Once again, the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri is seeking to release Grand Juror Doe from the oath of secrecy—this time through the state court instead of federal court. The change is because on May 5, U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel ruled that the Missouri courts should be given the opportunity to resolve this issue before Juror Doe pursues a federal constitutional challenge.
Grand Juror Doe, who served on the grand jury which investigated the killing of Michael Brown by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson, is suing Robert McCulloch, prosecuting attorney for St. Louis County. Doe would like to talk about the experience of serving on a grand jury, the evidence presented and the investigation in a way that could contribute to the public dialogue concerning race relations.
“We were encouraged that the federal court clearly understood our claim that this is a unique situation and Juror Doe deserves to be able to speak freely,” explains Tony Rothert, legal director of the ACLU of Missouri. “Without permission from a court, grand jurors would be committing a crime to discuss their service.”
“We know that racial injustices permeate multiple levels of government, and it is the job of the ACLU to seek transparency, accountability and reforms for effective change,” says Jeffrey Mittman, executive director of the ACLU of Missouri. “The public, and our legislators, deserve a complete picture of how the grand jury process operated in the Darren Wilson investigation and we are fighting so Juror Doe can add to the conversation.”
