Assuming for the moment that Michael Jackson is brought before a jury on charges of molesting a teenage boy, his trial will highlight one of the most significant changes in the modern defense process.
Jury selection has become at least as important as the evidence.
This is especially true when criminal charges rest largely on the word of an alleged victim and when a high-profile defendant is the target of the charges. . . .
[M]ark Geragos, one of the canniest of the big time lawyers, is representing Jackson. He and his team will realize that the case may be won or lost during the jury-selection process. Look for them to try to move the case from Santa Barbara to a venue that may be more Jackson-friendly.
If you need an example of the importance of jury selection, look at the 1995 murder trial of O.J. Simpson for the deaths of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ron Goldman.
More here from the UPI.