Rubashkin Jury Selection Finished, Trial Begins Tomorrow

What does this rapid jury selection mean?

I can't tell you with any degree of certainty because I wasn't in the courtroom, although on first blush it would seem to be good for the defense.

I hope to be in Sioux Falls for some of the trial but, as I noted earlier, that depends on your support.

Comments

[effie]

Good for the defense? I wouldn't agree. It means that they didn't get any nuts in the jury pool and that there is a no nonsense judge. A no nonsense judge is better for the prosecution.

[TheTruthAsItIs]

I don't think you can read anything, one way or the other, in a supposedly "quick" jury selection. First of all, how do we even know it was all that quick? I suspect they worked at it the greater part of the day.

Even if it was "quick" by comparison of other jury selections I still don't see how one can read anything into it.

[Yosef ben Matitya]

with busload(s?) of them acheirim shokeling idiots on the way to perform in court, a new town in the midwest would be converting to ridiculing whom they think are jews, as well as active antisemitism.

[nachos]

To all FM readers:

What ever is going to be the end result of this whole mess is in G-d's hands. G-d allowed this whole trial to happen and will be the ultimate judge.

Let's all agree to say a prayer for Shalom's children who are really innocent in all this.

[itchiemayer]

Nachos - I agree. I made the comment in a post about Roza Weiss' statement asking for funds for her father. She is really caught in the middle, and I can't blame her for supporting her father.

[FirstGenerationBavarianAmerican]

Video from a Sioux Falls TV station:
http://www.keloland.com/videoarchive/index.cfm?VideoFile=101309slaughterhouse

[Jerome Soller]

Nachos and Itchie,
I agree fully, and I feel for Roza and Getzel. I also feel for the spouses and some other members of the family that were not closely involved in the mess.

[Agent Emes]

It's about we saw some compassion from the bloggers. Keep up the good work Nachos and all.

[effie]

One, a day is fast for jury selection. Two, one can read something into it based on experience.

[effie]

I also feel for the spouses and some other members of the family that were not closely involved in the mess.

Why? Weren't they living large on that dirty money, too? They knew where it came from.

[Proton Soup]

he's not OJ. and they're out of state. no one will have any idea who he is. why would jury selection be a tedious process here?

[FirstGenerationBavarianAmerican]

Supporters of fallen meat plant manager swarm Sioux Falls.

So reads the headline of the latest story on the web site of the Argus-Leader. Of course, these stories only were posted after the potential jurors were already in the court house.

http://www.argusleader.com/article/20091013/UPDATES/91013057/-1/updates

[effie]

I don't think packing the courtroom is going to help him. And since so many think they are a law unto themselves, I would be worried that they would do or say something inappropriate and cause a mistrial.

Assistant U.S. Attorney C.J. Williams named about 80 witnesses that prosecutors might call for their case.

Included on the list was Elizabeth Billmeyer, who worked as the plant's human resources director; Toby Bensassion, a former comptroller; and two mid-level managers, Juan Carlos Guerrero Espinoza and Martin De La Rosa. All pleaded guilty to lesser charges in the build-up to the trial.

Defense lawyer Guy Cook said his team might call Joe Sarachek, the plant's bankruptcy trustee; Ron Wahls, a school guidance counselor; and former Agriprocessors spokesman Chaim Abraham.

USA Today

[state of disgust]

Interesting that Ron Wahls would be called as a defense witness. He was listed in the plant search warrant as RW and was alleged to have been the pay master paying underage kids in cash and off the books.
He was also the school counselor who allegedly helped direct potential drop outs to work the night shift at Agri. He would then bus them to school in the am. In the afternoons they would go home and sleep so they would be ready for the night shift and on weekends he offered to tutor them so they could keep up w school. That way the school (RW's son is the principal) keeps per capita funding from the state and ESL funding from the Feds.
Great defense witness.