A few weeks ago, the airwaves were buzzing with predictions that the new Common Law Grand Jury in Dixie County Florida was going to bring an end to all ‘evils’. The foreperson of the real grand Jury, a person named Terry Trussell was upset that the judge and the state attorney were following the State law and complained to the Judge who apparently removed Trussell from the Grand Jury. Soon there after he was arrested and charged with ‘simulating a legal process’ for his involvement in the ‘Common Law Grand Jury’ which has no legal relevance.
One of the True Bills of Presentment charged State Attorney Jeffrey A. Siegmeister with Obstruction of Justice and Tampering with the Jury.In a clear effort to retaliate against Terry Trussell’s Bill of Information and the True Bill of Presentment whichcharged the State Attorney with serious and unlawful activity, Siegmeister filed a Petition to remove the Foreman from his responsibilities on the Dixie County Grand Jury. Judge Greg Parker granted his petition and removed Terry from the Grand Jury. [1]Several days later, Terry Trussell was arrested and charged with “simulating a legal process.”
It’s good to hear that the States are responding fast and decisively against these foolish actions.
At the NLA Florida message board DavidG realizes the relevance of the recent developments. He sounds worried for good reasons as these ‘common law grand juries’ have popped up all around the US and have engaged in what may be ‘simulation of a legal process’… Ouch
Dixie County grand jury foreman arrested for reporting a crime.
http://www.jasonwhoyt.com/blog/2014/9/3/breaking-dixie-county-fl-whistle…
We need advice for damage control over this arrest if we want others to join the grand jury.
Anyone know if he is out of jail?
And no, the foreman was not arrested for reporting a crime. That’s another misunderstanding.
[1] 905.01 Number and procurement of grand jury; replacement of member; term of grand jury.—
(2) The chief judge of any circuit court may provide for the replacement of any grand juror who, for good cause, is unable to complete the term of the grand jury. Such replacement shall be made by appropriate order of the chief judge from the list of prospective jurors from which the grand juror to be replaced was selected.
Terry Trussell, chief of staff for Operation American Spring…
Seems he has a way to get involved in failures.
To my way of thinking the Dixie Co. judge would need to empanel an entirely new grand jury to examine Trussel’s actions. The previous one, even with a replacement foreman, would be tainted by his actions in the CG. Maybe even have the charges brought by a different State’s Attorney in order to remove any semblance of bias. The charges in Walt’s case in TN were brought by a different GJ.
No just a different foreperson.
The issue of a grand jury being tainted requires a bit more than one may imagine. The courts have ruled that the Grand Jury may very well be biased, however that their oath requires them to rule in a fair manner. The charges against the former foreperson are not related to his performance during the grand jury and he never accused the grand jury members.
Furthermore, it may not even be necessary to get an indictment from the grand jury as under Florida law, the prosecutor only needs to involve a GJ in case of first degree murder cases.
I doubt therefore that a GJ was even involved and the AG recused himself.
It’s helpful that the NLA has carefully documented the simulation of a legal process by the Dixie County “common law knitting club”.
As to Trussell, he should never have divulged what happened inside the GJ in a public document. There is such a thing as secrecy and the Grand Jury.
Oops.
As an expert on Grand Juries, I offer: the only elements of a grand jury requiring secrecy from the public are: juror’s identities; deliberations; voting. All other information becomes public when a true bill is produced. In the Dixie County case, the issue was never presented due to Siegmeister’s inappropriate and illegal control over the ‘independent’ process. I read Trussell’s letter to Judge Munkittrick. He did exactly what he was instructed to do; he reported Siegmeister’s antics to the Court and the Court did nothing. He also reported the problem to the Court Clerk and Sheriff and they did nothing. The Chief Judge of the Circuit (who was unknown to Trussell, and located in the next county), finally responded a week later, blaming Trussell for not reaching out to him when Siegmeister sabotaged the jury and its process. The People’s Grand Jury was formed in an effort to protect Trussell from incompetent and corrupt public officials.
Trussell was arrested for ‘criminal actions under of color of law’, or ‘impersonating a public officer under color of law’. His arrest warrant was never signed. The judge’s order, based on an unsworn statement, did not even mention arresting Trussell. From the legal standpoint: Trussell was kidnapped, imprisoned unlawfully, and was only released after paying the ransom demand. His persecution appears to be politically-motivated.
This is a case that bears watching. It’s interesting how looking for truth changes your perspective, rather than just following an agenda–eh, NBC?
I have been following the follies of the NLA and others who have argued in favor of a “Common Law Grand Jury” with great bemusement as there is no foundation in federal or state law for their claims.
So let’s have a look at the secrecy statute first:
Proceedings are a secret and if Trussell had followed the Statutes he could have involved the Chief Justice who was available during the deliberations for just such purposes.
Why Trussell made his email to the judge public information is a choice that he made. The judge, in response, advised Trussell that he is available to discuss his complaints.
The Court ‘did nothing’ because the Judge first needed to be involved legally. And contrary to your claims, the judge did remove Mr Trussell from the Grand Jury. What Trussell had forgotten is that the State Attorney plays a significant role in the Grand Jury, a role our friend apparently refused to allow. In addition Trussell was confused as to who appoints the foreperson and the vice-foreperson. What you see as sabotage is just proper procedure of informing the Grand Jury of its legal duties and limitations.
The ‘people’s grand jury’ has no legal relevance in the State of Florida or any other US state. What Trussell believed to be incompetence was mostly lack of knowledge on his part.
Trussell was arrested for filing the “presentment” of the unlawful “People’s grand jury’ with the court under Florida Statute 843.0855 Criminal actions under color of law or through use of simulated legal process.—
As to the absence of a signature on his arrest warrant, such a signature could be electronically made. In the end, many a ‘sovereign’ citizen has shown that he does not understand how the legal system works So until we have a legal validation of your claims, we should not presume that errors were made. He was also released on his own recognizance according to the reports.
His persecution (sic) is based on his foolish behavior abusing a ‘common law grand jury’. Speaking of looking for the truth, it seems that you are unfamiliar with some key aspects.
Starters: There is no legal foundation for the concept of a Common Law Grand Jury, and no US v Williams does not even get close to such a position, although it has been misunderstood by many for quite some time. And yes I have read US v Williams.
So far, the facts are simple and admitted to by Trussell: He convened a ‘common law grand jury’ who filed two presentments as if they were legal documents. That’s sufficient for a violation of 843.0855 Criminal actions under color of law or through use of simulated legal process.—
Let me quote:
First of all, Siegmeister never sabotaged the jury, he properly informed them of the extent of their duties and while the foreperson had a political objective to use his power to indict many for such foolish ideas as Agenda 21 and Common Core etc, the real Grand Jury was quickly and properly informed. So, it was not Siegmeister who was sabotaging the jury, but rather those who wanted to take it beyond what it was legally charged to do. Under Florida Statute 905.01, the judge could replace any grand juror who for good cause is unable to complete the term.
If Trussell had studied that Juror Handbook he would have realized that
I have followed the excitement around the ‘insider’ of the Dixie County Grand Jury for some time and it was just a matter of time before he would overstep his bounds. There was no need to talk to the Chief Judge, just the presiding Judge who was available for exactly such purposes. It is unfortunate that Trussell was apparently not aware of this.
But those were relatively minor mistakes for which the Chief Judge used his powers to dismiss a grand juror for cause as it was clear that the foreperson was not going to be able to work together with the State Attorney, as prescribed by Florida law:
Legal advice about matters cognizable… That should have been a first hint…
If Trussell had read the Grand Jury handbook he would have known that
As “reported” by the sovcit sites
So it was the Sheriff who initiated the arrest. Fascinating details are starting to emerge which paint a slightly different picture.
The simulated legal process?
Ouch, they are so helpful in providing all the necessary data that led to their arrest.
More
So the truth as to the original warrant has yet to be determined?… 10 felonies? Well that could very well match the number of victims of the simulated legal process.
What is so hilarious is that the Sheriff had started investigating their actions and they actually believed that he could not point to anything they had done wrong… As if they are providing legal advice
Oh here is the statute describing the duties
offense triable within the county… Supporting Common Core is hardly a triable offense… Speaking of political… It’s quite obvious who is playing politics here.
First of all US v Williams has no relevance to Florida, furthermore, Trussell does not have the authority to declare the jury to be un-lawful. The poor guy just does not understand his powers as a foreperson of a Grand Jury in Florida. Declaring a jury null and void is not one of them. Filing it as a “Bill of Information” only adds to the list of failures.
There is just nothing in this ‘bill of information” which has any legal relevance.
As to State Attorney Siegmeister, a retired prosecutor observes:
http://bobdekle.blogspot.com/2014/09/in-my-last-blog-i-made-light-of.html
You may also want to read the very informative essay by a former prosecutor
http://bobdekle.blogspot.com/2014/08/grand-juries-common-sense-and-common-law.html
Hi JY (Jim/John)… You are hardly an expert on much of anything. next time post under your true handle…
I see Jim/John is practicing his “Very Poor” cr*p again. It’s possible to counter his down votes, but why bother.
john is such a funny guy. Predictable, and without any consequence.
Perhaps all of you may give a thought to what a common-law Grand Jury is; it IS the people; and the State Attorney may wish to consider his actions. For an ultimate view, and education for some of you, on a Grand Jury, will the words of a Supreme Court Justice be sufficient? Here’s what S. Crt. Justice Scalia has to say about the system of the Grand Jury; IT BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE(!), NOT the justice system and that includes the Florida Attorney General.
The Grand Jury Belongs to The People–Antonin Scalia (1992)
Dec 8, 2013 by Edken
United States v. Williams, 112 S.Ct. 1735, 504 U.S. 36, 118 L.Ed.2d 352 (1992)
http://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/504/36
NEW YORK IS “GROUND ZERO” – Major grassroots movement in 48 States, Constituting Common Law Grand Juries. In a stunning six to three, 1992 Decision that went unnoticed, until now, Justice Antonin Scalia writing for the majority said:
In the Supreme Court case of United States v. Williams, 112 S.Ct. 1735, 504 U.S. 36, 118 L.Ed.2d 352 (1992),
Justice Antonin Scalia, writing for the majority, confirmed that the American grand jury is neither part of the judicial, executive nor legislative branches of government, but instead belongs to the people. It is in effect a fourth branch of government “governed” and administered to directly by and on behalf of the American people, and its authority emanates from the Bill of Rights, the acts of the Grand Jury is the consent of the people.
“The grand jury is mentioned in the Bill of Rights, but not in the body of the Constitution. It has not been textually assigned, therefore, to any of the branches described in the first three Articles. It ” ‘is a constitutional fixture in its own right. In fact the whole theory of its function is that it belongs to no branch of the institutional government, serving as a kind of buffer or referee between the Government and the people”.
— Justice Antonin Scalia
“Thus, citizens have the unbridled right to empanel their own grand juries and present “True Bills” of indictment to a court, which is then required to commence a criminal proceeding. Our Founding Fathers presciently thereby created a “buffer” the people may rely upon for justice, when public officials, including judges, criminally violate the law.” –
Justice Antonin Scalia
“The grand jury is an institution separate from the courts, over whose functioning the courts do not preside, we think it clear that, as a general matter at least, no such “supervisory” judicial authority exists. The “common law” of the Fifth Amendment demands a traditional functioning grand jury.”
— Justice Antonin Scalia
“Although the grand jury normally operates, of course, in the courthouse and under judicial auspices, its institutional relationship with the judicial branch has traditionally been, so to speak, at arm’s length. Judges’ direct involvement in the functioning of the grand jury has generally been confined to the constitutive one of calling the grand jurors together and administering their oaths of office. The grand jury’s functional independence from the judicial branch is evident both in the scope of its power to investigate criminal wrongdoing, and in the manner in which that power is exercised.”
– Justice Antonin Scalia
“The grand jury ‘can investigate merely on suspicion that the law is being violated, or even because it wants assurance that it is not.’ It need not identify the offender it suspects, or even “the precise nature of the offense” it is investigating.
The grand jury requires no authorization from its constituting court to initiate an investigation, nor does the prosecutor require leave of court to seek a grand jury indictment. And in its day-to-day functioning, the grand jury generally operates without the interference of a presiding judge. It swears in its own witnesses and deliberates in total secrecy.” –
– Justice Antonin Scalia
“Recognizing this tradition of independence, we have said the 5th Amendment’s constitutional guarantee presupposes an investigative body ‘acting independently of either prosecuting attorney or judge” — Justice Antonin Scalia
“Given the grand jury’s operational separateness from its constituting court, it should come as no surprise that we have been reluctant to invoke the judicial supervisory power as a basis for prescribing modes of grand jury procedure. Over the years, we have received many requests to exercise supervision over the grand jury’s evidence-taking process, but we have refused them all. “it would run counter to the whole history of the grand jury institution” to permit an indictmentto be challenged “on the ground that there was incompetent or inadequate evidence before the grand jury.” — Justice Antonin Scalia
Yes, Scalia accepts that a Grand Jury consists of people randomly selected, under the administration of the Court and that the Court cannot insist that the prosecutor brings all evidence in front of the Grand Jury.
You have confused his words to mean that any group of people can just pretend to be a Grand Jury and deliver a presentment or indictment.
You have failed to appreciate that Scalia is not supporting anything of that kind.
There is no such thing as a “common law grand jury” because the Grand Jury has always been a statutory creature. There is no such thing a a “common law grand jury” where some disgruntled people can serve legally binding presentments. At best the “Common Law Grand Jury serves as a way to petition the government for redress and such presentments should be brought before a prosecutor or real grand jury.
However, so far I have seen no compelling scenarios where such a “common law grand jury” did anything useful Some tried to indict our President because they did not like his politics, in other cases the indictments are directed at people who refuse to take some people seriously, or they serve to indict people for such foolish issues as Agenda 21, Common Core and other initiatives.
Scalia is right, the Grand Jury has existed separate from the constituting court but requires a constituting court to summon them. The prosecutor has no duties to bring exculpatory evidence to the Grand Jury. And finally, the Grand Jury is randomly selected from a fair sample of people, not some likeminded people who are intent on changing the course of our Nation.
Pretending to be a lawful grand jury and filing legal papers, is in many states illegal and punishable as “simulation of a legal process”, other states have made it illegal to file false liens against people with whom you disagree.
Furthermore, you do understand the concept of State Rights and the fact that the right to a Grand Jury indictment has not been extended to States? So in other words, while Scalia is describing the Federal Grand Jury system, where he accepts that the prosecutor has no duty to bring exculpatory evidence in front of the Grand Jury, and thus holds incredible powers over the outcome, the different States have either abandoned the Grand Jury or restricted its use.
Funny how some have totally misunderstood Scalia’s words and ruling to mean that any likeminded knitting club could file presentments. Imagine how foolish such a position is: All you need is a few friends to indict someone who has ‘wronged’ you and said person can return an indictment against you with the help of a few friends as well.
You may believe that a “common law grand jury” should exist but not in our legal system, where even Scalia has not argued in favor of the “Common Law” aspect, on the contrary.
Scalia also states
So, while the Grand Jury is independent from the prosecutor, their role is to determine if the charges made by the prosecutor should be denied. Furthermore, Scalia is clear that while the Grand Jury is separate from the Court, it is convened and administered by the Court.
All in all, there is no foundation for a “common law grand jury”
The Public Statute Laws of the State of Connecticut: As Revised and Enacted by the General Assembly, in May 1821 : to which are Prefixed the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of Connecticut S.G. Goodrich, & Huntington & Hopkins, 1821
Florida’s Constitution outlines that a prosecutor only needs to bring a case involving first degree murder before the Grand Jury. The Florida Grand Jury is an agency of the court that has summoned them and is independent from the court in so far as it does not exceed its authorities and privileges. For example, a County Court Grand Jury only has jurisdiction over cases that have taken place in the jurisdiction of the court.
So far, there is nothing in Florida’s Constitution or Statutes which provides for a ‘Common Law Grand Jury”, and one should not be surprised because the Grand Jury has been a statutory creature.
Florida Statutes Title XLVII Chapter 905, outlines the Grand Jury, and outlines how the Grand Jury is to be summoned.
Hurtado v. California, 110 US 516 – Supreme Court 1884
Clearly statutory…
and
All in all, the case for a Grand Jury is not to be found easily in “common law” and the right to a grand jury found in the US Constitution does not extend to the States.
Finally, Judge Lambert ruled as follows:
There is no Statute for courts dealing with presentments, or in other words, presentments no longer are a viable method until statutes are changed.
Grand juries are convened by the court, selected at random from a fair cross section…
No force under the Constitution or the laws.
Bummer and Scalia would have approved…