Misdemeanor charges against second round of Oregon standoff defendants will go before a judge, not jury
The misdemeanor charges filed against the second round of Oregon standoff defendants will be tried before a judge, U.S. District Judge Anna J. Brown has ruled.
Since the charges of trespass, tampering with vehicles or equipment and destruction of property are Class B misdemeanors and considered petty offenses, the defendants don’t have a right to a jury trial.
Further, the judge cited the “significant uncertainty in the law,” as to whether she has discretion to permit a jury trial for such offenses.
“Simply put, the Court declines to exercise discretion to take an action when it is not at all clear that the Court has such discretion in the first place,” Brown wrote in her ruling.