Whats the over under on the jury deliberation?
1 hr?
5 minutes?
The judge has to instruct the jury, those instructions are going to be critical.
In their closing argument defense is going to have to pull an ostrich out of their hat while doing a triple backflip through a flaming hoop.
Can’t they just show that coat?
Puh-leeze - U must be old enough to remember the oJ trial.
I bet the prosecution wanted an hour & a half and asked for two, knowing this jerk of a judge would reduce whatever they asked for.
How many counts? 19? It is going to take at least 3 hours.
I’m going with a guilty verdict in under 5 hours unless it gets close to lunch or dinner. In that case, add an additional hour. There’s no food quite like free food!
Damn, that’s a good point. It’s going to take time just to get through each count.
“Closing arguments in the Paul Manafort trial will begin Wednesday morning…”
“Your honor, and members of the jury: IOKIYAAR. The defense rests.”
Ellis also told the lawyers on both sides that he would prefer they keep closing arguments to just one and a half hours. Previously prosecutors asked for two hours, which Ellis said Tuesday is “a little excessive.”
What a dick.
three hours, then we may have confidence they look over the materials the judge wouldn’t allow the prosecution to detail
the judge expects them to spend time learning while they deliberate what was detailed…
No payback for Rodney King is operative in this case…
Did we ever get a response on the complaint (whatever they call it) that the judge suggested to the jury that if the banker was in on the falsified paperwork that there wasn’t actually any bank fraud? Can the judge adequately make that right during jury instructions?
One “My Client Is The Unluckiest Man Alive Defense”, coming up! Terrible coincidences, unfortunate misunderstandings, careless good intentions, heartbreaking victimhood, etc.
Based on my own experience they will chat a bit, then do a few guilties, coffee and donuts, a few more guilties, lunch, vote on if they want to stretch it out for the next morning’s coffee and donuts - if “yes” just a few more guilties and finish it in the morning, if “no” lock him up and go home.
I expected something from the defense, they must really be hanging their hat on blaming Gates for everything and saying Manafort knew nothing about what was going on behind his back. I don’t see how any reasonable person could believe that, he’s on the emails and in some cases he was the only person involved. The case is really tight, so the defense must be hoping that there is a Trump supporter on the jury that will vote to acquit no matter what. A hung jury puts the inevitable off, it doesn’t set Manafort free…and, with all the secret conferences there will be serious questions about jury tampering (which only benefits Manafort).
Let’s hope justice is done by the end of the week, and then see the inevitable fury from Trump, followed by a pardon.
FBI already pulled an ostrich out of Manafort’s closet.
In closing arguments in which there was no defense witnesses, how much can the prosecution say about the fact there was no evidence or testimony to refute the allegations and witnesses? The defense does have a right not to testify, but how much can prosecution remind juries of it? Especially when opening statements tried to pin it all on gates?
They will argue that the Prosecution failed to present sufficient evidence. That’s all they’ve got.