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Jury tampering case regarding pamphlets to go to Michigan Supreme Court

Posted at 10:24 PM, Oct 06, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-06 22:24:22-04

BIG RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court has agreed to look at a misdemeanor conviction that raises key questions about free speech.

Keith Wood was distributing pamphlets in 2015 outside the Mecosta County courthouse in Big Rapids. He told people they could choose their conscience over the law if they were picked to serve on a jury.

The case involved a man who had a wetlands dispute with a state agency. The case ended with a plea deal and didn’t go to trial. But Wood was charged with jury tampering and convicted.

Wood argued that he couldn’t be convicted of jury tampering because no jurors were selected in Andy Yoder’s case. The Michigan appeals court rejected that argument.

The Supreme Court says it will hear arguments during its current term.