*BREAKING* There is a note from the jury the content of which we don't know yet. We also heard that the judge is going to address the jury at 4:30 pm today in the courtroom, and it is assumed he will dismiss them for the day. We don't know whether the two things are related or not, but Marcy will be liveblogging it as it happens. — JH
David Shuster of MSNBC is reporting:
We have been advised, and I have just confirmed, that the courthouse cafeteria is now flooded. And I can report that some type of liquid has created large puddles on the cafeteria floor, in the area where food is served. More significantly, the bathrooms next to the cafeteria have signs on the doors that say "closed." In other words, it is not a "cafeteria flood" as we had been led to believe, but rather a "bathroom flood" affecting the cafeteria.
This could impact the Libby jury in a crucial way: Every afternoon, around this time, the cafeteria workers will deliver "cookies" up to the jury room. Today, unless somebody has waders, or unless the jury is actively seeking a "mistrial via salmonella," there will be no cookie delivery.
This is not exactly the tough love we had been hoping the judge would impose on this jury to get them to reach a verdict. But, it is a start.
Reports that the bathroom discharge problems were caused by reporters/producers at A Network That Shall Not Be Named have not been confirmed.
We tried to get Shuster to tell us what network he was referring to in the final line, but he refused to confirm and mumbled something cryptic about "nobody you watch."
(YouTube above suggested by Gary Fields of the Wall Street Journal, who thought it captured the mood in the media room right now.)
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Fitz?
COME ON, fITZ…
In need of a Fitz!
FITZ!
(darn caps lock)
For all the latest Libby trial news, legal documents, timelines and other essential materials surrounding the Bush administration’s outing of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame and its politics of payback against Joseph Wilson, see:
“The CIA Leak/PlameGate Resource Center.”
Hiya FDL!
Let’s all hope this means a verdict!
Keep it coming, Jane. Looking out for tornadoes in Tennessee & a storm there at Prettyman.
Is the Allen charge given in open court?
The note says, “we are ready for the verdict tomorrow and we have questions. 1) what should we all wear? 2) Where is Dick Cheney going to be tomorrow? 3) Who is bringing the kleenex for Mr. Wells?
We tried to get Shuster to tell us what network he was referring to in the final line, but he refused to confirm and mumbled something cryptic about “nobody you watch.”
Damn FAUX News…the fact that they’re full of it impacts everything.
Nervous…….
Patience is a virtue. So…who needs virtues, eh? LOL!!!
LOL Faux is flooding the cafeteria with their droppings!
Did Schuster really say that? No link. Very suspicious.
LOL
Please please please let there be a verdict [she says while crossing her fingers].
I CAN’T TAKE THE SUSPENSE!
The Note:
“Here’s the deal: no cookies, no verdict. We’ve been here for a week now, and we can wait another week if we have to.”
starting to pace between rooms…..
Note says: We’re not deliberating anymore until we get our cookies!
Hopefully it’s not 25 minutes away from being disappointed again…..
It will kill me if they close the court for repairs tomorrow.
ifthethunderdontgetya @
7
where ya been deadhead
Any lawyers out there who can tell us whether a verdict typically is announced in this sort of roundabout manner, or rather whether this must be something else.
Peterr @ 17
lol peter – i needed that
note from jury is most likely…
“whats that smell?”
Are they still wearing jeans today?
Crap, hung jury?
“Nobody you watch”? Well, that clinches it then. :)
Sounds like the judge is going to give them that instruction thingie talked about last week, the one that says they have a duty to listen to each other and reach a verdict.
Staff at the courthouse are saying that the meeting with the judge this afternoon will be for Judge Walton to address scheduling matters with the jury.
Jane and I will head into the courtroom to get a look at them and attempt to appear as threatening looking as we can to push them along. Put a bit of stick about.
clare @ 25
Marcy reported that they are wearing jeans today.
can someone post the like to gabbly again?
Note from the jury, yikes!
You’d think if it were a verdict, they’d have said so, must be something else.
As I just joked about over at Atrios:
Latest note from jury:
WHERE ARE OUR COOKIES!!!?
NO COOKIES, NO JUSTICE,
NO COOKIES, NO JUSTICE!
fooj @ 13
Ah, but the second part of the saying is, “cultivated by the wisest of men”.
Yeah, I’m not feeling too wise at the moment, either. I’m trying to convince myself that he’s just sending the jury home early because of the plumbing situation and they may not be able to deliberate tomorrow because of it and the lawyers are there to have a hissy fit about it in legalese…
scheduling matters ? Like What, fer instance?
Pachacutec @ 28
Oh yeah, Jane is going to look threatening. She putting on something besides the boots?
*xyz @ 30
Yes, but that was when they entered court this morning. I think the question is “Are they still wearing them now?”
;)
Somebody flush another Fox down the Toobz at the Prettyman. They’re so good at eatin’ s#!t, they’ll have things cleaned up in no time.
I’ll bet the judge thought their last request would have been too prejudicial: “Can we please have a life-sized photo of Libby, some sturdy cardboard, scizzors, a gallon of glue, and a prison jumpsuit?”
raven @
22
Was out of town and out of touch…
Take a deep breath everyone this could be what we have been waiting for ! Fitz !
raven @ 38
I’m wearing the stockings now. We’re hoping they’ll have a fright.
Judge, I found this in my cookie.
Grreat…. Walton’s gonna be out of town next week or something, right?
At this rate, we may have a verdict before Christmas….
Jim E. @
27
crap hung, says jury
They may have to move to an alternate location if the situation with the cafeteria is bad enough.
Cranky
Merry Fitzmas!
The shitter was full!
ifthethunderdontgetya @ 39
Welcome back to the nuthouse!
Thanks, I missed that.
Maybe no deliberations tomorrow due to bathroom flooding?
Pachacutec @ 41
That has to be offensive to someone!
Donning my brand new tin foil hat here. Didn’t the courthouse have their electricity cut off for a while late last night? Could this be the work of Cheneys plumbers trying to disrupt proceedings via the cafeteria? *s*
When does Walton’s next trial start? Could he be trying to light a fire under their butts?
Teresa @ 51
Please, God, no.
S.O.S. in MA @ 39
Sounds like somebody in the bathroom just took a big ole Fox and clogged up the terlit.
Smells like a turdblossom tactic.
Frank Probst @
40
LOL !!!
If Pach@29 is correct, I feel a lot better. For whoever asked, no, a sudden meeting in the judges chambers with the lawyers and the jurors is NOT normal, and would not signal anything good. An open session in the courtroom with what Pach reports is not necessarily earth shattering at all. the way this was announced is wierd though.
I wanna go home.
Oh wait, I am home. :)
Are we there yet?
Can anyone tell me: If the jury was saying that they had reached a verdict (this late in the day) would the judge dismiss them for the day (since it is so late) and do the reading in the morning? (And what are the chances that the verdict would remain secret, if he did?
Does this mean that it is more likely that the jury’s note is saying they cannot reach concensus?
Tell the jury they can deliberate at Plame House – no pressure from Jane – honest.
Eureka Springs, AR @ 52
I wouldn’t put it past these guys
Sparkles the Iguana @ 54
I doubt it. He’s been very careful so far, so it’d be a bit out of character for him to now say, “People, he’s OBVIOUSLY guilty. What the hell is taking you so long?”
There has got to be more than one bathroom in that courthouse. I really doubt that would be a reason for any kind of meaningful schedule change.
Oilfieldguy @ 57
Blame it on the bloggers!!!
urban pirate @ 60
scarecrow says 20 more minutes.
No Kotex down the toilets, ladies.
(There’s one in every crowd.)
Woodhall Hollow @ 63
It’s not the lack of bathrooms. It’s the fact that this one bathroom’s problem is affecting the cafeteria.
Maybe they want to move their deliberations to “Office Depot”?
mumbled something cryptic about “nobody you watch.”
geez – that could mean fox noise or either of the big 3.
Woodhall Hollow @ 65
Not only that, but I *really* doubt that the Jury would not have access to a more private bathroom while deliberating.
Where’s G. Gordon Liddy? He’s a plumber, right?
selise @ 67
It’s a conspiracy!!
urban pirate @ 65
well, you can at least blame it on the cloggers
ARRRGGG –
Any lawyers care to speculate? Hung, verdict, or just a dead juror because of out of season white shoes
Dooke @
48
LMFAO
Great movie!
urban pirate @ 72
Don’t make me pull over and stop this car . . .
CNN is now reporting that they have exported the ooze from Walter Reed over to Prettyman in an attempt to quiet those complaining about the food
bdu @ 69
Chances are the plumbing is connected.
Even if the cafeteria is shut down…they would send out for take out for the jury and make everyone else hoof out to get their own food (or order pizza). Courthouses don’t really need a kitchen to function.
Elliott @ 74
We all knew the FoxNews creeps left gigantic turds behind wherever they went, this just proves it.
Move deliberations to the National Gallery of Art across the street.
From GQ of all places(via Buzzflash)
http://men.style.com/gq/featur…..ntent_5402
Quintus @ 68
What time was the flood?
Uh oh.
Btw, thank you to all who gave me good vibes for my Mega Bank job interview. It didn’t pan out, but your kindness helped me get through it. I am very grateful.
Good one Attaturk :))
“scarecrow says 20 more minutes” … Well, at least we won’t have to wait a Freidman unit. Oh wait, maybe…
Frank Probst @ 64
Thanks for the laugh Frank P
Judge to jury:
I made you a cookie
But I eated it.
Note to billieO:
Falafels are non flushable.
Peterr @ 71
ROFL!!!!! ty peter – you’re just what i need rt now :)
Jim E. @
27
could be just a hungry jury…
educatedplaintiff @ 71
Whoever smelt it – Dealt it
SHUSTER! :-)
“NO SOUP FOR YOU!”
Guys there’s a good chance they asked for–and will be getting–tomorrow off.
So can those of you in MI tell me whether or not I’ll be able to get into DTW? Probably tomorrow morning?
orient-lodge dude says a defense lawyer was overheard telling a clerk “see you Monday”. Unsubstantiated though.
the courthouse is falling apart.
emptywheel @ 95
Sleety and ugly here now EW. I’ll check on tomorrow morning.
emptywheel @ 94
Who do they think they are– Congress?
;)
Oh My God! Tucker and Buchanan both said that they believe that Libby lied even though they don’t think a case should have been brought to trial.
Teresa @ 93
Perhaps enough time for BushCo to issue a pardon?
Sparkles the Iguana @ 80
Is the dismissed juror over there?
emptywheel @ 95
Whaaaa? How much longer they gonna drag this out?
Now it is officially a “leak” trial.
Sorry. Didn’t want to write that, but had to.
Sparkles the Iguana @ 82
What, so the curator can bitch about wanting to re-join the jury?
emptywheel @ 95
NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
And now in sensaround!
emptywheel @ 93
Is it snowing down there? Its in the 40s in NYC…
> There has got to be more than one bathroom in
> that courthouse. I really doubt that would be a
> reason for any kind of meaningful schedule
> change.
It is not the availability of one bathroom – it is the health issue of having raw sewage flood through the cafeteria. Health Depts tend to be a bit unhappy about such issues and for good reason.
Cranky
raven @ 79
Call for a port-a-potty, justice must be served before the cookies!
emptywheel @ 94
wah!
annx @ 98
It’d probably be mid-day–on the flight Mike Rogers takes some times. Maybe I can pester him about why he hired Fred Fleitz to make up propaganda for teh American people.
yellow snapdragon @ 33
http://gabbly.com/firedoglake.com
Open two windows. Put that Gabbly URL in one. Don’t refresh it. Use the little icons at the top to choose a preferred shape for the window. Use another separate window (not just another FireFox pane) for this FDL stuff, which you’ll refresh sparingly to ease the load on our smokin’ servers. My pref: a thin vert (second-from-right icon on top) Gabbly format which puts the chat in a long thin window next to the multi-paned window where I keep FDL — along with other panes where I do actual work. :)
Don’t forget to sign in, else you’ll be given an uninteresting name like “gabber198″. You can do way better…
Using Gabbly relieves load from FDL’s servers and refreshes at chat speeds. Way more informal. Not too many folx around, but if and when things get goin’, watch out… If this is pot, that is crack :)
—————
Give us back the truth, Jury!!
Wil@74 – First announcement smacked of a hang on at least one count, no way to tell on how many. Pach’s information, which appears confirmed certainly undercuts that a fair amount. Very hard to tell, and everyone (including me) is so wound up that we are hyperventilating. We will know in 15 minutes
Can we get the therapod to waive his staff at Prettyman to part the flood?
The jury has awarded Scooter Libby to Howard K. Stern, but the verdict will likely be appealed.
Peterr @ 78
My mom did that once less than 2 block from the house. She made us walk home. lol
Answer me this: How would it play out if the jury agrees on all but one charge?
What if they are unanimous in their declaration of guilt for most of the charges, but hung on one?
Saint Brigid @ 90
Im in ur bathrum, poopin up ur stoolz!!11!
bdu @ 108
Maybe dubya can lend them one of his traveling pottys!
And everybody’s wrecked on Main Street from drinking unholy blood
Sticker smiles sweet as gunner breathes deep, his ankles caked in mud
And I said “Hey, gunner man, that’s quicksand, that’s quicksand that ain’t mud
Have you thrown your senses to the war or did you lose them in the flood?”
LOL!!!!
roflmao u guys are FUNNY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Once again, Tucker Carlson did not disclose that his father is on Libby’s defense fund advisory board!
According to CNN the Judge is going to hold an open hearing in the Court room.
Their toobz connect them.
-GSD
I agree with John Stewart’s assessment of Tucker. Just in case you were wondering.
bdu @ 82
Yes, indeedie…Look at Tony Snow for instance.
jinny @ 123
This sounds more and more like Marcy is right.
urban pirate @
60
Forecast for DTW – snow starting after midnight tonight. Mix of snow and rain tomorrow. Snow accumulations less than one inch.
John B Remix? or the libby Aspen sloop
The poor crook got caught by the fitz
And threw away all my grits
And then he took and he ate up all of my corn
Let me go home
Why dont they let me go home
This is the worst trip Ive ever been on
Now I’m stuck at work till 4:30?
jeannefisk @
62
That would only be neighborly. And Marcy can answer any questions they might have.
No snow in DC.
yikes – i have a bad feeling about this case -
i am not sure this is worth a second trial – and it appears that this jury cannot reach a verdict!
And why should they get a day off? If I were Walton, I’d want to know that they’re making progress before granting this request.
I mean, not that I have any sympathy for Scooter or anything, but it’s not really fair to the defendant in this case.
motherlowman@113
Yeah–Another farker!
bush to country:
i’m in ur whitehouz
shreddin’ ur constushun
Ned Lamont responds to HoJoe’s OpEd at Huffington Post.
dave @ 134
Not worth a second trial? Care to explain? (not being bitchy, just curious)
Storm coming thru tonight, I don’t think it’s a weather problem tomorrow.
Maybe they are scheduling a part day so they won’t need lunch. Totally guessing.
Stopped by for five minutes during lunch, but:
A) gotta wait for the half hour to find out, and
B) this thread is hilarious, a real keeper.
In NYC they are predicting a lot of rain and temps tomorrow as high as 48! I can’t see how it would be colder in DC.
How long can Libby tread water?
The note indicates that the jurors read the crazy thread, ………. tom cruise
I’d like to second Christy’s comment about Tucker – the guy is all opinion, no facts and bad for intelligent discourse….
Listening to Tucker and Buchanan discuss the Libby trial, I could only give it about 30 seconds before I had to turn the sound off – “She wasn’t covert, Fitzgerald is just a bad guy, prosecutors are evil”
WTF?!!!
Sorta OT
I just turned on CNN to hear any Libby updates and they had Jamie MacIntyre down in Alabama covering the tornado damage (and coincidently directing traffic while giving his piece).
Has he been demoted or something? Wasn’t he the Pentagon correspondent?
LBrowne @ 105
No, she was MOMA.
Sloop John B:
We come on the sloop john b
My grandfather and me
Around nassau town we did roam
Drinking all night
Got into a fight
Well I feel so broke up
I want to go home
So hoist up the john bs sail
See how the mainsail sets
Call for the captain ashore
Let me go home, let me go home
I wanna go home, yeah yeah
Well I feel so broke up
I wanna go home
The first mate he got drunk
And broke in the capns trunk
The constable had to come and take him away
Sheriff john stone
Why dont you leave me alone, yeah yeah
Well I feel so broke up I wanna go home
So hoist up the john bs sail
See how the mainsail sets
Call for the captain ashore
Let me go home, let me go home
I wanna go home, let me go home
Why dont you let me go home
(hoist up the john bs sail)
Hoist up the john b
I feel so broke up I wanna go home
Let me go home
The poor cook he caught the fits
And threw away all my grits
And then he took and he ate up all of my corn
Let me go home
Why dont they let me go home
This is the worst trip Ive ever been on
So hoist up the john bs sail
See how the mainsail sets
Call for the captain ashore
Let me go home, let me go home
I wanna go home, let me go home
Why dont you let me go home
emptywheel @ 96
Um, good question, need to check national radar. I suspect it’ll be okay here, but it’s the weather between here and there that’s an issue…
Snowstorm recess for Friday? We’re supposed to get a foot of snow up here in the great white north.
emptywheel @ 96
I don’t know what’s predicted for tomorrow. It’s pouring rain today. My folks left for NY late this morning and I haven’t heard from them, so I assume they got out okay.
emptywheel @
112
Hey Marcy,
If you see Rogers, poke him in the side and tell him his friend from Pinckney is still watching!
Marcy you flying out tonight? It’s going to be very windy with likely delays.
new thread above
Oriend Lodge Update: Word is that there is a note that the Jurors have requested to be released early tomorrow, at 2 PM for “personal, professional and medical obligations.”
Judge Walton is granting the request. It is noted that tomorrow is Parent Teacher conference day in Washington DC and many of the jurors are parents.
Arrggh. They must think they won’t be done by tomorrow either.
One juror contaminated and dismissed after a 2-day weekend – I don’t feel good at all about them having a 3-day weekend.
So many op-eds to write, so many tools to write and publish them…
Rayne @ 145
I dunno, I’m in central Virginia and they are calling for big weather tonite.
Valley Girl @ 1:26 – Thank you.
Better to be a Fox news correspondent believed to be full of sh*t than to open on the sanitary works of Prettyman and remove all doubt.
Maybe a juror built a ladder out of post-it-notes and escaped?
Seems to me these jurors are smart enough to know that a guilty verdict could take down the vice president and stain the legacy of the POTUS. I’m not surprised they are being as careful as possible. They also will want to be able to answer any Swift Boat attacks, that will almost certainly be forthcoming.
Call for a port-a-potty, justice must be served before the cookies!
graffiti seen in one of those: “the sink is too low and the soap won’t lather”
(hint: the “soap” was pink)
must not be to OCD
JPINNASH @ 145
I think it is quite telling that BOTH of them think Libby lied to a GJ but should not have been prosecuted. I was involved in a court case where someone lied. They did not get away with it but I would have loved to see them prosecuted. I hope there are more perjury cases in our court system not less.
raven @ 158
Could you go to Accuweather.com, put in your zipcode and see whether you have any weather bulletins? I figure this stuff we had today is coming your way; we had a stiff noreaster this morning, several inches of snow, followed by a big warm up, drizzling now. If this crap freezes tonight, it is going to be butt-ugly in the morning. Planning for possible power outage here, just in case.
pwrlght @ 101
… extending the logic, this means that they think that Libby’s lying to a GJ about outing a CIA agent is less trial-worthy than President Clinton’s … Oh you know where that is going already.
Boycott Accuweather!
DC forecast: http://www.weather.com/weather…..undeclared
smapdi — whatever, use the weather news provider of choice. I use Accuweather because they have a plug-in for Firefox. I’ll switch when somebody else comes up with a better one.
Rayne, Rayne! I am here, not sure I have any brains to pick tho.
Thank you for reminding me of that VG.
And another note before a verdict is rendered. This jury, regardless of it’s decision, will be hammered by some and lionized by others. At this particular point, I truly empathize with their plight. No matter what, I for one will not blame/lionize the jury for the verdict they reach.
The prosecution makes its case or not. This does not apply to a single holdout resulting in a hung jury–that takes further study.
by saying not worth a second trial – i truly believe that he will get a pardon even if convicted – is fitz just wasting his time here?
i think libby is pretty much ruined at this point –
i just have been hoping for a conviction and if it is coming truly believe it would have arrived by now.
love this blog — thanks to all.
Schuster means “the network most full of sh**!”
I seee you’re point, Dave. But the main reason I think this trial is important is that it is bringing all the slimey shit this administration to light.
I agree that Libby will be pardoned, but I want the truth in official, court documents
why?
I suspect Judge Walton wants to revisit the 12-1 jury situation since it’s looking like the jury isn’t close to reaching a verdict. Instead, they seem to be re-investigating the case almost as if they’re trying to figure out whether Cheney, and possibly Bush, are behind Libby’s effort to discredit Ambassador Wilson. It’s possible that they’ve already decided that Libby is guilty and they’re taking this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study and resolve the larger question.
I’m guessing the judge wants to find out what’s going on and remind them to stay on task. There’s a right way and a wrong way to go about such an inquiry, but even the right way is fraught with peril. He can’t give them the Allen charge unless they’ve indicated that they’re hung, which they haven’t done. He might ask if they’ve reached a verdict on any of the counts, how their health is holding out, and if they believe that he should appoint the first alternate, or just let them continue deliberating. Whatever he does, he has to avoid pressuring them into reaching a verdict beyond what the Allen case permits.
In the meantime, if he’s scheduled to try another case, he can go ahead and do it while the jury continues its deliberations. The jury in the new case would use a different jury room in the courthouse. If the jury in Libby’s case reaches a verdict, he’d declare a recess in the new trial, send the new jury out to their room, and bring in the Libby jury to announce the verdict.
smapdi @
168
Did you work there as well? It was 20 years ago for me. From what I hear, they haven’t changed.
HotFlash @
147
Nah, not MOMA (my mistaken comment earlier in the week) sorry gang.
She retired from the curatorial staff of the department of prints & drawings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY.
Mason @
176
Wow. Talk about delusional thinking. The jury is not studying or resolving any larger questions. They are only dealing with the issue at hand. And only that.
They will most likely be a hung jury because it is obvious that the defense established “reasonable doubt” in at least few jurors minds by impeaching numerous prosecution witnesses who had faulty memories of their own, changed their testimonies, and basically made Libby’s defense of “I made a mistake” credible.