Scooter Libby Trial - Watch Out For Juror No. 0677

[Catherine Vincent]

And then there's Juror No. 0677. She is a television producer. She claimed she had paid attention to the case in a "circumfery" manner, and she has booked some of the journalists involved in the case. She was questioned about her ties to these reporters and whether she could evaluate their testimony without favor. She said yes. As for Cheney, she said, "I don't have any objective feelings about whether he would be more or less credible in this case."

She also mentioned that she was once an intern at the National Journalism Center and then an intern at The Washington Times, the conservative newspaper owned by Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church. There were no queries from the judge and lawyers about these connections. Yet might she be a conservative harboring pro-administration inclinations? Though the National Journalism Center has a bland name, it is a rightwing outfit that trains young conservative journalists and finds them jobs. Not all of its graduates are ideologically minded. But the group was launched in part by the American Conservative Union. It has received funding from the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation and the John M. Olin Foundation, leading conservative foundations. (The John M. Olin Foundation funded itself out of business in 2005.) Several years ago, the National Journalism Center was taken over by another conservative group, the Young Americas Foundation.

Jurors ought not be blackballed for their political views. But if a National Journalism Center graduate makes it on to the jury, the Libby legal team would have reason to be pleased. Fitzgerald might want to ask her a few more questions.

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/capitalgames?bid=3&pid=158370

[medeak]

1. she sounds deceptive to be certain n/t

[Ian David]

2. And if it weren't for the bloggers, we'd never know this. n/t

[Joe Chi Minh]

14. Wow. Given the want of integrity on the part of the MSM, it's difficult not to marvel

at the saving role played and still being played by the bloggers, on behalf of the American people, isn't it?

[Bitwit1234]

3. She was accepted, but they kicked off the juror

who said they would believe the republicans.

[Supersedeas]

4. pining for a hung jury -- it only takes one...maybe two to fish up the works: she smells

[H2O Man]

5. Both the prosecution and defense

will whittle down the jury pool. By late afternoon, or by Friday, they'll have 36 people that Judge Walton views as potential jurors. The defense can strike 12, the prosecution 6 (maybe 8). They'll end up with 16; 12 with be seated as jurors, and 4 will be alternates. Libby will be convicted on all counts.

[DemReadingDU]

6. Optimism to the nth degree!

:)

[Catherine Vincent]

7. Was hoping you'd chime in here.

It's too bad you're not allowed in the courtroom.

[Missy Vixen]

8. If anyone's reading this morning's blogging at firedoglake

The questioning's changed even overnight, which leads the blogger to believe that the prosecution has managed to make some inroads since yesterday.

They haven't even started the peremptory challenges. All three potential jurors that have appeared this morning so far were all dismissed by the judge for cause.

This isn't over yet. Not by a long shot.

Julie

[Catherine Vincent]

9. Thanks for keeping us up to date, Julie!

:hi:

[SoCalDem]

10. Off topic, but funny story about juries.

My friend was chosen to be part of a jury slection process, and one of the people in her pool was asked some questions and was dismissed when she mentioned that her former boyfriend was in prison..convicted by the same judge..

she was excused :)

[robertpaulsen]

11. K & R! Important story!

:kick:

[Catherine Vincent]

12. Thanks for kicking!

[robertpaulsen]

13. You bet! And bookmarked too.

I hope this Moonie rat gets weeded out.

:dem: