Former Utah Transit Authority board member Terry Diehl wants a federal judge — not a jury — to decide his fate in a November criminal trial, because persistent news reports of an investigation of corruption inside the transit agency has likely tainted the jury pool.
“The potential for substantial juror bias is evidenced in the comments to The Salt Lake Tribune’s reporting,” the documents states. “In those comments, Mr. Diehl is connected to figures as diverse as Leona Helmsley and Vladmir Putin.”
Addressing such biases among potentials jurors would take considerable time, Diehl’s attorneys argue; a bench trial that leaves the matter in the hands of a judge would ensure Diehl’s right to a fair trial.