Judge: Palin libel case jurors knew he'd rejected her claims

The judge presiding over Sarah Palin's libel lawsuit against The New York Times says jurors knew before delivering their verdict that he'd already decided to rule against Palin

NEW YORK -- The judge presiding over the libel lawsuit brought by former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin against The New York Times said Wednesday that jurors knew before delivering their verdict that he’d already decided to rule against Palin but they said it didn't affect the outcome.

U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff said in a written order that several jurors told a law clerk after deciding against Palin on Tuesday that they had received news flashes on their phones about Rakoff’s Monday announcement that he'd toss out the lawsuit regardless of the verdict.

“The jurors repeatedly assured the Court’s law clerk that these notifications had not affected them in any way or played any role whatever in their deliberations," Rakoff wrote.

The judge invited lawyers to speak up if they wanted to challenge the verdict. Besides describing the assurances by jurors that his findings didn't affect their verdict, Rakoff also noted that no lawyers objected to his plan when he told them Monday morning that he'd decide and announce his findings on the case as a matter of law later that day.