A member of the grand jury that declined to press charges against former Ferguson, Missouri, police officer Darren Wilson for the death of Michael Brown has filed a lawsuit against St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert P. McCulloch.
The anonymous juror, known only as “Grand Juror Doe,” is seeking the right to speak publicly about what went on during the grand jury’s investigation, reports The Huffington Post.
The grand juror wishes to speak out in order to correct what the lawsuit claims is “not entirely accurate” portrayals of grand jurors’ views, as well as to “contribute to the current public dialogue concerning race relations.”
Mo.’s Grand Jury Secrecy Law Is ‘Lifetime Gag Order’: ACLU
Grand jury proceedings are generally kept in strict confidence. Missouri’s grand jury secrecy law makes it a crime for grand jurors to discuss their service.
Missouri’s law prohibits grand jurors from disclosing any evidence given before the grand jury. It also bars jurors from disclosing how any of the members of the grand jury voted, or from violating the “Oath of Grand Jurors.”
The lawsuit seeks a declaratory judgment from the court that the Missouri law is unconstitutional as applied. It also asks for an injunction against McCulloch from enforcing the grand jury secrecy statute against the anonymous grand juror.
A spokesman for McCulloch told USA Today that McCulloch had not yet been served with the lawsuit. Once he is properly served, McCulloch will have 21 days to file a response.
Ferguson Grand Juror Sues Over ‘Lifetime Gag Order’ by FindLaw
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