One jury consultant has raised concerns about the jury selection process following the dismissal of two seated jurors on Thursday morning. The first juror was excused after her identity was made public by the media, while the second juror was removed due to questions about the truthfulness of his responses during attorney questioning.
Consultant Carolyn Koch emphasized that these incidents highlight larger issues within the trial, suggesting that disqualifying jurors after they have been vetted in court indicates a systemic problem. Koch recommended the use of written questionnaires in advance of jury selection for high-profile cases, allowing attorneys to thoroughly review responses and vet potential jurors.
Koch explained that oral questionnaires, as opposed to written ones, limit attorneys' ability to gather comprehensive information about prospective jurors beyond what they disclose themselves.
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass previously informed the court that information had surfaced casting doubt on the second dismissed juror's truthfulness. Prosecutors discovered that a man with the same name as the juror had been arrested in the 1990s for removing political advertisements. It remains unclear whether this arrest was the reason for the juror's dismissal or if he is indeed the individual prosecutors referenced. The specifics of the conversation leading to his removal have not been disclosed publicly.
