Ferguson grand jury member sues to lift gag order

The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri is representing a plaintiff in a lawsuit who was a member of the grand jury that did not return an indictment against former Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the killing of Michael Brown. The person who is referred to in the lawsuit as “Grand Juror Doe” is suing St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch in federal court to lift the lifetime gag order to give their side of the story concerning the rather suspicious grand jury proceedings conducted by McCulloch and to dispute information he has been giving to the public.

The lawsuit contends that McCulloch is lying to the public by implying that all of the jurors believed there was not enough evidence to support charges of manslaughter or murder against Wilson. Robert McCulloch who has strong ties to law enforcement gave an interview to a radio station giving his version of the proceedings. McCulloch also made an unusual document dump related to the secret proceedings and has stated he knowingly put a known liar on the stand under oath that gave false testimony that was favorable to Wilson. McCulloch has refused to bring perjury charges against the woman who lied and stated she was a witness to the shooting of Michael Brown.

The juror turned plaintiff alleges, “The investigation of Wilson had a stronger focus on the victim, Michael Brown, than in the other cases presented to the grand jury.” The juror also states in the lawsuit that legal standards were discussed in a “muddled” and “untimely” manner. It had already been revealed that an assistant prosecutor presented a nullified outdated law to the grand jury that gave broader powers to cops to kill people.

McCulloch has not yet been served the lawsuit and has yet to comment according to a spokesperson.

To compound McCulloch’s self-inflicted legal troubles, Rep. Karla May (D) requested last month that a joint House and Senate committee investigate whether McCulloch committed prosecutorial misconduct in the case concerning Darren Wilson.

In related news, a Black People’s Grand Jury that convened over the weekend voted 11 to 1 to indict Darren Wilson on first degree murder charges in the shooting death of Michael Brown.