A federal judge has denied a motion by prosecutors to question in private some potential jurors in Jackson Mayor Frank Melton’s upcoming criminal trial.
In the order, U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Jordan said, “the Court’s standard practice is to question the (jury pool) in open court, but to question potential jurors at the bench when necessary. Such incidents might include statements that are confidential, embarrassing or potentially prejudicial. The Court sees no reason to depart from this practice.”
Prosecutors with the U.S. Justice Department had sought to initially conduct a private interview with each juror because of “the sensitive nature” of the trial and fear that a potential juror would “blurt out” an opinion about bringing civil rights charges against a sitting mayor.
Magnolia Tribune
