The power of emotion is difficult to deny and threatens to cloud the judgment of many jurors. This one managed to block emotion out:
The Worcester Superior courtroom was cold, and steaming hot in our waiting room. At times, bored from hearing the same thing, I stared at the ceiling, counted the molding, and glanced at the portraits of judges on the walls.The trial had its emotional parts, like when the mother, in the last stages of pregnancy with her third child, took the stand. The woman, a native of Ghana, seemed to have a hard time understanding some questions . . .
. . . Early into her testimony, she closed her eyes, started sniffing and broke down in tears. It was real. I had to look away. I had to try my best to block out the emotions, to not let it cloud my opinion.
