Jury Selection Session 2

Michael Jackson, while waving toward his fans gathered in the outdoor area of the Santa Maria courthouse and signaling them with his fingers for victory, entered the Santa Maria courthouse for the second time on the second day. Unlike the quiet, hushed atmosphere inside the courtroom, the outside was filled with shouts and joy. As Michael Jackson stepped out of his car in a black suit, fans who had come from every corner of the world greeted him with their cheers and applause, waving their placards in the air. 1,100 reporters, journalists, and photographers from around the world have come to the small city of Santa Maria—home to only 85,000 people—to cover the jury-selection hearings in Michael Jackson’s case. In the courtroom, Michael Jackson smiled at the selected jurors and calmly took his place behind the table reserved for the defense attorneys. Then Judge Rodney Melville began asking questions of the second group of 314 people called to court in order to form the jury. He first said: "I assure you that we will handle this case without wasting time and with complete fairness. We do not allow politicians, government officials, or even judges to make decisions about this case. People from other countries envy our judicial system." He then addressed the members of the jury panel present in the courtroom: "I imagine that right now you would rather be somewhere else. I know that no one volunteered to be in this place." Legal experts say that even now, the impact that Michael Jackson’s fame may have on this case is already being felt, and this effect will continue until the end of the trial. Because of Jackson’s unparalleled reputation, many of those summoned to court have said they want to be part of the final jury for this case. Out of the 314 people present in court today to be evaluated for possible membership on the jury in Jackson’s case, more than 176 have stated that they are willing to set aside their family matters and jobs to be present at Michael Jackson’s trial. Another 138 have requested to be excused from jury duty. All 122 courtroom seats were occupied by the selected jurors, while only 7 seats had been assigned to reporters. Those who have announced their readiness to serve on the jury are given a seven-page questionnaire form. These individuals are required to appear in court on February 7 for further review. The prosecutor from the San Francisco court, who is following this case as a legal analyst for the media, says that the expressed willingness of more than half of those summoned to court to form a jury has been notable: "If only three or four of them had said they did not want to be on the jury, I wouldn’t have been surprised." The agreement of more than 50% of those summoned to appear in court reveals the fact that people want to be present in this courtroom as jurors. Judge Melville has prohibited reporters from bringing cameras or recording devices into the courtroom. He has also instructed Jackson, the prosecutor, the complainant, and the police to refrain from making comments about this case and turning it into a media trial. Jackson’s supporters still believe in their champion’s innocence. A Japanese woman who came from Tokyo to Santa Maria to show support for Michael says: "We didn’t come to watch. We came to support Michael." Selecting 12 fair jurors could take a month, and the court sessions themselves, on their own, could last up to another 5 months. And in total, the issuance of the final verdict in Jackson’s case will likely be postponed from now by another six months. Michael Jackson, unlike usual—quiet and calm—left the second day of the court proceedings regarding the eligibility of 314 residents of Santa Maria to form the jury. He waved to the crowd of about 200 fans who were shouting, and to a swarm of journalists waiting for his return from the seven-hour court session. The sight of Michael Jackson leaving the courtroom was vastly different from the same scene about a year earlier. Last year, as Michael Jackson left the courthouse, he danced on top of the roof of his limousine and turned the flow of the trial into a show. Source: eMJey.com / Yahoo News