BIG RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan appeals court has affirmed the misdemeanor conviction of a man who was accused of jury tampering by distributing pamphlets outside a western Michigan courthouse.
In a 2-1 decision, the court rejected Keith Wood’s arguments, especially his claim that he was exercising free-speech rights when he told jurors that they could choose their conscience over the law.
Judges Christopher Murray and Thomas Cameron say the state has a “compelling interest in protecting the sanctity of the jury.”
Wood was outside the Mecosta County courthouse, north of Grand Rapids, in 2015. He was accused of trying to influence a case involving a man who had a wetlands dispute with a state agency. Ironically, the case ended with a plea deal and didn’t go to trial.
