There is an excellent article at Huffington Post this morning, detailing expected future procedures in the Trayvon Martin killing case.
For those that don't already know, State Attorney Norm Wolfinger was the Florida official who decided not to press charges against George Zimmerman, citing lack of enough evidence to convict. Due to public pressure, Florida Governor Rick Scott took the case from Wolfinger Wolfinger recused himself, and handed it instead to State Attorney Angela Corey on March 22nd. But not before Wolfinger had slated April 10, as the day a grand jury would be convened.
Ms. Corey stated the following when the case was handed to her:
"I always lean towards moving forward without needing the grand jury in a case like this. I foresee us being able to make a decision and move on it on our own."
That was nearly 3 weeks ago. And the trouble is, April 10 is two days from today, and as yet, no word from Ms. Corey.
From the story:
However, as the clock continues to tick closer towards April 10, and reports swirl that two district attorneys, appointed by Corey, have interviewed Trayvon Martin's girlfriend within the last couple of days, it looks more likely that the grand jury will make the ultimate recommendation as to whether or not to indict George Zimmerman.
The article goes on to describe exactly how a Florida grand jury operates.
In Florida, a grand jury must consist of between 15 and 21 people. Grand jurors are normally appointed for five to six months of intermittent service. In order for the grand jury to indict Zimmerman, 12 jurors must concur to do so. The standard by which the grand jury is to decide whether the prosecution has presented sufficient evidence to indict the accused, is by a determination of whether there is probable cause that a crime has been committed, and that Zimmerman committed the crime. This standard is in contrast to the trial jury's strict standard of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. In essence, the grand jury initiates a criminal prosecution, whereas, a trial jury, very often, concludes a criminal prosecution by delivering a verdict. The grand jury's decision will come when they have thoroughly reviewed the evidence, conducted their own investigation into the facts and voted. This process can take a day, a week or longer. Consequently, the fate of George Zimmerman will most probably not be determined on April 10. Whether or not an indictment is returned, the grand jury may issue reports recording their findings and insight to their decision.
The grand jury proceeding is the prosecutor's tool because, essentially, she is the only official present. The presiding judge rarely participates and only does so to resolve legal issues which may arise.The accused, in this case, Zimmerman, is not permitted to present evidence in his defense or cross-examine witnesses. If Zimmerman is subpoenaed to testify, his testimony cannot be used against him at trial. The one-sided nature of the grand jury process gave rise to the New York State chief judge Sol Wachtler's famous quote, "you can indict a ham sandwich." The prosecutor, Corey, will present her case to the grand jury by questioning the witnesses she has subpoenaed and presenting other evidence relevant to the alleged offense. The grand jurors may also question witnesses; request additional evidence, or even ask that more witnesses be brought before them.
Personally, I would like to know how the grand jury members are selected. Also, who selects them, and how the hell they will find 15 to 21 people who haven't already been swayed one way or the other considering the intense (and often inaccurate) media about this case.
And see Meteor Blades excellent article on Angela Corey here.
I would like to hear from lawyers here at DKos. Also, I recommend reading the entire article, as it fills us in on the next official steps to be taken this week.
UPDATE: - Have since found that Wolfinger recused himself from the case.
Wolfinger said he wanted to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest and to tone down the rhetoric in the case.
What possible conflict of interest could he be referring to?
UPDATE II: From entlord, here are three links which discuss Florida grand juries:
http://law.onecle.com/...
http://clerk-web.martin.fl.us/...
http://www.hillsclerk.com/...
UPDATE III: - Looks like Wolfinger was head of state attorney's office in county that Trayvon was shot (eighteenth circuit). Corey is in fourth circuit (Duval, Clay and Nassau Counties in northeast Florida). Looks like fourth circuit is about 200 miles north of where the shooting occurred.
In other words, from a "mixed" county, to a decidedly more Republican area.