Skip to content
Search
Please enter at least 3 characters.

Latest Stories

Theranos trial: Judge requires Covid shots for jurors

Theranos trial: Judge requires Covid shots for jurors

A US judge this week dismissed from a jury pool nine people who were unvaccinated against Covid-19.

US District Judge Edward Davila, presiding over the California fraud trial of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, took the action.


While choosing an all-vaccinated jury may be within a court's power to safeguard jurors, critics say it could reduce the fairness of trials.

The gender, age and ethnicity of the nine excused jurors could not be determined, but vaccinated Americans are more likely to be older, female, white, college-educated and Democratic.

Data compiled by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows 70 per cent of white Americans have been vaccinated, compared to 65 per cent of Black Americans; 71 per cent of females, compared to 63 per cent of males; and 86 per cent of Democrats, compared to 54 per cent of Republicans.

"I think it's a reasonable decision in the midst of the pandemic, but yes, the elimination of unvaccinated people is likely to affect the makeup of the jury pool," said Valerie Hans, a professor at Cornell Law School.

Experts said the issue was likely to arise more frequently as in-person trials resume amid the pandemic.

While both the prosecution and defense in the Holmes' trial backed the decision to excuse unvaccinated jurors, the issue could be grounds for challenging a verdict in cases where the parties do not agree.

A lawyer for Holmes and a representative of the US Attorney for the Northern District of California, whose office is prosecuting the case, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

"Any unusual restrictions on who is eligible to serve on the jury in a particular case could raise issues on appeal," said Kaspar Stoffelmayr, of the law firm Bartlit Beck.

Stoffelmayr confronted the question earlier this year, as the lawyer for Walgreens Boots Alliance in litigation over the pharmacy operator's alleged role in fueling the opioid epidemic.

Hadar Aviram, a professor at University of California Hastings College of the Law who specialises in civil rights, said that in general, the demographic disparities resulting from excusing unvaccinated jurors would not run afoul of the Constitution, since the rationale for excluding them was not discriminatory.

But she said screening by vaccination status could lead to a jury that is unrepresentative of the general population in meaningful ways. Unvaccinated jurors are more likely to be politically conservative than liberal, she said.

Marinakis, the jury consultant, said those who do not get vaccinated tend to be critical of both companies and the government.

While that could be good for criminal defendants in many cases, she said, conservative jurors in the Holmes case might be more likely to view her claim that she was under the control of an abusive romantic partner, former Theranos chief operating officer Ramesh Balwani, as "just an excuse."

Balwani has denied the allegations.

Stoffelmayr, however, cautioned against trying to predict how jurors would behave based on their vaccination status.

"I would not assume that demographic differences, or differences in personal beliefs and attitudes, between vaccinated and unvaccinated jurors, would necessarily favour one side or the other in the Holmes case," he said.

More For You

JLR-Tata-Getty

JLR had initially planned to manufacture more than 70,000 electric vehicles at the facility. (Photo: Getty Images)

JLR halts plan to build EVs at Tata’s India plant: Report

JAGUAR LAND ROVER (JLR) has put on hold plans to manufacture electric vehicles at Tata Motors’ upcoming £775 million factory in southern India, according to a news report.

The decision was influenced by challenges in balancing price and quality for locally sourced EV components, three of the sources said. They added that slowing demand for electric vehicles was also a factor.

Keep ReadingShow less
budget friendly spring destinations

Lock in affordable trips and avoid inflated prices

iStock

Top 7 budget-friendly spring destinations for 2025

With spring break just around the corner, it's time to lock in affordable trips and avoid inflated prices. Booking three weeks to a month in advance can help secure the best deals. Spring 2025 is shaping up to be a great time for travel, with airfares for international trips down by 3% and hotel rates decreasing by 2%, making it easier than ever to plan a memorable trip without breaking the bank. Here are seven top destinations to explore on a budget this spring.

1. Big Bear, California

Big Bear Lake, CaliforniaiStock

Keep ReadingShow less
Leicester drug supplier Sarju Khushal jailed for 11 years over £2m operation

Sarju Khushal

Leicester drug supplier Sarju Khushal jailed for 11 years over £2m operation

A MAN who supplied controlled drugs on a ‘wholesale’ scale across Leicestershire has been sentenced to 11 years in prison. Sarju Khushal, 30, was arrested in 2022 after investigations revealed he had been transporting drugs from Lancashire into the area.

Khushal, formerly of Hazeldene Road, Leicester, pleaded guilty to several charges, including the supply and conspiracy to supply class A drugs. He was sentenced at Leicester crown court last Thursday (6).

Keep ReadingShow less
Tamil Nadu Education

Tamil, one of the oldest living languages in the world, is a source of pride for the state’s people

Getty images

Education or imposition? Tamil Nadu battles India government over Hindi in schools

A war of words has erupted between Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister MK Stalin and the federal government over the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which recommends a three-language formula in schools, with two of the three being native to India. Stalin has voiced strong objections, claiming that the policy could lead to the imposition of Hindi, a northern Indian language, in non-Hindi-speaking states like Tamil Nadu. The issue has reignited old tensions between southern states and the central government over the privileging of Hindi.

Historical resistance to Hindi

Tamil Nadu has a deep-rooted history of opposing the promotion of Hindi, dating back to the 1960s. Protests broke out in the state when the federal government attempted to make Hindi the sole official language, leading to a compromise that allowed the continued use of English. Language in Tamil Nadu is not merely a means of communication but a powerful symbol of cultural identity. Tamil, one of the oldest living languages in the world, is a source of pride for the state’s people. As a result, any perceived threat to its prominence is met with strong resistance.

Keep ReadingShow less