Jury Duty

Posted on March 29, 2010 by lmharnisch
Nov. 23, 1957, Caryl Chessman
Photograph by Dan McCormack / Los Angeles Times

Nov. 23, 1957: Caryl Chessman appears in court in a hearing to determine whether the state of California owned the manuscript of his unpublished book "The Kid Was a Killer,"  which was seized under the theory that it was “prison labor.” From left,  Deputy Atty. Gen. William Bennett; San Quentin Warden Fred Dickson, who confiscated the manuscript in 1955; attorney A.L. Wirin of the American Civil Liberties Union; and attorney Paul N. Posner. Leaning on the counter at right is Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. William B. McKesson. 

Note: Jury duty is over but because I work several days in advance, it will take me a while to get caught up. One of my most unusual jury experiences was having a deputy slip one of his ammunition magazines into my belongings as they were going through the courthouse scanner. Evidently he was testing one of the screeners to see if she would find it. I understand the need for vigilance but it was a bit unsettling to be a guinea pig.

About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times
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