Jury Pool Narrows in Edwards Case

Jury selection continued today in the John Edwards case.

Jeff Tiberii: Edwards sat slightly rocking in his chair as lawyers from both sides asked to have potential jury members dismissed. None of the prospective jurors were in the federal courtroom. A pool of 185 jurors filled out questionnaires last Thursday. This morning 47 jurors were dismissed with cause. The majority of those released said in the jury questionnaire that they’ve already made up their mind about the guilt of Edwards and would be unable to follow instructions from the court. Others were dismissed because of medical hardships, commuting challenges and having to attend class. Tomorrow judge Catherine Eagles will question 12 jurors at a time before speaking briefly with them individually. An attorney for Mr. Edwards said it’s difficult to tell precisely how long this process should take, but a jury should be seated by the end of the week. Opening arguments are scheduled for next Monday.