LOS ANGELES (AP) — When 104 people report for possible jury service on Monday in a lawsuit over Michael Jackson’s untimely death, lawyers for the singer’s mother and the concert promoter she is suing will already know them well.
Each person will have filled out a 123-question, 24-page questionnaire probing their views not only on Jackson and his famous family, but the singer’s life, death, the media and how they feel about multimillion dollar jury verdicts.
It’s taken nearly two weeks to collect the potential jurors, who range from a sitting Superior Court judge to retirees and unemployed job-seekers. On Monday, in-person questioning will begin and offer attorneys their final chance to talk to jurors and have them answer back.
Experts say the process known as voir dire — a French phrase meaning to speak the truth — doesn’t win or lose a case but is essential for both sides to start framing the case for jurors and weed out anyone hostile to their side.
“I think the first concept to understand with jury selection is it’s really more jury de-selection,” said Marcellus McRae, a former federal prosecutor who now handles white collar defense cases for the Gibson Dunn & Crutcher law firm.
McRae said attorneys will need to find out who in the group “has the ability to telescope their focus on the sole issues before the court.”
“You can’t say at the beginning that this wins the case,” said John T. Nockleby, director
READ MORE: http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_23019052/q-give-unique-insight-into-michael-jackson-jury
Source: Mercurynews / MJ-Upbeat.com
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