by TChris

Twelve out of thirteen potential jurors were dismissed yesterday as jury selection began in the Scott Peterson trial. Most were released because they had made up their minds about Peterson's guilt or because they strongly opposed the death penalty. Faster progress was made today as five potential jurors were selected. The judge and lawyers expect to individually question about a dozen potential jurors each day during this initial phase of voir dire.

Acknowledging the difficulty of selecting a fair jury in such a high profile case, the prosecutor agreed with Mark Geragos, Peterson's attorney, that juror questionairres should not be released to the press. The judge accepted their reasoning, ruling that Peterson's interest in a fair trial outweighed the media's interest in publishing the questionairres. Judge Alfred Delucchi said that releasing information that might permit the media to identify jurors could have a chilling effect upon the willingness of potential jurors to serve.