington).
2d Cir.
Cited in legal precedent (U.S. ex rel. Owen v. McMann).

Timeline (2 events)

2022-02-25
Filing of Document 620 in Case 1:20-cr-00330-PAE
Court Record
The Court Ms. Maxwell
Unknown
Hearing regarding Juror 50
Court

Relationships (1)

Ms. Maxwell Defendant/Juror Juror 50
Reference to Juror 50 being a 'factfinder in her trial'.

Key Quotes (3)

"The Defendant’s right to confrontation is not implicated here because Juror 50 is not a “witness[] against” the Defendant but was instead a factfinder in her trial."
Source
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Quote #1
"Juror 50’s testimony at the hearing will be proffered to determine whether Juror 50 has engaged in any misconduct warranting a new trial, not to accuse the Defendant of any crime."
Source
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Quote #2
"Next, the Defendant’s due-process claim is squarely foreclosed by controlling precedent."
Source
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Quote #3

Full Extracted Text

Complete text extracted from the document (2,163 characters)

Case 1:20-cr-00330-PAE Document 620 Filed 02/25/22 Page 14 of 21
Defendant’s ultimate guilt. Trial Tr. at 3066; see also U.S. ex rel. Owen v. McMann, 435 F.2d
813, 818 (2d Cir. 1970).
Last, the Defendant argues—in a single sentence of her reply brief—that if Rule 606 does
bar consideration of Juror 50’s statements about the second juror, then the rule “violates Ms.
Maxwell’s constitutional rights to due process and to confrontation as applied to her.” Maxwell
Reply at 23. The Court rejects this argument. The Confrontation Clause guarantees a criminal
defendant the right “to be confronted with the witnesses against him.” U.S. Const., amend. VI.
The Defendant’s right to confrontation is not implicated here because Juror 50 is not a “witness[]
against” the Defendant but was instead a factfinder in her trial. Simply put, Juror 50’s testimony
at the hearing will be proffered to determine whether Juror 50 has engaged in any misconduct
warranting a new trial, not to accuse the Defendant of any crime. Cf. Crawford v. Washington,
541 U.S. 36, 43 (2004) (describing the Confrontation Clause as a “right to confront one’s
accusers” (emphasis added)). Even if the Confrontation Clause were implicated, Rule 606’s
prohibition on juror affidavits to impeach a verdict is a reasonable limitation, subject to other
exceptions not at issue here, on the evidence that a defendant may muster, a limitation with a
long historical pedigree. See Pena-Rodriguez, 137 S. Ct. at 863 (tracing Rule 606 to traditional
English common law); Crawford, 541 U.S. at 54 (explaining that the Confrontation Clause “is
most naturally read as a reference to the right of confrontation at common law, admitting only
those exceptions established at the time of the founding”).
Next, the Defendant’s due-process claim is squarely foreclosed by controlling precedent.
The Supreme Court in Tanner v. United States rejected a constitutional challenge to Rule 606,
explaining that a criminal defendant’s right to an impartial jury is “protected by several aspects
of the trial process,” including questions asked in voir dire; observations in court made by the
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