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Rezko jury watch… Gone for the day

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Illinois

* 1:06 pm - In case you’re wondering…

Jurors took a lunch at about noon, according to court watchers sitting outside the courtroom.

* 2:24 pm - The Sun-Times has posted the official verdict form, which could be useful when the jury finally finishes. Click here to download.

* 3:30 pm - If you’d like to match up the verdict form with an explanation of what each of those counts are about, the Tribune’s Rezko blog laid it out a while back. But, since the Tribsters don’t have direct links to each post, I’ve put them all on a separate page.

* 4:19 pm - Parsing…

The note from jurors yesterday said they couldn’t decide on one count.

Does that mean the Tony Rezko jury cannot decide on JUST one count?
Or does that mean the jury cannot decide on ANY one count?

It’ll happen when it happens. They could stay deadlocked over one count for days. One should never read too much into anything.

* 4:37 pm -The jury has left for the day.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 1:07 pm

Comments

I heard 3 jurors were ordering food “to go” so we can expect a verdict after they finish cleaning up.

Comment by Vote Quimby! Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 1:11 pm
LOL. Let’s not spread rumors like that, please. People are on a hair-trigger right now.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 1:12 pm
If they ordered Panda Express does that mean they’re gonna set him free?

“If the moo-shoo fits, they will acquit.”

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 1:14 pm
I saw “Rezko jury watch… ” and I thought OK, here we go…. and the verdict is??? But no, just a tease.

Comment by Dan S, a voter and Cubs Fan Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 1:16 pm
We needed a placeholder.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 1:17 pm
It was a jury watch, not a warning. A watch means conditions are favorable for a verdict, while a warning means a verdict has been spotted or is visible on radar.

Comment by Vote Quimby! Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 1:19 pm
Better order the drinks in sippy cups so they don’t spill anything on the forms!!!

Comment by He Makes Ryan Look Like a Saint Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 1:20 pm
Dan S-

Jury watch means, “jury watch.” We watch every twitch in the media, hoping to catch the first scoop, and every day is a tease. When there is a verdict, what are the odds that a thread called “Rezko Verdict In” appears here?

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 1:22 pm
Sorry for the rumor-mongering….must be residue from my Lee employment.

Comment by Vote Quimby! Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 1:23 pm
We are not going to see a verdict until after dinner at the Chop House! They’re milking this for all it’s worth. Make mine medium rare, please.

Comment by A Citizen Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 1:24 pm
A watch is a time peice worn upon the wrist. In this case it may have coffee damage. This is a thread for us to debate how much the jury foremans coffee stained wrist watch will go for on e-bay. The Suntimes is rumoured to have dibs on his ties.

Comment by Ghost Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 1:25 pm
Once the verdict is in, can we waive the “no caps” rule for a specified time? I’ve got an itchin’ for a ‘woo hoo’ and it just doesn’t have the same impact.

Comment by Vote Quimby! Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 1:25 pm
Yesterday might have been an indication of strong jury rotation… in which direction (guilty or not guilty), however, remains to be seen.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 1:27 pm
Quimby, Go For It, the worst Rich will do is slap your hand with a ruler like a nun from gradeschool, or delete your comment (does this to me a few times a week).

Comment by A Citizen Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 1:28 pm
A citizen,
Your writing is a lot like VanillaMan’s. Has anyone else noticed that?

Comment by Bill Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 1:29 pm
I think everybody here is VanillaMan.

He’s like Underdog. He’s everywhere!

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 1:31 pm
- Bill -
High praise indeed, I thank you!

Comment by A Citizen Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 1:32 pm
freakin’ sweet, Citizen!
Hypothetically, of course, if there is a guilty verdict what is the immediate spin from the Gov?
*the ‘bad apple’ defense
*Jason Giambi apology for acts unspecified
*say ‘reform & renewal’ was just an empty campaign promise

Comment by Vote Quimby! Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 1:33 pm
lol

Comment by Bill Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 1:34 pm
- Vote Quimby! -
My best guess is “The Nixon Defense” - paraphrased, The people need to know if their leader is a crook . . . Well, I am Not a CROOK!

Comment by A Citizen Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 1:37 pm
The bad apple defense is the best. We’ve all got that one down pat.

Comment by Bill Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 1:42 pm
The answer will be: “The governor is unavailable for comment.”

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 1:42 pm
Not even a Rebecca-ism ‘that is not how this administration does business’?

Comment by Vote Quimby! Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 1:48 pm
…or “The Governor cannot comment on ongoing investigations, whether recently begun, ended or contemplated.”

…or “Tony Rezko would not have been convicted if Speaker Madigan would have just passed a capital plan.”

Comment by KGB Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 1:52 pm
Does Blagojevich have the authority to “sweeten” the jury verdict, a la “lemons into lemonade”?

Comment by The Doc Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 1:52 pm
Wonder if the King Air 350 is on the tarmac and fueled up?

Comment by 5+ years of fog Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 1:57 pm
Well, the only thing the gov will do is repeat $2,000,000 * 100= 2,000,000,000, sqawk!

Comment by Wumpus Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 1:58 pm
Now guys I want everyone to act swell and be nice and say nice things about Mr. Rezko if the verdict is guilty. Golly gee everyone Golly gee

Comment by Nice Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 1:59 pm
After all of this deliverating, I’ll have olive soup for lunch.

Blago “Do you know that $200M X 10 is $2B?

Comment by Little Egypt Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 1:59 pm
Doc, the only way Blago can sweeten a guilty jury verdict is to announce his resignation. Now that’s what I call suuuweeeeet.

Comment by Little Egypt Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 2:00 pm
Rich, au contraire. Savoir-Faire is everywhere!

He was the French mouse who was always stealing food from Klondike Kat.

They were on the same Total Television cartoon lineup with Underdog, Tennessee Tuxedo, Go-Go Gophers and the World of Commander McBragg.

It’s hip, hip, hip and away I go!

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 2:01 pm
I’ve been busy so I have not read this blog lately. This may have been asked already. If Rezko
is guilty on several counts will the feds ask that he be locked up until sentencing ? Guilty makes him a bigger flight risk. Has this been discussed here ? What was the consensus ?

Comment by Maggie Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 2:11 pm
Rumor: One juror was seen sweating profusely and saying “It’s the kung-pow!”

Comment by Vote Quimby! Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 2:14 pm
hmmm apparently Word and I watched the same quality televsion programing as children….

The Gov’s response will be simply: “That’s a stupid question, I need to get back to the business of representing the people” (at least the ones who can pay the 25k fee)

Comment by Ghost Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 2:16 pm
== The answer will be: “The governor is unavailable for comment.” ==
I think it will be “He is unavailable for comment since he is busy working on the needs of hard working widows and orphans and he is most certainly not digging a secret tunnel to leave his home office without anyone seeing him”

Comment by OneMan Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 2:24 pm
***Snark/Fake***
For Immediate Release

Ill. Dept. of Health to Shut Down all Chicago Panda Express Restaurants

Chicago IL - The Office of the Governor of the State of Illinois announces the closing of all Panda Express restaurants for a period of “inspection” as directed by the Illinois Department of Health.

“In time, when the state feels Panda Express will not do harm to the state, and the governor’s administration, the Illinois Department of Health will revist this ‘order’and consider those restaurants possible reopening.”

Comment by In the Land of Silos and Cows ... Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 2:29 pm
I just realized that the coffee stained verdict form could have been a unique Illinois political collectable. Hope someone saved it.

Comment by OneMan Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 2:32 pm
We could use it as a rorschach test for future political leaders….

Comment by Ghost Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 2:34 pm
OneMan, the judge told them to save it.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 2:35 pm
It’s 2:36. Did the jury get back from lunch yet?

*burp*

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 2:36 pm
Cool, perhaps someday we can have the Illinois museum of political history.

– The Coffee Stained Verdict Form
– A Shoebox from Paul Powell…
– A CDL from the Ryan years

Just think of the options.

Comment by OneMan Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 2:40 pm
Sounds like a great QOTD.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 2:43 pm
I can’t believe it is taking this long

Comment by He Makes Ryan Look Like a Saint Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 2:56 pm
Oneman, the CDL is good for the SOS years, but perhaps a bag of shredded documents for the Gov years as well.

Comment by Ghost Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 3:01 pm
If Rezko is found guilty on all counts, I have a suggested question for the Governor: Governor, 24 guilty counts,do you realize that is 12 counts times 2?

Comment by One of the 35 Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 3:05 pm
Patience people. Don’t you know that Asa Breeney, the bank guard from the “Andy Griffith Show” is the bailiff guarding the jury room door? The old coot is hard to wake up and it takes him awhile to get the papers to and from the jury to the judge and back again.

Comment by Dirt Guy Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 3:14 pm
There always has to be one juror holding everything up.. convict him already and start on Blago!

Comment by The Reaper Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 3:15 pm
I sure would like to see today’s date on the verdict form.

Comment by Vote Quimby! Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 3:15 pm
Or 6 guilty counts times 4, or 8 guilty counts times 3!

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 3:18 pm
Is it a juror or one of the counts of indictments that is hanging up the jury? If it is one of the counts I wonder which one it is. There are multiple counts on each charge, so what’s the delay?

Comment by Dirt Guy Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 3:20 pm
Using the jury verdict form; is it possible for someone to provide the federal sentencing guidelines for each count?

Comment by Long Range Plan Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 3:23 pm
Rich, off topic, but thanks for the Bo Diddley. Most people on here might never have seen him.

Comment by steve schnorf Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 3:25 pm
Nah, I know who Bo Diddley was. She was in that movie, “Ten”, right?

Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 3:41 pm
Bo Knows!

Comment by Vote Quimby! Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 3:54 pm
Wasn’t that one the Bo who lost her sheep?
The Bo in the movie lost other stuff

Comment by Reddbyrd Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 3:59 pm
Is there no hope for politics. First we have a national scandal of a stain on a dress. Now we have an Illinois jury scandal of a stain on a piece of paper. I give up.

Comment by Little Egypt Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 4:02 pm
I think the sheep loser was Bo Duke, but I could be wrong.

Comment by This Guy Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 4:03 pm
Time to wake up the jury so they can go home…

Comment by Vote Quimby! Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 4:07 pm
Chophouse reservations for 12 at 6:30. Make it 7:00.

Comment by A Citizen Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 4:11 pm
Thanks, Steve, for taking on the role of Dr. Johnny Fever. “Who will tell the children about Bo Diddley?”
I actually saw Bo Diddley in concert in 1993, but he did not perform any of his early-rock hits, it was all newer material. Not bad stuff, but I certainly would have liked to hear “Who Do You Love?” that night.

Comment by cover Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 4:16 pm
Illinois future hangs in the balance, sure hope these jurors know what they are doing.

Comment by 5+ years of fog Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 4:18 pm
Just my take, but I think these jurors are eating this up and when they finally come out, it’ll be “late breaking news” because let’s face it, these jurors are going to get their 15 minutes when it’s over.

But I, like most, am eager for this thing to wrap up, one way or another.

Comment by BandCamp Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 4:23 pm
===I think these jurors are eating this up===

I think the jurors are doing their jobs. Let’s just give them some space.

Yes, they’ve done some funny stuff, like the coffee and the breaks, etc. But jurors in this country are, for the most part an extremely conscientious lot.

We could all think of exceptions, but I’ve seen a bunch of comments here and elsewhere impugning this group’s integrity without the slightest shred of evidence. That’s a bit much.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 4:36 pm
Bo Diddley, Bo Diddley have you heard….

…will Tony get off or be a jailbird?

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 4:39 pm
But why did The Combine order the jurors to go home so early?
Very truly yours,
Diersen

Comment by Skeeter Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 4:47 pm
We need a date/time and guilty/innocent count number prediction thread.

Comment by Anon Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 4:47 pm
If he is found guilty, will he be taken into custody immediately?

Comment by Huh? Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 4:48 pm
Chophouse reservations for 12 at 6:30. Make it 7:00.

On what day?

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 4:49 pm
But jurors in this country are, for the most part an extremely conscientious lot.

And if they were just going through the motions, you’d think they’d be done by now. Could be, that extra time that they have allotted themselves to accommodate some jurors’ lives has also let them sleep on a lot of what they have heard, and helped answer many conscientious questions even as some are left unanswered for now.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 4:53 pm
“But jurors in this country are, for the most part an extremely conscientious lot”

I’m not sure that is true. I definitely have seen juries who worked hard to come to a fair verdict. I’ve also had trials where the jurors delivered strange compromise verdicts showing that they deliberately ignored the judge’s instructions (doing things like giving a plaintiff all of the medical bills, but not a dime more — was the person injured or not?)

MANY jurors come into trials with their own agenda. In personal injury cases, many have a difficult time understanding that the plaintiff might have caused his own injuries. Others have bizarre notions of the “insurance crisis” or want to rant about other personal issues. More than a few seem to be biased based on race or other factors (it is tough to weed those jurors out, since few admit it).

Comment by Skeeter Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 5:01 pm
WARNING-SNARKY POST AHEAD-DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE EASILY OFFENDED OR AN INSURANCE AGENT.

Well, Skeet, AA hopes he never would have to go to court as the plaintiff in a Med Mal or PI case with you on the jury because we all know which side of the ambulance you’re on.

The only “insurance crisis” AA has seen recently is when too many Troxell guys are playing Panther and they slow the whole course down, as they’re deathly afraid of banging a Titleist into someone’s picture window.

Comment by Arthur Andersen Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 5:31 pm
I’m calling it right now.

NOT GUILTY on all counts.

And the blago federal case will be put back at least another year.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 7:34 pm
nah it will be guilty on 15 counts

Comment by Ghost Tuesday, Jun 3, 08 @ 9:42 pm