N.H. Supreme Court agrees with judge’s decision to overturn sex assault conviction

Concord Monitor 

October 12, 2018

Amanda Grady Sexton, director of public affairs for the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence, said sexual assault survivors are not inherently biased as jurors and are capable of serving on juries without bias.

“Considering that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 20 men in N.H. have been sexually assaulted, a jury of one’s peers will likely always include sexual assault survivors,” she said in an emailed statement.

“It is extremely concerning that jurors who were survivors of childhood sexual abuse were examined in open court without proper notice of the rights afforded in N.H.’s victim’s bill of rights. It’s critical that our criminal justice system recognize that many citizens have experienced victimization, and to ensure that jurors are also treated with the dignity and privacy that they deserve.”

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