Jury Coverage

Chatham County residents are being warned about a jury duty scam

Chatham County residents are being warned about a jury duty scam Saturday afternoon.

Jelia Hepner, WRAL multiplatform producer

Debate over racial bias on jury selection

Two new rulings from the state Supreme Court have racial justice advocates worried.

Jury Finds Gwyneth Paltrow not liable in damages over the crash

A jury on Thursday found that Gwyneth Paltrow was not at fault over a crash with another skier on a Utah slope in 2016, a verdict that capped a week of testimony that explored skiing etiquette, medical history and celebrity culture.

Harnett County man spends 24 hours in jail after refusal to wear mask during jury duty

Gregory Hahn, 47, spent 24 hours in jail for contempt of court after he refused to wear a mask in Judge Charles Gilchrist's courtroom while showing up for jury duty.

Mask dispute lands potential Harnett County juror in jail

Gregory Hahn, 47, spent 24 hours in jail for contempt of court after he refused to wear a mask in Judge Charles Gilchrist's courtroom while showing up for jury duty.

Chelsea Donovan, WRAL reporter

Judge calls for new murder trial and venue for Lester Kearney

A judge has scheduled a new murder trial for Oct. 24 against Lester Kearney. Granville County will also host the trial.

Jury unable to reach decision in Lake Gaston home invasion, robbery, murder

A Warren County jury deliberated for three days but was unable to reach a verdict in a case of home invasion, robbery, arson and murder that dates back to 2018.

Jury finds Kim Potter guilty of manslaughter

The jury deliberated for about four days before finding former Brooklyn Center officer Kim Potter guilty of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter.

Jury deliberations begin in Ahmaud Arbery murder trial

A jury is deciding the sentence of three white men charged with murder in the death of 25-year-old Black man Ahmaud Arbery. Prosecutors say the three men pursed Arbery with pickup trucks and shotguns while he was on a run.

NC lawmakers move up absentee ballot deadline, push other elections changes

Absentee ballots would have to be received by the time polls close on Election Day to count, under legislation that cleared the General Assembly on Thursday.

Matthew Burns, WRAL.com senior producer/politics editor

Jury selection begins for man who shot 2, injured 1 during protests in Wisconsin

Jury selection began Monday in the case of a Kyle Rittenhouse, who shot and killed two protesters and wounded a third last summer in Wisconsin.

Jury selection begins in high profile murder case in shooting of Ahmaud Arbery

Jury selection is underway in the high profile trial of the three men accused of murdering Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia.

Washington Post: Manhattan DA convenes grand jury to consider potential charges in Trump Organization probe

Manhattan's top prosecutor has convened a grand jury that is expected to decide whether to indict former President Donald Trump should prosecutors present criminal charges in their probe of the Trump Organization, two people familiar with the matter told The Washington Post.

By Paul LeBlanc, CNN

State warns consumers about Jury Duty scam

A jury duty scam is circulating Wake County over the phone.

State warns about Wake Co. jury duty scam that asks for as much as $1,800

The state is warning the public about scam phone calls that have been circulating Wake County over supposed missed jury duty.

Jury selection delayed in Derek Chauvin trial

The trial of the former Minneapolis police officer accused of killing George Floyd is on hold while an appeal proceeds over the possible reinstatement of a third-degree murder charge.

Cumberland judge hopes to get one jury trial in each week

North Carolina halted jury trials statewide last spring at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, and courts have been limited to holding pre-trial hearings - often virtually - in recent months. That has changed in Cumberland County, which received permission from state judicial officials last month to resume jury trials with strict protocols in place to limit the spread of the virus.

NC Supreme Court finds potential racial bias in Fayetteville murder trial jury selection

The state Supreme Court is questioning whether black jurors were improperly kept off the jury in a 2014 a Cumberland County murder trial.

Judge calls for investigation after juror gets call in bribery case

A consultant reached out to jurors in political donor Greg Lindberg's case. A federal judge ordered him to stop and told the U.S. Attorney's Office to investigate.

Travis Fain, WRAL statehouse reporter

Attorneys say prosecutors kept blacks off juries for 2 black men

In more than 100 cases in North Carolina in which inmates claimed they didn't receive a fair trial because blacks were improperly kept off their juries, state courts have never overturned a conviction based on that argument. That could soon change.

NC Supreme Court takes up issue of racial bias in jury selection

In more than 100 cases in North Carolina in which inmates claimed they didn't receive a fair trial because blacks were improperly kept off their juries, state courts have never overturned a conviction based on that argument. That could soon change.

Laura Leslie, WRAL Capitol Bureau chief

Supreme Court examines exclusion of black jurors in Sampson drug trial

The state Supreme Court looks at whether black jurors were wrongly excluded from the trial of Cory Dion Bennett, who was convicted in 2017 of trafficking methamphetamines.

Supreme Court reviews exclusion of black jurors in Fayetteville murder trial

The state Supreme Court hears arguments as to whether blacks were wrongly excluded from the jury in the trial of Cedric Theodis Hobbs, who is serving a life sentence for the November 2010 murder of a Fayetteville pawn shop clerk.

Cooper vetoes non-citizen voting bill, signs six others

Governor says there's too much risk of "voter harassment and intimidation" in Republican-backed bill.

Travis Fain, WRAL statehouse reporter

Bill to scrub voter rolls based on jury excuses clears House

Bill pitched as a common sense defense against voter fraud, but Democrats predict it will remove innocent citizens from state's voting rolls.

Travis Fain, WRAL statehouse reporter, & Laura Leslie, WRAL Capitol Bureau chief