Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail…

Nor even Hurricane Sandy shall keep us from publishing on time! Although we extended some deadlines and burned a bit of midnight oil—we are grateful to our Hurricane Sandy writers and contributors who went without electricity, WiFi and, in a few cases, bathing, but still managed to get their work submitted so we could publish this issue!

And quite the issue it is! We start with a trio of pieces on the topic of false confessions. We have a review of the false confessions research with comments by a varied group of professionals, a false confessions supplemental jury questionnaire and a book review of a collection containing contributions from many of the top researchers in the field. It’s a disturbingly eye-opening collection and yet, a must-read group of articles crafted for Jury Expert readers.

We also have a thought-provoking piece on political construal (in this case, that’s the question of whether your political orientation is related to bias) and prejudice, an intriguing consideration of “truthiness” and disability litigation/advocacy, a thoughtful piece on how humor is used during deliberations to positive (and negative) effect, and some original research on the impact of media exposure and juror decision-making.

Finally, we have a new Favorite Thing. We hope you have Thanksgiving leftovers still to enjoy as you read this veritable cornucopia of contributions. And if not, coffee is always a good choice.

We here at The Jury Expert are grateful for our committed contributors who come through even when Mother Nature throws an extreme curveball.

We are grateful for our readers who keep coming back and, as in this issue, agree to our requests that they themselves respond to our articles.

And, last but not least, we are grateful the election is over, that the barrage of political advertisements has ceased, and we are hopeful the future will bring unity despite our differences.

So. Read us. Pass on our URL (http://thejuryexpert.firminc.com) to your friends, colleagues, competitors, and even your family members. And know that throughout the upcoming holiday season, we’ll be carefully wrapping our next issue (due in late January) for your enjoyment. Let me know if there is something “on your list” you’d like to see included in upcoming issues!

Rita R. Handrich, PhD
Editor , The Jury Expert 

And a last-minute PS! 

As we were completing final touches on this issue, the ABA announced their 6th Annual Blawg 100 list. And again this year, we are proud that two ASTC member blogs made that list! And, these blawgers are also all very frequent contributors to The Jury Expert so we are doubly proud. The two blawgs, Persuasive Litigator (written by Ken Broda-Bahm) and The Jury Room (co-written by Doug Keene and Rita Handrich) are both ABA Blawg 100 honorees for 2012.

Take a look at both blawgs! You'll find they are both consistent with what we publish here in The Jury Expert: practical, relevant, and immediately applicable expositions on litigation advocacy that are based in facts and data, rather than on anecdote and supposition.

If, after reading our blawgs, you believe them worthy of a vote in the Blawg 100 category of Trial Practice, we would ask you to vote accordingly. And here's the really good news! You can actually vote for BOTH blawgs. So take a look and exercise your right to vote. (Or not to vote.) Either way, we appreciate the ABAs recognition of our hard work.