Former U.S. presidential candidate and Sen. John Edwards leaves a federal court during a lunch break during the fifth day of jury deliberations in his trial in Greensboro, N.C., Thursday, May 24, 2012. Edwards is accused of using nearly $1 million from donors to help hide his pregnant mistress as he sought the White House in 2008.MICHAEL BIESECKER, Associated Press
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The judge in the John Edwards trial abruptly closed the courtroom Friday to talk to attorneys about an issue with a juror and sent the panel home after six days of deliberations with a stern warning not to talk about the case.
U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Eagles did not indicate what the problem was after meeting with prosecutors and defense lawyers for about 35 minutes, but when she reopened the courtroom, she admonished the jury before dismissing them until Tuesday.
“All of your deliberations should take place while you are in the jury room and together,” Eagles said. “Don’t discuss the case in small groups.”
The jury’s behavior drew attention Thursday when the four alternates all wore canary-yellow shirts. On Friday, they all wore bright red shirts, as did two of the 12 jurors deliberating the case.