Next Thursday marks the arrival of Thanksgiving in the United States. For some family and friends, it is the one opportunity during the year to break bread. The historical significance of the holiday is often supplanted by usual rituals of ingestion (sometimes indigestion) and merriment.
Thanksgiving’s roots during the early colonization of North America are religiously based, primarily modeled on the harvest festivals prevalent in Europe. The traditions revolving around Thanksgiving’s early followers usually commemorate safe passage to Colonial America and Canada, or, sharing the harvest between native and settler. It wasn’t until the outbreak of World War II when FDR signed a bill making Thanksgiving a national holiday. Thank you, Mr. President! Lady Justice would like to wish everyone a safe, happy, and healthy holiday season.
After 13 days of deliberation, the jury returned a verdict in the drug conspiracy trial against defendants Howard K. Stern, Dr. Kristine Eroshevich and Dr. Sandeep Kapoor. The jury alerted Judge Perry that they reached a decision and read the verdicts yesterday afternoon. The jury first announced the acquittal of Dr. Sandeep Kapoor on all charges. Shortly after, the jury announced that Howard K. Stern had been found guilty on two felony counts of conspiracy – giving false names and acting by fraud to obtain prescriptions. Smith’s psychiatrist Dr. Khristine Eroshevich was convicted of the same two conspiracy charges and was also found guilty on two additional charges of “prescribing and furnishing sedatives and opiates to an addict.”
According to the latest update from the Associated Press, the jury is asking questions about particular elements of charges against the defendants. The jurors’ written notes indicate that they are struggling to reach a verdict. Judge Perry has instructed them to declare a hung jury if they cannot reach a unanimous decision. Perry even invited the jurors back for additional legal guidance or re-read of testimonies, if needed. But as of now, there is no indication of when this may or may not happen. Stay tuned for the latest!
