Q&A: Cosby jury: A look at what to expect during selection
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A crucial phase of comedian Bill Cosby's sex assault trial starts Monday when lawyers gather in Pittsburgh to pick the jury that will weigh his case.
The jury must decide if the 79-year-old actor drugged and molested a Temple University women's basketball team manager at his home near Philadelphia in 2004.
The felony charge carries a potential 10-year prison term, but Cosby is also focused on the court of public opinion.
On the eve of jury selection, he told a talk radio host last week that he hopes to clear his name and resume his stand-up comedy career.
The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are sexual assault victims unless they grant permission, which Constand has done.
First Assistant District Attorney Kevin Steele, a Democrat whose office had reopened the case, attacked Castor over the Cosby case in campaign ads.
Court officers will keep close tabs on their cellphone use, TV time and reading material, given the huge media coverage the case will bring.
The trial is expected to last about two weeks, but could go longer if rebuttal witnesses are called or the jury struggles to reach a verdict.
The defense will likely seek jurors who are black, male, older and perhaps celebrity worshippers, in the view of jury consultant Howard Varinksy, who advised prosecutors in the murder trials of Scott Peterson, who was convicted of murdering his pregnant wife, Timothy McVeigh and others.
Younger jurors may have more modern views of sexual assault cases, especially those, like Cosby's, that involve acquaintance situations or a delay in contacting police.
[...] the press will be covering the proceedings, reporting on both the nature of the arguments over jury selection and the willingness of people to serve in the high-profile case.
Given sex assault allegations raised against President Donald Trump, and his vulgar comments caught on tape about grabbing women, will lawyers try to glean the jurors' political leanings?