PITTSBURGH (CN) - A day and a half of jury selection has produced eight white jurors so far to hear the sexual-assault case against Bill Cosby next month.
Before the selection of the latest three jurors Tuesday morning — two men and a woman —an undisclosed filing in the case delayed proceedings in the Allegheny Court of Common Pleas by more than two hours.
Judge Steven O’Neill, who traveled 300 miles to Pittsburgh from the site of the trial in Montgomery County, revealed little about the new filing, or his resolution of it, saying only that it concerns “fundamental human rights.”
As a result of the delay, a new pool of 80 potential jurors will be released before the end of today.
Cosby’s case is slated to be tried before a 12-person jury, with an additional six alternates.
Court officials say they hope to find the remaining jurors by Wednesday, with 120 individuals being summoned to the courthouse.
Of the five jurors selected on Monday, three are men and two women. They are all white, as are the three selected Tuesday.
Two of the men selected on Monday said either they themselves or people close to them have been the victims of a sexual assault. Both maintained, however, that they can be fair.
Cosby, 79, is expected to go on trial near Philadelphia on June 5 for the sexual assault of Andrea Constand.
The only one of dozens of Cosby accusers whose criminal claims are not barred by the statute of limitations, Constand met the comedian while working at Temple University, where Cosby was a trustee. Cosby maintains that their 2004 sexual encounter at his home in Cheltenham was consensual.
Of the 100 people pooled Monday, nearly one-third admitted to having already formed conceptions about Cosby’s guilt or innocence. Two-thirds of the potential jurors, all of whom are from the Pittsburgh area, also reported that they will be overburdened by travel if selected to serve at the trial.
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