Coinbase’s Legal Expert Outlines What To Expect In FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried Jury Selection
October 03 2023 - 11:00AM
NEWSBTC
Coinbase’s Chief Legal Officer (CLO) Paul Grewal has weighed in on
what to expect in the jury selection in the trial of the former CEO
of the defunct crypto exchange FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), which
is set to take place on October 3. FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried
Jury Selection Should Be Quick Grewal noted that the voir dire
proceedings have generally improved over time, as in the past, the
process could drag on for days. As such, he expects Sam
Bankman-Fried’s jury selection to “move quick” as the court while
trying to ensure a fair trial, also ensures not to waste the time
of prospective jurors. Related Reading: Bitcoin Creator
Satoshi Nakamoto Sparks Speculation As Cryptic Email, X Account
Resurfaces The jury selection for SBF’s trial is expected to last
just a day (October 3) as, according to the trial calendar, the
trial is set to officially commence on October 4, with the
prosecution set to open its case on that day. As part of the
voir dire proceedings, both parties will question the potential
jurors to determine their competency and identify any bias that
could influence their decision. However, Grewal doesn’t expect
Judge Lewis Kaplan, the judge in charge of Sam Bankman-Fried’s
case, to be a mere bystander as he noted that federal judges
“exercise a much hand over questioning” than their state
counterparts. According to him, these judges don’t just “hand
over” the process to the lawyers because they understand that both
parties aren’t looking for a fair jury but one that can help them
win. It is worth mentioning that Grewal has judicial
experience as he was once a US magistrate judge for the United
States District Court for the Northern District of California.
During his time as a judge, he picked 35 juries, although they were
in civil matters, unlike this, which is a criminal one. The Jury
And Its Composition Sam Bankman-Fried’s jury is expected to
comprise 12 jurors from all walks of life. They will be required to
give a verdict on each of the defendant’s charges (SBF is being
charged with seven counts of fraud-related charges). This verdict
will be unanimous, with all jurors participating in it.
Related Reading: Will Ethereum Flip Bitcoin? Crypto Analyst
Explains How As regards the jury composition, Grewal noted that it
was “critical to a fair outcome.” However, he stated that
prosecutors prefer their case to depend on “damning evidence”
rather than the juror makeup. A plausible reason could be that
certain biases could exist depending on who the jury consists of,
unlike damning evidence that can hardly be refuted. The legal
expert seems to be one of those foreseeing a conviction, as he
added that there was no shortage of “damning evidence in this case”
as Sam Bankman-Fried faces a statutory maximum sentence of 110
years if found guilty of all charges. FTT Token resting above $1.18
| Source: FTTUSDT on Tradingview.com Featured image from Hogan
Assessments, chart from Tradingview.com
Bitcoin (COIN:BTCUSD)
Historical Stock Chart
From Oct 2023 to Nov 2023
Bitcoin (COIN:BTCUSD)
Historical Stock Chart
From Nov 2022 to Nov 2023