Forgot your password?
New user?
Document Actions
Kansas Liberty: 17 March 2009
Fifteen more citizens questioned on everything from friends to hobbies
Two more prospective jurors dismissed on second day of Tiller trial
Another group of potential jurors for the trial of Dr. George Tiller was questioned Tuesday at the Sedgwick County Courthouse, the second day of jury selection for the high-profile case.
Tiller is charged with 19 misdemeanor counts of performing late term abortions after obtaining the second opinion of a doctor with whom he had an improper legal or financial affiliation.
As on the first day of proceedings, Sedgwick County District Court Judge Clark Owens and the attorneys on both sides of the case exercised greater-than-usual caution in their efforts to select the six jurors and two alternates who will hear the case beginning next Monday.
The pool of 15 randomly selected citizens was questioned about everything from possibility familiarity with the people involved in the case to their professional backgrounds to their hobbies.
Two members of the pool were dismissed. One was a woman who explained that she had been raised Catholic, had a mother and sister who had protested at Tiller’s clinic, and that she did not believe she could set aside her feelings about abortion and render an impartial verdict. Another woman had been dismissed for similar reasons Monday.
Thus far, none of the potential jurors have expressed doubts that their support for abortion rights would cause them to be impartial.
Proceedings resume Wednesday morning, when lawyers on both sides will be allowed to strike jurors they believe might be biased against their case.
Day-Care bill clears Senate
Parkinson's pick for SOS could become advantage for Dems
Tiller blames Buening, lawyers for bad advice