The jury selected for U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez’s (D-NJ) corruption trial will have to weigh some of the strongest charges ever leveled against a sitting federal lawmaker.
Finding jurors to hear the case requires that attorneys ask tough questions to determine whether a potential juror can be fair and impartial to each side. Attorney and former federal prosecutor Brian Whisler calls that the “key ingredient” when wading through prospective jurors.
“It’s a fairly complex process. It’s a mix of art and science in picking a jury. And I’ve certainly picked quite a number in my tenure, particularly as a prosecutor. It’s a fascinating component of the trial,” he said.
Whisler told NJ Spotlight News there’s a significant amount of questioning that goes into reaching a judgement about jurors. Even those potential jurors who may not think they’re capable of being impartial are sometimes second guessed by the court for their rationale.
“I’ve been in courts where it’s taken over a week to pick a jury and in courts where it’s taken a day. And a lot of that is determined by the discretion of the judge,” said Whisler. “There’s no legal prescription for how long it takes to pick a jury.”
Judge Sidney Stein on Tuesday also alerted the pool of prospective jurors about prominent officials who may be asked to testify or named during the trial including U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), former New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal along with current and former state lawmakers.
