On Monday, Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville gave a warning to the 250 jurors that volunteered for a space during the Michael Jackson trial about their outside conversations. All discussions of the case may not be uttered in or around the courthouse unless in session amongst their selves.
The jurors met with the Judge in the gymnasium near the Santa Maria Courthouse due to the large number of participants. In addition to the warning of not talking, the potential jurors cannot look at any websites, court documents, or movies concerning Michael Jackson or the case.
Anyone who asks the jurors about the case are to be told that no comment can be told to them; if the person persistent, their name is to be reported to the court. But this phase of the selection of jurors has been postponed one week due the death in the family of Defense Lawyer Tom Mesereau.
On February 14, the Judge has ordered 113 of the original 450 applying jurors to return back to the court for one on one questioning. Such questions will include their knowledge on the case and the participants will also be subjected to a screening for any suspected bias-ness.
Source: Santa Barbara News-Press/Santa Maria Times/eMJey