Can Cosby Jurors Be Impartial?

The lawsuit centered around accusations that comedian Bill Cosby drugged and raped a Pennsylvania woman in 2004 has attracted worldwide publicity. Now lawyers in that case are hoping to find a dozen jurors and six alternates from Pittsburgh who can be impartial for the trial, which begins June 5 in Philadelphia. That task is proving difficult: the Washington Post reported that fully one-third of the first 100 potential jurors said they have already formed an opinion about whether or not Cosby is guilty. Only about 14 potential jurors said they hadn’t heard anything about the allegations levied against Cosby. The jury will be sequestered throughout the trial, which is likely to last two weeks. “You want to see if they’re a celebrity-conscious person – if they read celebrity stuff, if they worship celebrity,” trial consultant Howard Varinsky told the Los Angeles Times. “Prosecutors have to be very worried about fans.”

Andrea Constand reported the sexual assault in January 2005, but then-District Attorney Bruce Castor declined to press charges. Constand reached a settlement with Cosby in her own lawsuit against him. But when Cosby gave testimony in that suit about a string of sexual encounters with women, whom he admitted to giving pills or alcohol, new prosecutors re-opened the case. Cosby was arrested in December 2015, days before the 12-year statute of limitations expired. He told a talk show host this month that he hopes to beat the charges and return to public life. “I want to get back to the laughter and the enjoyment of things that I’ve written and things that I can perform on stage,” he said.