NEW YORK (AP) — Nine jurors were picked Wednesday on the second day of jury selection in Harvey Weinstein’s #MeToo rape retrial. At the same time…
— Nine jurors were picked Wednesday on the second day of jury selection in Harvey Weinstein’s #MeToo rape retrial.
At the same time, the disgraced movie mogul’s lawyers asked a judge to allow him to spend his nights at a New York City hospital instead of jail for the duration of the trial, citing his many health issues including cancer and problems walking that require the use of a wheelchair to get in and out of court.
The jurors — five women and four men — were picked from a group of 25 prospective jurors who spent the past two days answering questions from prosecutors and Weinstein’s lawyers to gauge their ability to be impartial. They are the first jurors picked after none were chosen on Tuesday.
Jury selection will resume Thursday with a fresh group of about 80 prospective jurors to begin the screening process anew. Judge Curtis Farber has said a total of 12 jurors and six alternates will be picked.
The prosecution and defense each used seven of their allotted 15 peremptory challenges to reject potential jurors on Wednesday, leaving eight per side.
Two other candidates were removed from consideration by the judge. One had expressed dismay about the justice system and complained that wealthy people avoid culpability for wrongdoing. Another initially indicated he could be fair but then returned to the courtroom and said he didn’t think he could.
“Defense counsel asked my reaction to the defendant’s name and the first word that came in my head was ‘pig,’” said the man, who works as an investment banker.
