Isaac Seth Brantley Shields, a former assistant district attorney in Oklahoma, received a six-month suspension for watching real-time jury deliberations on video during a murder trial he prosecuted. This conduct was deemed a serious violation of judicial trust and an unacceptable intrusion into the jury's decision-making process. The Oklahoma Supreme Court noted that observing deliberations undermines the justice system's integrity and highlighted the common understanding that such actions are forbidden. The incident occurred while jurors were deliberating in an adjacent courtroom due to COVID-19 protocols, with security cameras monitoring the process without audio.
Shields violated "the inner sanctum of a jury," which is "a high breach of trust and a serious interference with the administration of justice," according to the Oklahoma Supreme Court.
It is common knowledge that observing jury deliberations is unacceptable. Shields was accused of watching the deliberations video during the murder trial of Robert Kent Kraft.
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