Jeff Skilling, the former Enron Corp. executive sentenced Monday to 24 years in prison for fraud and illegal insider trading, may not question jurors about how they decided his guilt, a judge has ruled.
U.S. District Judge Sim Lake in Houston refused Monday to lift a ruling that banned Skilling’s lawyers from talking to former jurors while he appeals his convictions.
“I don’t think the judge’s blanket gag order is appropriate, and it is a violation of our First Amendment rights and those of the jurors,” said Daniel Petrocelli, Skilling’s Los Angeles-based lawyer.
Skilling’s lawyers have said their appeal will include complaints about jury misconduct and bias. In his decision, Lake said he was concerned that the attorneys would use juror interviews to buttress those claims by taking answers “out of context.”
“The court is persuaded that the main purpose of seeking to interview jurors is to attempt to obtain alleged evidence of jury misconduct,” the judge said.
