Jury Duty

Jean Fritz was a wife and mother living in Des Plaines.  When she showed up for jury duty in 1969 she had no idea of her upcoming attachment to history.   How could anyone?  Jean ended up on the sequestered jury that produced the verdict for the "Conspiracy Seven." And, because of her determination and bravery, she played a big role in the fate of the accused.

Eight jurors wanted blood.  They bought everything that Hoover, Mitchell and Nixon were selling.  Four jurors saw through what the government was doing.  Both sides held firm.  When Judge Hoffman refused to let the jury see transcripts, and when he threatened to keep them sequestered indefinitely, the four decided they had to agree to a compromise:  innocent of conspiracy but convicted of a lesser charge.

Eventually, Jean and one of the other jurors agreed to an interview which revealed the "inside story" to the public.  The jurors were called back to a special hearing.  While the others retreated to faulty memory, Jean and one other juror told the real story.  The criminal charges were overturned.

I heard this compelling story (in harrowing detail) on the Ben Joravsky podcast for Tuesday, August 6.  Jean's daughter, Marjorie Fritz-Birch runs the Edgewater Historical Society and she is displaying her mother's papers at an exhibit commemorating the 50th anniversary of the trial.