NEW YORK (AP) – The judge at Harvey Weinstein’s sexual assault trial pressed ahead with the start of jury selection Tuesday, rejecting a defense request for a “cooling-off period” because of the burst of publicity over the filing of new charges against the Hollywood mogul in Los Angeles.
Weinstein’s lawyers suggested that the timing of the new sex-crime charges, announced on Monday, was deliberate on the part of prosecutors, and they asked for a delay to let the publicity subside.
“For a prosecutor, this is Christmas morning – the morning of jury selection to have him smeared everywhere,” defense attorney Arthur Aidala said.
Judge James Burke refused a postponement, saying he is confident the jury will understand Weinstein is presumed innocent, and the first 120 potential jurors were brought into the courtroom to fill out a questionnaire, the first step in a process that is expected to take weeks, given heavy news coverage of the case and the way the once-powerful studio boss has been cast as the archvillain of the #MeToo movement.
Among the questions on the form: “If you have seen, read, or heard anything about the case, does that information affect your ability to be a fair and impartial juror?”