Kobe Bryant is expected to enter a "not guilty" plea today, which will result in a trial date being set within six months. Yesterday's hearing and this morning's were behind closed doors. The accuser attended as a spectator.

The defense is also asking for expanded voir dire-- they will want to weed out jurors seeking fame or fortune from serving on a jury in such a high profile case. We also think race will be an issue in jury selection.

Today the Judge will hear arguments about whether the accuser can be referred to as "the victim" at trial. We hope he rules "no"--that pre-supposes a crime has been committed of which the accuser is a victim. It implies Kobe's guilt. There is a name in the law for the complaining witness in a rape case--prosecutrix--maybe they should just call her that.

Denver defense attorney Jeralyn Merritt thinks race may well be an issue with potential jurors, given that the case involved a black man charged with a white woman's rape. Merritt said you don't ask the potential jurors if they're prejudiced because everyone will deny that they have a prejudice against racial minorities.

"The trick is to ask open-ended questions that will draw them out," Merritt said. "You want them to talk about their biases and prejudices."

[Defense Attorney Larry] Pozner agrees. "America is not yet free of racism," he said. "The American system is not yet an ideal place for either side."

We'll be discussing this week's hearings today on MSNBC's Abrams Report, 6pm ET.