Thread by @MMineiro_CNS

Roger Stone is in D.C. federal court now for a hearing on his motion for new trial. Judge Amy Berman Jackson will hear from both parties shortly on whether to discuss the request in open court. @CourthouseNews

@CourthouseNews Judge Jackson sentenced Stone less than a week ago to more than 3 years in prison for lying to Congress, obstruction and witness tampering in the congressional investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

@CourthouseNews The judge on Sunday also swiftly denied Stone's Friday motion to disqualify her from his case, ruling her statements about the jury's integrity that he claimed were biased did not warrant recusal.

@CourthouseNews Sharp point from Judge Jackson denying Stone's motion to disqualify her from his case:

“If parties could move to disqualify every judge who furrows his brow at one side or the other before ruling, the entire court system would come to a standstill.”

@CourthouseNews All rise, here we go...

@CourthouseNews New federal prosecutors on the case, John Crabb and J.P. Cooney, back in the courtroom, along with Stone's defense team of five lawyers.

@CourthouseNews Judge Jackson says she "I agree 100 percent" with Stone's 6th amendment right to an open hearing.

@CourthouseNews "I have a lot to say so you can sit down," Judge Jackson tells Stone's attorney Bruce Rogow.

@CourthouseNews Judge Jackson running through precedent on open hearings for voir dire and preliminary hearings.

@CourthouseNews Judge walking through SCOTUS ruling in 1994 case that found a First Amendment right of access to post trial hearings to investigate jury misconduct.

@CourthouseNews “This is indisputably a widely publicized case," Judge Jackson just said, adds that the president of the United States used his Twitter platform to disseminate a point of view about a juror.

@CourthouseNews Judge Jackson quoting a list of reports on Trump attacking the jury foreperson on Stone's case and other false statements from right-wing media outlets.

@CourthouseNews “The risk of harassment of any juror....is extremely high," Judge Jackson says.

@CourthouseNews Judge Jackson will grant in part and deny in part the motion to unseal the hearing on Stone's motion for new trial. Details to come.

@CourthouseNews Judge Jackson says making the jurors names or physical appearance known to the public this afternoon could place them in danger.

@CourthouseNews Parties and attorneys prohibited upon punishment of contempt from using the juror's names or numbers.

@CourthouseNews Judge Jackson rules that the hearing will be open to the public in a narrowly tailored proceeding to shield the jurors from harassment & intimidation.

No video feed, only audio to the media room and overflow courtroom, closing the courtroom where Stone now sits before the judge.

@CourthouseNews Brief break as the U.S. marshals clear the courtroom, then we are back with audio feed only.

@CourthouseNews Back, diving into jury questionnaire process.

“I happen to be with Mr. Kravis however when he received that and just for context....I was supervising the case and candidly we were all waiting that day for the questionnaires because the team was anxious to get them," JP Cooney.

@CourthouseNews JP Cooney, new federal prosecutor on the case, just minutes in almost violated Judge Jackson's explicit instruction not to use juror names OR numbers.

“For juror -- I apologize your honor -- for the juror at issue.”

@CourthouseNews Judge Jackson drilling the federal prosecutors now on the information available to them ahead of jury selection through the questionnaires that over 100 potential jurors filled out before the trial.

@CourthouseNews Judge Jackson says the court may need to elicit testimony from one of the federal prosecutor who withdrew from Stone's case, Michael Marando, who is on site and remains a prosecutor with the U.S. attorney's office in D.C.

@CourthouseNews Judge Jackson and federal prosecutor talking in code now...

"These were all the tweets....on the particular twitter handle that we have been talking about,” Jackson says.

Cooney says that the tweets were all available for viewing on Feb 17 2020.

@CourthouseNews Federal prosecutor from the original trial team is going to take the stand.

"I think to complete the circle it would be helpful if you summoned Mr. Marando," judge says.

@CourthouseNews Marando sworn in, and answering questions from Judge Jackson now from the witness stand.

"Were you a member of the team on or about Oct 31...between the time of the execution of the jury questionnaires and the start of the trial on Nov. 12 2019?"

@CourthouseNews Judge Jackson asks Marando if he recalls the parties having any interest in getting a piece of paper with a question on the process of jury selection.

“Yes I do, it’s coming back to me now, a lot has happened," the federal prosecutor from the original trial team testifies.

@CourthouseNews More info, that piece of paper was a jury panel sheet listing the names and four digit jurors' numbers and was given to both parties by the court before the trial.

"Jonathan Kravis went and got the list either from Mr. Haley or from the chambers," Marando testifies.

@CourthouseNews "Jonathan relayed the list to defense counsel in the order that it was provided," Marando tells Judge Jackson.

@CourthouseNews Judge Jackson excuses Marando from the stand.

@CourthouseNews Judge Jackson asking Stone's lawyer Robert Buschel now about a jury consultant brought on by the defense before the trial.

@CourthouseNews Judge Jackson “At that point is it fair to say that you knew exactly who was left and how they would be seated?” after both parties completed voir dire...

Stone's attorney says yes.

@CourthouseNews Judge Jackson now asking Stone's lawyer to in order go through the questions asked to the allegedly biased foreperson last year at trial and identify the contended false statement.

@CourthouseNews Judge Jackson: “Are you saying that she deliberately lied when she wrote no?"

Stone's attorney: "The answers are at best misleading.”

@CourthouseNews 11 of the Roger Stone jurors are here at court.

"I invited the entire jury to be here...the foreperson was instructed to be here and she is.”

@CourthouseNews Judge Jackson tells Stone's lawyers before the jurors take to the stand that “I am not going to let you engage in a phishing expedition.”

@CourthouseNews Just heard from Juror A (male) who testified he was not pressured during jury deliberations, said the foreperson "absolutely" encouraged civility and respect.

@CourthouseNews Both Juror A (man) and Juror B (woman) now both testified that no one on the jury discussed any information from social media or from the news during deliberations.

@CourthouseNews Juror A (man) and now Juror B (woman) testifying that the foreperson did not attempt to control the outcome of the verdict in any way.

@CourthouseNews Judge Jackson: “Did anybody suggest that you should base you verdict on anything other than the evidence of the case?”

JUROR B (woman -- anonymous for safety) -- "No."

@CourthouseNews Judge says given evidence submitted by the defense and the "limited hearing" she allowed with testimony from two jurors and the federal prosecutor from the original trial team she finds no factual basis to obtain more evidence on the defense claim of misconduct in deliberations.

@CourthouseNews Predicting the appeal likely ahead, Judge Jackson says she wants the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to have a full record of the proceedings, after government raises concern that they are engaged in redoing voir dire.

@CourthouseNews Judge Jackson now sending 10 of the 11 jurors home. Foreperson taking the stand now.

@CourthouseNews Judge Jackson says they will ask some questions to the foreperson in a "professional and nonconfrontational way."

@CourthouseNews The jury foreperson from Roger Stone's case is now testifying in a hearing on the defense allegations that she was biased toward the president's longtime friend and ally.

@CourthouseNews Foreperson, asked questions by Judge Jackson on news on her social media feeds: “I think so. I haven’t paid attention a lot on Twitter...I am actually not sure if I got news media on Facebook.”

@CourthouseNews Foreperson: “So I didn’t go private on Nov 15, I actually disconnected. I had no social media presence" -- testifies that she got back on social media around Thanksgiving 2019.

@CourthouseNews Judge Jackson: “Were you celebrating the verdict that had yet to be decided in the Roger Stone case?

Foreperson: “Oh absolutely not.”

@CourthouseNews Judge Jackson: “Do you have any idea how many people follow you on Twitter?"

Foreperson: “Maybe 2,500? 3,000? Something like that. I don’t know.”

@CourthouseNews Judge Jackson: “So during the trial you weren't looking at Twitter everyday and seeing what had been posted about the trial?"

Foreperson: “Oh no, absolutely not.”

@CourthouseNews Stone's lawyer now questioning the foreperson but Judge Jackson stops him on one saying it does not bear on any bias against the defendant.

@CourthouseNews Stone's lawyer still drilling the foreperson on the details of her social media activity leading up to the trial.

@CourthouseNews Stone's lawyer now going through the foreperson's answers from voir dire at trial.

@CourthouseNews No ruling today on Roger Stone's motion for new trial.

Judge Jackson: “I’ll take the matter under advisement."