In the federal district of southern New York, the jurors come from an area that includes New York City and part of the Hudson River Valley to the north of the city. When summoned, the prospective jurors must appear on a certain day to make themselves available for jury duty or face penalties. Called by random drawings, the prospective jurors are questioned by the judge and the lawyers to determine if they are suitable for jury duty. Basic qualifications include such things as speaking English, not suffering from a handicap that would make it difficult to serve, and not being convicted of a felony. Many occupations that were exempted in past years have been eliminated so that now doctors, nurses, lawyers, judges, and even law professors are required to show up for jury duty, Uviller noted.
Lunch is provided and transportation costs reimbursed.
Selecting an anonymous jury is not an unusual practice and has been followed in many cases in Federal Court in order to protect the jurors' privacy, Uviller said. This embassy bombing trial presented a particular difficulty because it is going to last a long time, he said. You have to find jurors who can give up that kind of time but who are nonetheless alert enough and intelligent enough to understand a complicated case. Because the trial is expected to last about nine months, court officials said the pool of 1,302 potential jurors was one of the largest ever to be screened. The court used a 26-page questionnaire to help simplify and expedite the jury selection.