Juries are the lynchpin of our criminal justice system, and ensuring that jurors operate in an impartial way is critical to maintaining public faith in our institutions.
New Jersey law makes it a crime for a juror to solicit or accept offers to depict their service before a verdict is rendered, or for others to make such offers to an impaneled juror.
Under the statute Prohibited Juror Contact (N.J.S.A. 2C:29-8.1), the conduct is graded as a crime of the fourth degree, which carries a sentence of up to 18 months if convicted and a fine of up to $10,000.
Specifically, the statute prohibits the following offers from being made to jurors or solicited or accepted by them, depicting a person’s service as a juror:
- A contract for a movie or a book
- A magazine article
- Any literary expression
- A recording, radio, or television presentation
- Live entertainment or presentation of any kind.
High profile cases in a major media market present ample opportunities for conflicts of interest, and prosecutors are extremely sensitive to the appearance of impropriety on the part of jurors or members of the media who may attempt to contact them.
If you’ve been charged under N.J.S.A. 2C:29-8.1, get help right away.
Call Matthew Reisig today at 732-625-9661 and talk to an experienced New Jersey criminal defense attorney for free.