top
California
California
Indybay
Indybay
Indybay
Regions
Indybay Regions North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area California United States International Americas Haiti Iraq Palestine Afghanistan
Topics
Newswire
Features
From the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature
Wed Sep 19 2007 (Updated 09/20/07)
Hung Jury in Rod Coronado Free Speech Case
Mistrial in Rod Coronado Free Speech Case
On September 19th, after more than 2 full days of deliberation, a 12-person jury informed Judge Jeffrey Miller they were hopelessly deadlocked, and had determined that further deliberation would not deliver unanimity. Outside the courtroom, attorneys were informed that the majority was voting for acquittal of the environmental and animal rights activist who was on trial for a speech he gave in San Diego in 2003. In order to convict under the obscure statute, the jury would have had to determine on three criteria: that his speech was instructive, that he had intent to incite those present to violent action, and that the incitement was to imminent action. Otherwise, such speech is protected under the First Amendment.

Omar Figueroa, an attorney on the legal team said, "We had a good jury and they upheld the Constitution. It's a great day for Constitutional Rights."

Attorney Tony Serra, who was also part of the legal team, said, "If these prosecutors opt to re-try this case, then they are the puppets we know they are, in the business of suppressing Constitutional rights. We hung the jury probably 10-2 or 9-3 (that specific information was not available from the jurors), so we know they can never win. So they would be fools to retry, but this is political and their agenda is political. If they re-try, we will win again.”
Read More | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
2026-01-20 Convict Killer ICE Agent Jonathan Ross Front Page | Police State & Prisons | Labor & Workers | Global Justice & Anti-Capitalism | San Francisco | South Bay | East Bay | Peninsula | North Coast | U.S. | Americas | Immigrant Rights | Santa Cruz Indymedia2026-01-15 Hundreds of "Free America Walkouts" Were Organized on January 20 Front Page | Police State & Prisons | Anti-War | Womyn | Central Valley | San Francisco | South Bay | East Bay | Peninsula | North Bay / Marin | North Coast | California | U.S. | Immigrant Rights | Santa Cruz Indymedia2025-12-24 Advocates Rally at Governor’s Office to Pardon UC Berkeley Student Zoe Rosenberg Front Page | Police State & Prisons | Education & Student Activism | Central Valley | East Bay | North Bay / Marin | California | Government & Elections | Animal Liberation2025-12-23 Our Faiths Teach Us: Love Thy Neighbor, Disrupt Injustice Front Page | Police State & Prisons | San Francisco | California | Americas | Immigrant Rights2025-12-16 There's Nothing More Despicable and Dangerous Than a Mercenary Front Page | Police State & Prisons | Anti-War | California | U.S. | Americas | Immigrant Rights2025-11-16 "People Over Billionaires" March Tours San Francisco's Ritziest Neighborhood Front Page | Health, Housing & Public Services | Global Justice & Anti-Capitalism | San Francisco2025-11-15 First Day of Starbucks Strike Shuts Down Stores in Santa Cruz Labor & Workers | Peninsula | California | U.S. | Santa Cruz Indymedia2025-11-11 Gay Shame Organizes Costume March to ICE Courthouse in San Francisco Police State & Prisons | Racial Justice | LGBTI / Queer | Arts + Action | San Francisco | U.S. | Americas | Immigrant Rights2025-11-11 Remembering the Armed Occupation that Protected the Ohlone Burial Site on Lee Road Environment & Forest Defense | Racial Justice | Education & Student Activism | Americas | Santa Cruz Indymedia2025-11-05 Report from Department of Pesticide Regulation Underestimates Cancer Risks Environment & Forest Defense | Racial Justice | Health, Housing & Public Services | Labor & Workers | Education & Student Activism | California | Santa Cruz Indymedia2025-11-04 Amid Widespread Protests, Trump Calls Off National Guard Deployment to SF Racial Justice | San Francisco | South Bay | Peninsula | California | U.S.
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!

Donate

$110.00 donated
in the past month

Get Involved

If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.

Publish

Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.

IMC Network