(NewsNation) — A 2nd time of assemblage enactment successful the national transgression lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs volition instrumentality spot Tuesday arsenic the justice and attorneys are moving to whittle down the excavation to 12 jurors and six alternates.
The 2 sides volition beryllium questioning different acceptable of imaginable jurors successful the enactment process, which could past done the extremity of the week.
The process, known arsenic voir dire, takes time, Arik Fudali, an lawyer who represents women accusing Combs successful civilian tribunal and was wrong the courtroom, told NewsNation.
“It’s a precise dilatory process, it’s a precise deliberate process. In a batch of transgression and civilian cases — which are the cases I bash — this assemblage enactment process is 1 of the astir important aspects of the case,” helium said.
Prosecutors and defence attorneys volition person an accidental to question imaginable jurors and tin disregard immoderate of them for cause, including imaginable bias oregon deficiency of impartiality.
Their objections request to beryllium approved by Judge Arun Subramaniam, who is overseeing the trial.
Subramanian spoke to the excavation of imaginable jurors Monday morning, thanking them for their service, and said the proceedings could instrumentality arsenic agelong arsenic 8 weeks.
“Let’s beryllium serious, you’re each inconvenienced by this service,” Subramanian said, adding, “It’s an grant and privilege of the assemblage to beryllium progressive successful the antiauthoritarian process.”
Subramanian reviewed their answers to a questionnaire asking their views connected intersexual violence, enactment trafficking, guns and illicit drugs.
Some imaginable jurors were asked to place definite celebrities, and others were asked astir imaginable media power successful the trial.
Defense attorneys objected to a imaginable juror who worked arsenic a photograph shaper for HBO owed to the accumulation company’s documentary “The Fall of Diddy.”
Subramanian allowed the juror to enactment successful the excavation but allowed for much questioning aboriginal successful the process.
One imaginable juror was dismissed aft they referred to edifice surveillance portion of Combs attacking his ex-girlfriend vocalist Cassie Ventura successful a Los Angeles edifice arsenic “damning.”
Combs faces national charges of racketeering conspiracy, enactment trafficking by force, fraud oregon coercion and proscription to prosecute successful prostitution.
The euphony shaper has been held without bail since his September 2024 arrest, which came aft 2 of his homes were raided by national investigators 7 months earlier.
Prosecutors allege Combs utilized the resources of his euphony empire to make “a transgression endeavor whose members and associates engaged in, and attempted to prosecute in, among different crimes, enactment trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice.”
Combs has denied the allegations. His ineligible squad did not instrumentality a petition for remark up of the trial.
Opening statements are slated for May 12.