Casey Anthony Trial Highlights Jury Selection Difficulty in High-Profile Cases

It is the second full day of jury selection for the trial of Casey Anthony at the Criminal Justice Center on 49th Street North in Pinellas County, Florida.  Attorneys for the prosecution and defense are attempting to select a panel of 12 unbiased jurors and 8 alternates from a pool of Pinellas County residents.  Once impaneled, the jurors will be sequestered and moved to Orlando for the substantive portion of the trial, which is set to begin the week of May 16th.  Ms. Anthony’s defense attorney attempted to strike all 100 members of the initial jury pool yesterday on the grounds that they did not adequately reflect Orlando’s demographics.

Although Judge Belvin Perry appears hopeful that a jury will be impaneled by the end of this week, the media-fueled notoriety of this case since the disappearance of Caylee Anthony in 2008 and the focus on the two-year-old’s mother, defendant Casey Anthony, as a primary suspect in her homicide, has raised significant concerns over the ability to find 20 unbiased jurors and alternates.  This morning, a potential juror was dismissed after telling the court she was “already convinced” three years ago that Ms. Anthony was guilty.

Under Florida law and rules of procedure, a party may ask the court to find jurors or hold the trial in another location where it appears the person cannot receive a fair trial in the original location.  In situations such as this one, where there has been extensive, national media coverage for nearly 3 years by major news networks and television show hosts such as Nancy Grace, importing jurors from Pinellas County, less than two hours from Orlando, Florida, does little to increase the chance of finding anyone unfamiliar with the allegations against Casey Anthony, much less anyone who may truly be impartial in such an emotionally-charged case.  Indeed, questioning prospective jurors from another state still would not ensure an easier jury selection process and prevent a widespread tainting of the jury pool.  This situation also raises the question of whether there is a potential conflict between the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of the press and an individual’s Fourth Amendment right to due process and a fair trial.

Another challenging aspect in selecting a jury is the length and location of the trial.  The trial is expected to last 6-8 weeks and take place in Orlando, presenting a tremendous hardship on jurors with jobs, families, and other responsibilities.   Approximately 43 prospective jurors were dismissed yesterday for hardship reasons.

Click here for a link to live video coverage of the trial.

The trial attorneys at PERENICH The Law Firm have more than 70 years of combined experience in litigation and have represented clients in numerous jury trials in Pinellas County and throughout the Tampa Bay area.