Bill Cosby lawyers criticize lack of minority jury candidates

Credit: William Thomas Cain

Credit: William Thomas Cain

With 100 people questioned, attorneys for comedian Bill Cosby say the jury pool is overwhelmingly white and prosecutors are trying to keep black jurors off the panel.

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Cosby's lawyers say of the 100 candidates already questioned, only 16 weren't white. Prosecutors have used their strikes to send two black women home, although they say race was not a factor in those decisions.

Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Steven O'Neill has rejected defense attorneys' allegations of race bias.

Currently, 11 people have been chosen for the jury so far. Ten are white, and one is black. Seven are men, the rest women. One more juror and six more alternates need to be selected.

The third day of jury selection at the Allegheny County Courthouse, Downtown, begins this morning, and Cosby is expected to be present again.

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