September 5, 2026
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Michael's Daily Notes
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Lindsay Clancy's jury deadlocked 11 to 1, and the reaction has been swift: one juror denied her an acquittal. Her lawyer wanted that juror thrown off the panel. The judge refused. A mistrial followed.
Her lawyer, Kevin Reddington, said the other jurors "know that they were robbed - by one man - for whatever his agenda was." Robbed. Agenda. Before we adopt that verdict on one citizen, consider what we actually know. The foreperson's note said the holdout "acknowledged doubt, but refuses to apply it to the verdict as the law states." That the other 11 favored acquittal is Reddington's reading, not the court's. And nobody outside that room heard the discussion.
There's a reason we demand unanimity in a criminal case. When the state seeks to take someone's liberty, we require proof beyond a reasonable doubt and the agreement of all 12. Sue your neighbor over a fence and the rules are different - a lower standard, and often no unanimity.
The asymmetry is deliberate. Losing money is not losing freedom.
Now the test. Suppose the reports were reversed: 11 for guilty, one for acquittal. Would the crowd outside the Plymouth courthouse be cursing that juror as an obstacle - or hailing him as the last line of defense against an unjust conviction? Would prosecutors be demanding removal? I suspect everyone would simply change jerseys.
That's the tell. Most people aren't evaluating the system. They're evaluating the outcome they wanted and working backward.
Somewhere in Massachusetts is a man who sat through weeks of unbearable testimony, held a view, and would not surrender it under pressure from 11 peers.
Maybe he was wrong. Maybe not. Either way, that's the job.
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DAILY POLL
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One Clancy juror held out: Protection or Problem?
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TOP STORY
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A new Harvard CAPS/HarrisX poll shows former Vice President Kamala Harris leading the Democratic 2028 primary field with 42% and Vice President JD Vance topping Republicans at 44%, as Ted Cruz, Pete Buttigieg and others signal interest in running.
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TODAY'S YOUTUBE
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SPONSORED BY PARX CASINO
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IN OTHER NEWS
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A judge declared a mistrial in Lindsay Clancy’s murder case after jurors deadlocked over whether postpartum psychosis made her criminally responsible for killing her three young children.
Sen. John Fetterman is facing backlash after a Wall Street Journal report alleged he has shown little interest in his Senate duties while prioritizing relationships with conservative media figures and advocacy for Israel.
President Donald Trump is sitting on a $400 million political war chest as Republicans await his strategy for deploying the funds to help candidates in the upcoming midterm elections.
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A MESSAGE FROM COMCAST
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A survey of 1,006 U.S. drivers found 91% of baby boomers can drive a manual compared with just 65% of Gen Z, yet 68% of parents hope their kids learn stick and 48% would sign a petition urging automakers to keep building manuals.
North Carolina’s State Board of Elections approved new mail-in-ballot counting guidelines in a party-line vote just hours before ballots were sent to voters, sparking criticism over provisions that could lead to ballots being rejected for sealing, signature and delivery issues.
Democratic House nominee William Lawrence faces scrutiny over hundreds of deleted posts promoting far-left positions, attacking moderate Democrats and calling for sweeping changes to American political and economic institutions.
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MORE NEWS
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Protests against Flock Safety’s AI-powered license plate cameras surged to a record high in August, with more than 30 demonstrations across at least 15 states amid growing concerns over privacy, surveillance and alleged misuse of the technology.
The Wall Street Journal argues that counties embracing AI data centers, such as Virginia’s Loudoun County, are seeing stronger job creation and faster wage growth despite growing opposition to new facilities.
A decade-long fight over private property rights and public beach access in Florida’s Panhandle has left beachgoers navigating a confusing patchwork of rules, lawsuits and disputed boundaries.
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For the Left
In a recent interview promoting his new film ‘Mayday’, ‘Deadpool’ actor Ryan Reynolds called the 1980s “a brutal, brutal time” while arguing that the modern nostalgia of the decade “paves over all the trauma” that came with it, sparking heated backfire from public figures like Spencer Pratt who told the actor to “stick to the Cricket Wireless ads.”
For the Right
On Thursday, the White House launched a new website featuring five retro-style arcade games that promote Trump policies, including games where players detain immigrants and a Tetris-style game to build the border wall, leading to criticism over the site’s insensitive nature regarding ongoing real-world immigration issues.
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