Judge releases names of Dixon jurors

Posted: 1:33 pm Wed, December 2, 2009
By Brendan Kearney
Daily Record Legal Affairs Writer

Judge Dennis M. Sweeney has released the names and ZIP codes of the members of the jury that convicted Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon of misappropriating gift cards intended for needy children.

After brief argument from lawyers for local media outlets Wednesday morning, Sweeney decided the strong presumption of open courts outweighed his own desire — and two-thirds of the jury’s —  to protect their privacy after a highly public trial.

While all juror information was kept private during the trial, “we’re now at a different stage, the jury having been discharged,” Sweeney said before ruling.

Daniel Doty, who argued the motion on behalf of The Maryland-District of Columbia-Delaware Broadcasters’ Association Inc., had asked for more information — age, education, occupation, and spouse’s occupation — but he called Sweeney’s decision “a good compromise.”

Deputy State Prosecutor Thomas “Mike” McDonough and a member of Dixon’s legal team, Jeffrey Nusinov, attended the hearing but took no position.

The four jurors who did not object to disclosure of their personal information included the forewoman, Janice Shipley; and Juror No. 11, Elaine Pollack, who spoke to the media after Tuesday’s verdict. The other two were Estell Goode (Juror No. 2) and Shiron Davis (Juror No. 6).