PioneerPlanet is a service of the Pioneer Press . For more information, click here . For cigarette makers, it probably is someone who feels strongly about personal responsibility. For the attorneys suing the tobacco industry, the best juror thinks big corporations have a responsibility to the public and are capable of wrongdoing. Those are the opinions of three jury consultants interviewed by the Pioneer Press.
None is involved in the case.
The parties have used jury experts, but their conclusions and recommendations are closely guarded secrets. If a jury is selected today, the opening statements will probably be given Monday. For the past three days, lawyers on both sides have questioned about 30 potential jurors at the federal courthouse in St. Paul, usually for 20 to 30 minutes. Jurors also filled out a lengthy, secret questionnaire. Twenty potential jurors have qualified during the process.