April 8, 2024
Judge chastises Bryan Kohberger’s attorney over phone survey to potential jurors
MOSCOW, Idaho — The judge overseeing Bryan Kohberger’s quadruple murder case lambasted the suspect’s defense attorney Thursday, saying she commissioned phone surveys to potential jurors that could hinder Kohberger’s ability to get a fair trial.
Defense attorney Anne C. Taylor had a sharp accusation of her own, saying the judge violated her client’s right to due process by ordering a stop to the anonymous survey without hearing the defense’s side first.
The courtroom drama marked another unexpected turn in the case against Kohberger, who is accused of fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students in November 2022.
Kohberger’s defense attorney said the phone survey was an important part of his efforts to seek a change of venue for Kohberger’s trial, given the vast amount of local media coverage on the case in northwest Idaho.
Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson said he had no problem with the defense commissioning “responsible, appropriate surveys” — but “this survey cannot stand.”
The heated hearing Thursday took place after prosecutors asked Latah County District Court Judge John Judge to issue an order “prohibiting contact with prospective jurors” outside of court.
The judge granted the prosecution’s request and scheduled Thursday’s meeting to hear from both sides of the case.
‘That’s completely reckless’
“Our sole concern today is the nature of certain questions that have been proposed to residents of Latah County by a survey company that’s contracted by the defense,” Thompson told the judge.
The prosecutor then cited the court’s June 2023 nondissemination order, also known as a gag order.
Thompson said the defense attorney told him “she had not seen the actual questions themselves — that she had approved the topics that could have looked into during the survey.”
“We are not accusing Ms. Taylor of drafting these questions verbatim and then saying, ‘Go send
Jensten acquires specialist insurance broker Henry Seymour & Co
UK broker and underwriter Jensten has announced the acquisition of Henry Seymour & Co., a deal that will enhance its capacity to offer specialist products to clients with niche requirements.
Henry Seymour & Co is a specialist insurance broker catering to the unique needs of salons, clinics, gyms, spas, and mobile or freelance therapists under its long-established Salon Gold brand.
The business also extends its specialist expertise to the trade and construction sector with a strong reputation through its Tradesman Saver brand.
According to Jensten, this acquisition demonstrates its commitment to growing its schemes and affinities capability, while also supporting a multi-channel distribution model across retail, digital, and wholesale, throughout its schemes and affinities business.
Simon Henderson, Managing Director – Schemes and Affinities at Jensten Insurance Brokers, stated: “We are delighted to announce our latest addition to the Jensten business. This acquisition is a significant step in our schemes and affinity growth, enhancing our capacity to offer market-leading digital propositions and specialist support to a diverse range of clients with niche requirements.
“Welcoming the team from Henry Seymour & Co is a key milestone in our commitment to strengthening the level of service and expertise within Jensten. This announcement is further proof of our ability to source and attract great quality businesses and bring them into the Jensten environment, where they can flourish.”
The deal, subject to regulatory approval, will introduce a team of 22 professionals, an office located in Sutton, as well as an additional 66,000 policyholders to Jensten.
Joint Managing Directors Darragh Timlin and Dean Laming at Henry Seymour & Co will continue to lead the business, reporting to Henderson.
Paul Kaye, founder, and owner of Henry Seymour, commented: “We are delighted to join the Jensten family and feel that both the strategic and cultural objectives are aligned.
Legal Aid Ontario releases report on its racialized communities strategy action plan
The progress report highlighted several initiatives LAO undertook to address systemic barriers and improve access to justice for racialized communities. These initiatives include:
- Allocating funds to support the impact of race and culture assessment reports.
- Providing special funding to the Black Legal Action Center in response to the heightened demand for services following George Floyd’s murder.
- Extending special funding to the Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic amid rising anti-Asian racism during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Conducting research on the influence of race and Indigeneity in bail proceedings and case outcomes.
- Implementing race-based data collection and demographic information gathering from clients to enhance service delivery and develop necessary programs for racialized groups.
LAO’s strategy aims not only to eliminate barriers to accessing its services but also to ensure the quality of the legal services provided to racialized people and to confront both individual and systemic racism within the justice system.
The report also outlined suggestions for further improvement, including enhancing the promotion of LAO’s services, adjusting financial assessments to consider the specific needs of migrant workers and urban living costs, facilitating the search for legal representation, striving for more racial diversity among LAO’s staff and leadership , and reinforcing anti-oppression and anti-racism training to elevate service quality for racialized clients.
“While progress has been made in the last four years with various initiatives, LAO is aware that equity in the justice system can only be met by continuing to listen to our racialized clients, understanding their needs, and developing services that help to address the barriers they face,” Field concluded.